Calling pubs up and down the country to start planning for Cask Ale Week! The Week runs  from 27^th September to 6^th October – and is a chance to get people celebrating  Britain’s national drink at your pub.

The theme, the Great Big Taste Challenge gives plenty of scope to highlight your cask offer, run promotions and put on events. Get your chef to recommend cask ales to match each dish on the menu; involve your local CAMRA branch in an event; get loyal cask ale drinkers to ‘introduce a friend’ through promotions or sampling activity; give prizes for the best descriptions of the taste of each cask ale you sell.

“It doesn’t matter what you do,” says Annabel Smith of Cask Marque, “so long as it stimulates interest in cask ale – and drives some sales.

The celebration kicks off on Thursday 26^th with ‘ale tasting master classes’ in pubs and breweries up and down the country.  If you would  like to be involved in this, or in a tutored tasting event during the Week, why not  invite a brewer or a beer expert to your pub to host an event? Check out details on www.caskaleweek.co.uk/tastingexperts  and snap up an expert now so you don’t miss out!

Annabel Smith, one of the country’s first three women to qualify as a Beer Academy Sommelier, will be hosting a Ladies’ Cask Ale and Chocolate tasting event at  The Coach and Four in Wilmslow. It’s in conjunction with Hydes brewery.

She says:  “The event is part of the nationwide launch of Cask Ale Week on 26^th September. It’ll be educational and informative, but also huge fun and a treat for the taste buds!  Every licensee who’s interested in cask ale should be able to think of something for The Great Big Taste Challenge – and there are lots of brewers and Beer Experts out there to help them in putting on an exciting activity.

“Cask ale is a live, natural product, simply bursting with flavours. Yet, nearly 50% of adults have never tried it. The whole point of Cask Ale Week and the Great Big Taste Challenge is to change that.  So I’d say to pubs and breweries ‘get involved; use the platform to create some fun activity; create a real buzz around Britain’s national drink – and get more people drinking it!

“Whether it’s tutored tastings, a beer festival, beer and food menus, a promotion or competition, make the most of the Week to get your tills ringing and cask ale sales soaring!”

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Date:    20^th May 2013       

For more information contact:  Frances Brace, Red Flame Communications 07432 692309 or

Heather Ryland, Red Flame Communications  07527 375847

Twitter: @caskaleweek

Facebook:  National Cask Ale Week

www.caskaleweek.co.uk

20 beers short-listed to go into Sainsbury’s stores nationwide ahead of October grand final 

Following an intense round of heats earlier this month in which Sainsbury’s customers and beer experts judged more than 150 beers from 70 breweries across the UK, Sainsbury’s has today announced the regional winners of this year’s Great British Beer Hunt. With bottled ales growing by 13.7% in the last year in supermarkets, breweries across the UK entered their new beers for the chance to win a coveted retail listing.

 This year has been more popular than ever and consumers and judges alike have commented on the food-friendly versatility of the beers on show at the regional heats. Amongst the shortlisted 20 are citrus-spiked Infra Red, fiery Black Pepper Ale, tropical Serendipity and spicy Barney’s Brew.

All 156 beers entered into the Great British Beer Hunt 2013 were categorised by region and judged by beer experts – including John Read and Chris Hall from the British Guild of Beer Writers – as well as selected Sainsbury’s customers at four regional beer hunt events across the country during April and May. The five beers which received the highest number of votes at each regional event will go on sale in Sainsbury’s stores for three weeks in September. The three best-selling beers from each region will then go into a grand final on 4^th October, where a panel of experts will select the two overall winners from a line-up of 12. The winners will receive a guaranteed, minimum six-month listing in Sainsbury’s stores across the length and breadth of the country from November this year.

Jack Rutherford, Sainsbury’s Beer Buyer, says: “At the regional beer hunt heats this year, we were really impressed with the high quality of British beer on display, which received excellent feedback from the brewers, beer experts and customers alike. The competition is a fantastic opportunity to put these beers in front of our customers and in the coming weeks we will be working with breweries to get them on shelf at the beginning of September.  

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For more information, high res images or additional comments, please contact Jen Gevaux on 020 7759 7400 / jen.gevaux@thisisphipps.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

Winning beers will be sold in the seasonal aisle in over 300 Sainsbury’s stores for three weeks inSeptember.

Winners by region:

• Chris Ives, Ilkley Brewery’s managing director, bids the brewery’s first shipment farewell as it heads to the US.

