Raise a real ale to renaissance

Nov 6 2009 by Alastair Gilmour, The Journal

IF your name is Churchyard Bob, Carmen Sutra or Menacing Dennis, you’re going places.

The continuing renaissance of cask-conditioned beer – real ale – has just been confirmed by a new report that highlights the nation’s regard for you and your counterparts Black Magic Woman and Captain Ann.

The Cask Report: Britain’s National Drink has delved into our pub culture and discovered that cask ale attracted 400,000 new drinkers in 2008, with the sector enjoying volume growth in a declining beer market. It also highlights there are more breweries trading now than at any time in the past 60 years, while distributing to 3,000 pubs new to the category.

The figures come as no real surprise to those of us who have sung from real ale’s hymn-sheet for long enough, but seen in print, the journey from zero to hero is remarkable nonetheless.

Pete Brown, the report’s author, says: “Turnaround stories don’t get much better than cask beers. In a shrinking on-trade beer market, cask is the only category to show growth, albeit modest, of 1% in the first half of 2009.

“Its share of the on-trade beer market now stands at 13.5% – up from 11% in 2007 – but what’s most important for Britain’s licensees is that there’s compelling evidence to show that cask beer can offer them a lifeline out of recession.”