There’s nothing quite like cask!
Greene King Head Brewer Jack Palmer discusses all things cask ale, highlighting some great opportunities to drive sales and introduce new customers to this vital category.
Cask ale has long been a passion of mine. In fact, it’s long been my main passion, ever since I completed a Master’s Degree in brewing and distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. I then began my career working for a range of companies like Heineken, Buxton Brewery, Molson Coors and Guinness.
That experience let me see inside a lot of breweries. As everyone does things a little differently, you learn a lot along the way. Stuff that you don’t find in textbooks. I brought all of that experience, and an enthusiastic passion for cask ales, when I joined Greene King as Head Brewer.
BRITAIN’S UNOFFICIAL NATIONAL DRINK
Most of you will know that Greene King’s reputation in cask ales is second to none, thanks to a centuries-old tradition in producing some of Britain’s most popular and biggest-selling cask ales.
Cask ale has always been, and remains to this day, a fundamental part of the experience of visiting a venue. Cask is often referred to as Britain’s unofficial national drink – and for good reason. It’s the quintessential British alcoholic beverage. We’re working hard to make sure that it remains a relevant and vital product long into the future.
A NEW LOOK FOR CASK
One way we are helping to do this is with our exciting range of Limited-Edition Fresh Cask Releases range. This rolling programme of seasonal cask ales perfectly complements our popular permanent range.
As well as creating these ales ourselves, we are also working with smaller, independent breweries in inspiring projects to create fresh, new products.
The introduction of smaller, 4.5-gallon Cask Pins has also helped make cask more accessible and profitable than ever. And of course our Cask Iron Guarantee ensures that you will never lose money on any 9G firkins of cask ale you buy from Greene King.
ISN’T IT TIME YOU MADE MORE OF CASK?
I would challenge everyone to take a fresh look at cask. There’s lots of opportunity to grow sales among existing cask fans and also to bring new customers into the category. Particularly those in the younger demographic.
Cask ale is a unique drink, and has a history and tradition that very few other products can match. We know that today’s consumers are seeking authenticity, a backstory and a deeper engagement with the products they consume – cask ale provides all of that and more.
