Cash in on Cask Ale Week
Helping you to make the most of Cask Ale Week
Cask Ale Week is the foremost annual celebration of Britain’s national drink and offers venues selling cask ales a fantastic opportunity to grow sales and profits as well as bringing new customers into cask.
Cask Marque: what you need to know…
Cask Ale Week is organised by Cask Marque, an independent company set up in 1997 to help ensure that the cask ale customers drink in pubs in the UK is in perfect condition.
The heart of the company’s work is an accreditation scheme that sees 50 qualified assessors make over 20,000 visits to over 20,000 pubs each to check the temperature, appearance, aroma and taste of Britain’s favourite drink.
All beers must make the grade to pass the visit and accredited pubs are then promoted through the CaskFinder App, CaskFinder Online and through the plaque and POS at the pub. Recent independent research for the Cask Report 2019-20 identified that 77% of beer drinkers recognised the Cask Marque plaque as a badge of quality.
Cask Ale Week is the leading annual celebration of Britain’s unofficial national drink – cask beer. Taking place in autumn each year, the festival of cask ale presents a unique opportunity for venues to get involved and drive sales of and profits among existing customers while also providing an outstanding opportunity to encourage new customers to sample the incomparable delights of a fresh, live, delicious beer.
Formed in the early 2000s by Cask Marque, Cask Ale Week is supported by the major trade organisations, brewers and pub groups as well as The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). It is, of course, also backed heavily by Greene King and Belhaven who have centuries-old traditions of producing some of the country’s most popular cask ales.
Cask stars
The key to unlocking fresh footfall, sales and profits is, of course, in stocking a good range of cask ales behind the bar. Greene King and Belhaven are perfectly placed to offer you access to a fantastic range of immensely popular cask classics as well as an exciting, innovative range of limited-edition cask ales.
We know that cask drinkers represent an incredibly loyal section of society with seven in 10 stating that they know they are going to choose cask before they even arrive at your venue [CGA Path To Purchase Report 2021]. These same drinkers also like to try different cask ales with three in five cask drinkers choosing at least two different brands per visit [CGA OPM, Oct 2022].
So there’s a ready-made audience of cask fanatics out there ready to target, as well as a whole new generation of drinkers waiting to be lured into a category with a deep, rich history and tradition – as well as an abundance of flavour. Cask Ale Week offers the perfect opportunity to target both of these audiences.
Greene King and Belhaven’s permanent range of cask ales offers something for everyone. From Greene King IPA, Abbot Ale and Yardbird to Belhaven 80/-, Old Speckled Hen, Ruddles Best and Hardy & Hansons Bitter, there is a cask ale to suit every taste.
Fresh Cask Releases
Building on the fantastic core range, however, is Greene King’s Fresh Cask Releases range of 18 limited edition seasonal cask ales that continue to add fresh excitement into the category and offer loyal but adventurous cask drinkers new beers to explore.
The Fresh Cask Releases limited edition ales available during Cask Ale Week include:
Mischief Maker – a super hoppy 6.0% ABV IPA brewed using new British hops to deliver a complex mix of fruit aromas and flavours.
Bonkers Conkers – a complex 4.1% ABV autumn beer with fruit aromas and flavours against a backdrop of biscuity malt.
Fresh Legs – a refreshing 4.0% ABV golden ale with citrus, soft tropical fruit and fresh dry hop characteristics and a clean, easy-drinking body.
Top tips
To help you make the most of Cask Ale Week, here are a few quick and simple tips to help you drive footfall, sales and profits.
PROMOTIONS
Always a great way to drive footfall – and keep people in the pub for longer.
COMPETITIONS
People love prizes. Competitions offer a fantastic way of raising profile and for relatively low expenditure, you can get a lot of participation.
COMMUNITY ACTIVITY
Think outside the pub. Take cask ale out into the community and do something different with it.
BEER FESTIVALS
A tried and tested way to drive consumers into pubs and breweries. You may already have a festival set up – so make sure you tie it in with Cask Ale Week. If you don’t, Greene King and Belhaven may be able to help. Please speak to your SDM.
EVENTS
Whether you’re aiming to hit the national headlines or wow the local community, there’s a vast range of things you can do. The only limit is your imagination.
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Free resources!
The official website for Cask Ale Week offers venues extensive support and resources they can use to promote the festival and help generate additional footfall.
Official Info Pack
The site offers a free information pack to venues to help inspire them and provide a wide array of tips and advice to make the most of Cask Ale Week.
Advertise your event
The site offers the opportunity to venues to be included on the official Cask Ale Week map and the Cask Finder app to advertise to consumers the great beers and activities they have planned for Cask Ale Week.
Cask Ale Week Pub Quiz
Venues can also access a free, specially created and tailored Cask Ale Week pub quiz.
Simply visit: caskaleweek.co.uk/pubs-and-breweries/