Two local brewers are showing their gratitude for the ‘penny off the pint’ announced in the Budget with brews to thank the Chancellor George Osborne and Sajid Javid, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, for making the historic decision.

 Tatton Brewery in the Chancellor’s Tatton constituency has produced a beer called ‘Pennies From 11’, while Bird’s Brewery, based in Javid’s Bromsgrove seat, has brewed ‘Sajid’s Choice’. Both have been produced as ‘one off’ brews and are only available to pubs in their local area, but will also be on tap in the Strangers’ Bar at the House of Commons next month, as part of the regular guest ale appearances for MPs’ local beers, established by the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group.

 Keith Bott, chairman of the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), to which both brewers belong, said, “There is surely no more better way to celebrate the duty cut than with a pint of British beer. We’re delighted that Tatton and Bird’s have brewed these commemorative ales to thank their MPs and we urge licensees and beer drinkers in Tatton and Bromsgrove to celebrate with a glass of Pennies From 11 or Sajid’s Choice.”

He added, “The lobbying efforts of the 650 local brewers belonging to SIBA, including Tatton and Bird’s, were crucial in bringing about the first reduction in beer duty since 1959.  Our case, that high levels of beer duty were damaging the UK’s pubs and the communities they support, clearly struck a chord with many MPs and, ultimately, with Sajid Javid and George Osborne. 

“We are grateful not only to our own members, but to the many others involved in the beer duty campaign, including the British Beer & Pub Association, the Campaign for Real Ale and the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, led by Andrew Griffiths.”

Tatton’s Pennies From 11 is a 5.2% traditional Burton-style bitter, brewed using classic all-British ingredients, typically used in the mid-20th century, with pale, amber and crystal malts, Fuggles and Goldings hops, and an invert sugar. It has a rich copper colour, just like the penny that has been ‘saved’.

Sajid’s Choice from Bird’s Brewery is a 3.8% pale, straw coloured ale brewed with Hersbrucker hops to give a hoppy, slightly bitter finish to balance the delicate maltiness from the extra-pale malt.

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Issued on behalf of:                Society of Independent Brewers

By:                                           ShielPorter Communications

For information:                      Ros Shiel

                                                07841 694137 / 01403 267971

                                                ros@shielporter.com

Famous for playing Jim Royle in the BBC’s popular sitcom The Royle Family as well as starring in movies “Mike Bassett England Manager” and “51^st State”, Ricky Tomlinson is the newest member of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) after signing up during a local beer festival.

Ricky joined the ranks of Real Ale enthusiasts at CAMRA after being impressed by the beers on offer at the Clitheroe Beer Festival – Making jokes and shouting a “cheers” to the crowds, he stayed for a few pints whilst signing autographs and taking photos with fans at the festival.

A long time beer lover, Ricky was invited to officially open the Clitheroe CAMRA Real Ale Festival which took place this weekend (Friday 16^th and Saturday 17^th May).

“We are delighted that Ricky Tomlinson has joined CAMRA and appreciate the support he gave the campaign at Clitheroe Beer Festival. Seeing famous faces enjoying real ale will hopefully encourage more people to give it a try!” Said Neil Walker, CAMRA Press Manager.

The festival is one of hundreds organised by CAMRA around the UK, with their large national festival happening just once a year – The Great British Beer Festival, which is expecting 55,000 visitors, will take place at the Olympia Exhibition Centre in London from the 13^th to the 17^th of August and feature over 800 real ales, ciders, perries and beers from the UK and around the world.    

COPY ENDS

Supporting image of Ricky Tomlinson with CAMRA membership: http://tinyurl.com/RickyandCAMRA

For further information contact CAMRA’s Press Manager Neil Walker, via neil.walker@camra.org.uk, or call the press office on 01727 798 443

Press Accreditation for Great British Beer Festival 13th-17th August at London Olympia. To request a press pass visit: http://www.gbbf.org.uk/press/press-pass-accreditation/

Fuller’s flagship ale and the UK’s number one premium ale, London Pride, will be the subject of a major new £3m advertising campaign this summer, which will remind consumers of its rich history and heritage and how it is intrinsically linked with that of the nation’s Capi

 Made of London, which will start to appear in press and digital platforms later this month, will feature the brand alongside a number of short stories which highlight the world-famous ale’s true London provenance.

 The first in the series, introducing the story of how the beer came to be called London Pride, features the new London Pride bottle acting as a vase for the eponymous flower which, in wartime London, became a symbol of London’s determination, hope and pride.

