Food & Drink

Proof Drinks secures rights for Italian prosecco Scavi & Ray

07-Apr-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

Upmarket Italian prosecco Scavi & Ray is to receive a national roll-out after Proof Drinks announced it is to take on the brand’s UK distribution rights.

Brand News

Kopparberg launches Frozen Fruit Ciders

07-Apr-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Kopparberg has announced the launch of a new range of frozen fruit ciders for the summer.

Pubs and bars encouraged to promote Sauvignon Blanc Day

07-Apr-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

New Zealand Winegrowers is calling on pubs and bars to celebrate and promote Sauvignon Blanc Day on 24 April.

Drinks Offer

RTDs: Ready To Sink?

07-Apr-2015 By Nigel Huddleston

The RTD category has been in decline in recent times, but the Publican's Morning Advertiser has found some bright lights to keep the sector afloat.

TREND WATCH

Trend watch: asparagus springs to life

02-Apr-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Daniel Woolfson takes a look at how the highly-versatile spring vegetable is being brought to life on pub menus.

Brand News

London's new 'Chinese gastropub' installs Pilsner Urquell tank beer

02-Apr-2015 By Mike Berry

Pilsner Urquell brand owner Miller Brands has installed its Tankovna beer at a fourth London site – new ‘Chinese gastropub’ Duck & Rice.

Brand News

Carlsberg makes multi-million investment into Somersby

02-Apr-2015 By Ed Bedington

Carlsberg is to sink £7m into boosting its cider brand Somersby with the launch of a wide range of promotional activity.

BrewDog hails 'epic' year with profit up 69%

02-Apr-2015 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

BrewDog, the Scottish brewer and bar operator, has announced its sixth consecutive year of record growth, having increased its annual turnover by 64% to over £29.6m in 2014.

New apple flavour for Jim Beam

01-Apr-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

An apple-flavoured variant of Jim Beam is to be rolled out next month as distributor Maxxium UK continues to target new drinkers to the bourbon category.

Carling in Brighton or Barbados holiday giveaway

01-Apr-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

Molson Coors is giving consumers the opportunity to win a Carling trip to Brighton or Barbados over the early May bank holiday weekend for just £49.

Comment

Brown: The craft of defining artisanal beer

01-Apr-2015 By Pete Brown

Beer writer Pete Brown learned a lot while on assignment recently, but despite asking experts and discovering those in the industry are unsure, his search for clarity on one subject goes on.

Heineken stands tall with new glassware

01-Apr-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

Heineken has introduced “taller, prouder” pint and half-pint glasses for its eponymous beer brand.

Comment

Beer Day to celebrate a new golden age of ale

01-Apr-2015 By Jane Peyton

Save the date: 15 June is Beer Day Britain, a chance for drinkers and pubs to celebrate the national tipple. Beer Day Britain is about all beer — real ale, pilsner lager, kegged ale, bottled and canned beer — no matter what the format, packaging or brand.

Brand News

Carlsberg tells consumers to trust their tastebuds in new Export campaign

31-Mar-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

Carlsberg UK has launched an advertising campaign for Export on the back of consumer research that shows a preference for the taste of the bottled beer over its nearest rival, Stella Artois.

‘Beer sexism’ not on CAMRA AGM agenda

31-Mar-2015 By Mike Berry

The Campaign For Real Ale’s AGM will see policy discussions on the promotion of bottle-conditioned ale, an objective definition of a pub and action against late-night levies — but there is no place for a debate on so-called ‘beer sexism’ after a motion...

Marston’s buys Thwaites’ beer division

31-Mar-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Allegra Foodservice

Marston’s has agreed to buy the trading operation of Daniel Thwaites’ beer division for £25.1m.

Dark Star Brewery to grow pub company

31-Mar-2015 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Dark Star Brewery is to develop its own pub estate – with a target of growing it to 20 sites in the next five years.

CHARITY

Camerons sponsors Mount Everest climb

30-Mar-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

Camerons Brewery has announced that it will sponsor a Hartlepool adventurer £2,000 to climb Mount Everest, to raise funds for the Dreams Come True charity.

BRAND NEWS

New look for Bombardier

30-Mar-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

Charles Wells’ Bombardier beer has been given a fresh look ahead of a new marketing campaign next month.

Beer duty cut gripes miss true impact of the Budget

27-Mar-2015 By Brigid Simmonds

At the BBPA, we are still receiving a huge amount of positive feedback from across the sector about the one penny cut in beer duty in the Budget, writes chief executive Brigid Simmonds.

Trend Watch

Trend watch: buggin' out?

27-Mar-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Imagine sitting down to eat in a restaurant and being served a plate of locusts...

Managed and food-led pubs continue to boost soft drinks sales

27-Mar-2015 By Jessica Mason

The value of the soft drinks market to the leisure sector grew in 2014 at £4.2bn, with volumes increasing 0.5%, according to the Britvic Soft Drink Review 2015.

Research

Consumers returning to pubs but home drinking still most popular

27-Mar-2015 By Mike Berry

Almost two thirds of consumers have drunk at a pub or bar in the last month, compared to almost 8 in 10 that have drunk at home, new figures have revealed.

Adnams reports record brewing year and jump in profit

27-Mar-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Report

Adnams, the Suffolk-based brewer and pub operator, has reported sales for the year to 31 December up 9.1% to £66m.

