UK Sees Resurgence of Traditional Beer Making
Real Ale or Cask Beer Bucks Trend With Increased Sales to Women
Oct 5, 2009
Early October saw the publication of a report that gives hope to the British beer making industry. The Cask Report, by Pete Smith, delivers welcome messages of hope to both those earning a living from brewing real ale, and those who drink it.
This news is in marked contrast to the continued decline in the number of pubs across the UK, and the news that that the average Briton is now drinking less alcohol than they did a few years ago.
British Pubs Struggle to Survive
UK beer drinkers are used to bad news. The number of UK pubs has been declining for years. The rate of pub closures was first measured in 1990 and in 2006 the rate was 2 closures per week. In July 2009 the British Beer & Pub Association announced this had increased to 52 closures per week in the first half of the year.
Pub closures do more than restrict the drinkers' choice of watering-holes. They also have a direct impact on people and the economy. Over 24,000 people are estimated to have lost their jobs since mid-2008, as a result of closures. The government is estimated to have lost a quarter of a billion pounds in lost tax revenues on drinks sales.
The pubs most at risk are those in rural communities. Urban pubs and bars are seeing a small increase in numbers.
Real Ale Revival
One of the surprises in the Cask Report is the story of the turnaround in the fortunes of cask beer, or real ale as it is usually better known. In the year to June 1009 approximately 3,000 pubs put cask beer on tap, and reported 400,000 new real ale drinkers.
Real ale, beer made with traditional methods and matured in the cask, was first popularised in the 1970's by organisations such as CAMRA. People were becoming concerned that mass-produced beers were going to take over the market and historic beer making skills, and the resulting diversity rich flavours, would be lost.
Another signpost to the resurgence of real ale is the growth in the number UK breweries - over 70 have opened in the last year, brining the national total to over 650. That is the highest number of breweries since the 1940's.
The Changing Profile of Beer Drinkers
Another of the Cask Report's finds is that this growth in beer drinking includes a doubling in the number of women drinking real ale over the last 12 months.
One reason why cask beer might have fared so well over the year, when the country has been in recession, is that the average drinker tends to be more affluent. 40% of them visit the pub about once a week, whereas only 23% of non-cask beer drinkers go that often. They also eat in pub restaurants more often than non-cask drinkers.
It is too early to tell whether real ale's revival will continue into the future. But one thing is for certain - because it can only be served from a cask it is not something that can be drunk at home, which makes its increasing popularity a welcome boost to the ailing pub industry.
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