 Ian Bray, Managing Director of The Fuller’s Beer Company, said: “London Pride is a truly wonderful beer and an icon of the ale world. The surprising thing is how little most people know about the story behind the beer.

“So we developed the Made of London campaign with our new agency, The Corner, to unearth and explain some of the fantastic stories that have made London Pride the legend it is today.

“Some of the tales this beer has to tell are incredible and others, once you sit back for a while, make perfect sense. Like the flower, for instance, which was a symbol of London’s spirit during the blitz.”

The campaign breaks with press adverts from May 21, a digital campaign from May 27 and posters appearing across the Greater London area on billboards, bus stops and cross-track Underground sites from early June.

ENDS

For further information contact Fuller’s Press Office:

Ref No: TMJ/BC/0580

Adam Driver

A major international conference at the University of York will bring together academics, the business community and policy makers to discuss high-quality economic research related to beer and brewing.

Held in the UK for the first time, Beeronomics 2013, hosted by the York Management School, will cover topics including policy, marketing and consumption, industrial organisations and innovation.

The conference from 18 to 21 September involves delegates and speakers from across the globe, including MPs, academics from institutions such as Stamford and Cornell Universities, and representatives from breweries, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), and the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).

Speakers include Professor Charles Bamforth, from the University of California Davis; Mike Benner, Chief Executive of CAMRA and Andrew Griffiths MP, Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group.

Dr Ignazio Cabras, from the York Management School and Chair of the conference Steering Committee, said: “Beer and brewing is of major economic importance, both to the UK as a whole and the Yorkshire and Humber region, and we are very pleased to host a conference of this importance at York.

“Beeronomics 2013 will present the very latest research and allow the brewing industry, the academic community and policy-makers to share and discuss ideas. The event is also a fantastic opportunity for Yorkshire to showcase its quality products and we are pleased to have the enthusiastic support of a number of local breweries.”

According to the BBPA, almost 949,000 jobs in the UK are sustained through the activity of the beer and pub sector, with £12.9bn of wages and £19.5bn of gross value added (GVA).  The sector employs a high proportion of young workers, with about 300,000 workers under 25.

While most of the conference events are based at the University’s new £750m Heslington East campus extension, the conference will move into the city on 19 September for a reception at the Guildhall hosted by City of York Council. This will include beer tasting and a chance to meet local brewers, with Yorkshire micro-breweries having a unique opportunity to show off their products to international delegates.

The following day centres on a major panel debate, providing an opportunity for the brewing industry to enter a constructive dialogue with policy-makers about issues affecting them.

Conference workshops will follow a number of themes, including trends and driving forces in beer production, consumption, distribution and trade, management, marketing and market structure, and the impact of beer on society and culture.

Professor David Higgins, from the York Management School and Chair of the Scientific Committee, said: “Each of the previous international venues for Beeronomics has had a strong connection with beer and brewing and York is no exception. Yorkshire has a strong tradition of beer production, while researchers at the University of York are carrying out important research in areas such as branding and marketing and the social importance of rural pubs.

“Beeronomics 2013 is a perfect opportunity to put the city of York, the University and the beer and brewing sector into the spotlight.”    

The conference coincides with the York Beer and Cider Festival, organised by the York branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), which delegates will also have an opportunity to attend.    

Anyone wishing to find out more about the Beeronomics 2013 conference can visit www.beeronomics2013.org/ or contact Nicola Clemmit, Conference Administrator: email nicola.clemmit@york.ac.uk or phone 01904 324469.

A special day rate of £49 is available for anyone wishing to attend Professor Bamforth’s keynote speech and the panel debate involving MPs and brewing industry representatives on Friday, 20 September. Details are available on registration page of the conference website at www.beeronomics2013.org/?q=registration

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• Beeronomics 2013 is sponsored by the British Beer & Pub Association, Brass Castle Brewery, CAMRA, Muntons, Pub Is The Hub, SIBA the Society of Independent Brewers, York Brewery, City of York Council, York Means Business and IBD the institute of Brewing & Distilling.
• More information on the York Management School at the University of York is available at www.york.ac.uk/management/
• The University of York’s £750 million campus extension at Heslington East is one of the biggest capital developments in UK higher education in recent years. Its development was supported by investment from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in Yorkshire and the Humber, part of a major infrastructure project led by Science City York to extend the assets and strategic potential of York as a leading centre for science and innovation. Visit www.york.ac.uk/campus-development/