Brand News

Westons launches five new limited edition ciders

26-Mar-2015 By Jessica Mason

Westons Cider is set to launch five limited-edition still ciders including three flavoured ciders and two traditional ciders.

BrewDog tops profit tracker list

26-Mar-2015 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Scottish brewer and pub operator BrewDog came out on top in this year’s AlixPartners Profit Tracker in association with the Publican's Morning Advertiser's sister title M&C Report.

Comment

Willock: Last orders

25-Mar-2015 By Rob Willock

By the time you read this, I’ll be on my way to the airport, bound for pastures new (well, deserts new) in the Middle East.

Brand News

Kopparberg enters UK beer market with Fagerhult

25-Mar-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

Swedish cider maker Kopparberg has entered UK beer market for the first time with the launch of a 330ml canned lager.

Cask Matters launches beer training programme

25-Mar-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

A new cask beer e-learning programme targeted at staff in the hospitality industry has been launched to boost the quality of the drink.

Comment

Heineken: We will rise to the challenge of the pubs code

25-Mar-2015 By David Forde

It’s time to rise to the challenge of reform and secure the future of the Great British Pub.

Comment

Protz: A pub with a hairdresser

24-Mar-2015 By Roger Protz

Roger Protz takes a ferry cross the Mersey to find Gallaghers pub, which has a hairdresser’s as a perm-anent fixture.

Rekorderlig launches Dry Apple Cider

24-Mar-2015 By Jessica Mason

Swedish cider maker Rekorderlig is adding an apple cider to its line-up, in a bid to “engage a new male consumer looking for an alternative to beer”.

Diageo launches new products for Smirnoff, Pimm’s, Captain Morgan, Gordon’s, Guinness and Cîroc

23-Mar-2015 By Jessica Mason

Diageo has launched a range of new flavours, products and variants across its most popular brands including Smirnoff, Pimm’s, Captain Morgan, Gordon’s, Guinness and Cîroc.

SIBA Business Awards winners revealed

20-Mar-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Report

Hawkshead Brewery has been named Brewery Business of the Year at the Society of Independent of Independent Brewers’ BeerX event in Sheffield.

SMALL TALK

Jasper Cuppaidge of Camden Town Brewery on crowdfunding and running 'awesome' pubs

20-Mar-2015 By Emma Eversham

Camden Town Brewery launched its Hells Raiser crowdfunding campaign to help finance a new brewery in February and has already over-reached its £1.5m target. Founder Jasper Cuppaidge talks about his reasons for going down the crowdfunding route and why...

Trend Watch

Trend Watch: can coffee cocktails conquer the world?

19-Mar-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Irish-ing up your coffee may well have gotten you kicked out of an establishment in the past, with your rusty hip flask in hand and an embittered snarl on your face.

AWARDS

SIBA unveils best beer winners

19-Mar-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

Brass Castle, St Austell and Wild Beer Company were the top breweries awarded by the Society of Independent Brewers Association (SIBA) at its National Beer Competition 2015.

Diageo to provide calories and alcohol content per typical serve

19-Mar-2015 By Robyn Black

Smirnoff vodka and Guinness beer owner, Diageo, will become the first drinks company to provide drinkers with information on both nutritional information and alcohol content per typical serve, it announced today (19 March 2015).

Time to get behind Beer Day Britain

19-Mar-2015 By Jane Peyton

Save the date - 15 June is Beer Day Britain - a chance for pubs and beer lovers to celebrate our national tipple.

Comment

Brown: In search of pub perfection

19-Mar-2015 By Pete Brown

Pete Brown takes on the challenge made by a friend to visit his favourite pub, but not to mention it in a book he is writing for fear it will become uninhabitable if others know about it...

US craft beer exports boom

19-Mar-2015 By Mike Berry

US craft beer exports in 2014 rocketed by 35.7%, with the UK the third fastest-growing market, according to new figures.

People

There's A Beer For That campaign appoints new marketing chief

18-Mar-2015 By Mike Berry

Britain's Beer Alliance, the organisation behind the pan-industry There's A Beer For That campaign which aims to boost the beer category, has appointed Neil Gannon as Marketing Lead.

Drinkaware to launch campaign encouraging moderate drinking in pubs

18-Mar-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

Drinkaware is planning to launch a new on-trade campaign, which aims to reduce the amount of alcohol drunk in pubs.

Sweet smell of success for TCG's drinks menus

17-Mar-2015 By Robyn Black

TCG is printing this year’s spring drinks menu on strawberry scented card to “enhance the seasonal feel” for drinkers.

Pub sector profiles

Interview: Britvic's Nigel Paine

16-Mar-2015 By Jessica Mason

Nigel Paine is a man who is always looking to the future. Which is just as well in an industry that is increasingly innovating and searching for the next big thing. Jessica Mason reports.

Keg wine set for a boom in pubs and bars

16-Mar-2015 By Robyn Black

Draught wine is gaining momentum in pubs and bars, as three separate companies have recently revealed wines on tap.

Business booster

Business boosters: brocante and vintage market, buffet and talks

13-Mar-2015 By PubFood

Money making ideas for your pub or bar

Trend Watch

Trend watch: croquette me not?

13-Mar-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Customers' appetites for croquettes are virtually universal. From Spanish ham and béchamel croquettes, which are a staple on any traditional tapas menu, to Korea where they are filled with spicy kimchi, pork and bulgogi, croquettes are consumed in...