I am delighted to be Master of Ceremonies at the Great British Beer Festival Beer Debate. On the panel will be Sophie de Ronde, Head Brewer at Burnt Mill Brewery and founder of the international women’s collaboration brew day; Tim Webb, the beer consumer champion and award-winning author of The World Atlas of Beer; Emma… Continue reading Beer Debate at the Great British Beer Festival
Category: Blog
What’s Wrong With My Beer?
If you drink in pubs, it is likely that you have had a beer that you were unhappy with. It may have looked or tasted wrong, or even been undrinkable. This can apply to beer from a bottle, can, keg or cask. However, cask beer is live and requires additional care, so it is more… Continue reading What’s Wrong With My Beer?
Pump Clips – Send the right message
Think about the last time you bought something that gave you pleasure. Steady now! I am thinking about a really nice meal, a fancy pair of shoes, a holiday in a glorious location or maybe a smart phone with all the trimmings. Think about where you bought that item and how it was advertised to… Continue reading Pump Clips – Send the right message
We are in the Brewers Journal
Read our article in the Brewers Journal on the importance of training in the on trade
A blog about pub toilets? Are you taking the P?
Well, the one facility in a pub which is guaranteed to be used by the customer is the toilet. So, does it matter what the loo is like, so long as you have one? Am I concerned about accessibility? By which I don’t mean whether those among us with disabilities can use the toilets, although… Continue reading A blog about pub toilets? Are you taking the P?
Conditioning Cask Beer
Understanding beer conditioning is vital for your cellar manager and it makes sense for your bar team to be aware of this important process too. Setting up cask beer on a stillage is ideally done as soon as it arrives in your cellar. Ideally you will place your cask on a sprung loaded auto-tilting stillage.… Continue reading Conditioning Cask Beer
Getting the most from a stocktake
“Oh no, I have to be up early for the stocktake tomorrow!” – a familiar cry heard from many a licensee. None of us really like the inconvenience but my advice is to embrace every stocktake because they produce a wealth of information which can substantially reduce your costs and so boost your profits. Naturally… Continue reading Getting the most from a stocktake
Get your numbers right
There are lots of reasons why you might consider putting on an extra beer in your pub. After all, it makes sense to give your customers choice. Not everyone likes a straw coloured, citrussy beer. It would be nice to make that customer who keeps asking for a dark beer or plum porter happy. Plus,… Continue reading Get your numbers right
Sell more beer!
A licensee attending one of the ‘Day of Beer’ training days I was running at Wye Valley Brewery came up to me at lunchtime and said that I had an impossible job. I asked what he meant. “Well, it is great that you are working with brewers to improve beer quality Brett, but I have… Continue reading Sell more beer!
Beer sales drop – So why cask?
The BBPA beer barometer shows that beer sales in the first quarter of 2018 were down nearly 2% and that last year’s rise in duty was a factor. The growth and interest in the craft sector has seen a significant rise in the number of beers served in both bottles and cans. Nevertheless, the key choice will still be between cask and keg. Some countries… Continue reading Beer sales drop – So why cask?