Royal Blenheim landlord Steven Lyne asks whether cask and craft are really competing with each other
With craft beers becoming ever more popular in recent times, are the two distinct categories competing against each other and stealing sales off one another? Or is there a bigger picture to look at?
I think we are spoiled for choice when it comes to beers available in the UK. It’s certainly not the same in other countries. I remember when I first started working in pubs in the UK, and confidently going up to pull my first pint of real ale during my trial shift. Of course, I hadn’t mentioned that I had never seen a cask ale in my life, and I promptly covered myself in beer as I was a bit too keen on the first pull! Thankfully I have gotten a little bit better since then.
When I first started in hospitality over in Ireland, the drinking scene was a tad different. Whilst it has gotten significantly better in a very short period of time, most bars are still chock full of lagers, stouts, and craft ale on tap, with a real ale on cask very difficult to come across. And over in Europe and the U.S. it’s a similar situation. When we get people visiting us here, they are perplexed by what real ales are and what to expect.
They seem to be familiar with the styles of beers, your IPAs, porters, bitters and what not. However, people sometimes get confused as to what the differences really are. And with seasoned drinkers in the UK, us publicans can get mixed signals as to what people associate with the two beer categories. One group often refuses to drink the other. So, is there anything we can take from these situations and see what the current state of Cask vs Craft ale in the UK is currently like?
One of my favourite instances that happens in the Royal Blenheim occurs plenty of times throughout the year but is very much prevalent during the summer months. You watch someone slowly enter the pub and walk up to the bar to ask a very strange question: “Do you sell any beer?” I always quickly have a little giggle as I look at the 20-odd options they have in front of them, but I normally always respond with, “Well, what type of beer are you after?”
It is always interesting having a conversation with a customer who is fresh faced to real ale. Plenty, if not all tend to be very familiar with their craft counterparts. However, now they have a unique opportunity of trying something different. Obviously, both cask and craft share many similarities, but they also have key differences to look at. I wish more places took this approach but what we do at the Blenheim is try to not only work out what the customer is after, but also recognise what they like about what they drink. This way, not only can you give someone a drink they like, but guide them in a new direction at the same time. Sometimes you get them to try something they may not have even seen, or even considered. That is how you get people excited about beer!
Overall, both real ales and craft ales offer unique and enjoyable drinking experiences. Plenty of craft drinkers enjoy the crisper and more effervescent mouthfeel that the style has to offer. Real ales, with their more traditional methods and ingredients, lead to that wonderful softer, smoother, more natural feel in the mouth. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference as to what your tastebuds like! When customers have the opportunity to try both craft and cask beside each other, we often see a pleasant surprise on their faces!
So, looping us back to our original title, are the two categories friends or foes with one another? I think in the current climate they are helping each other along much better than just a few years back. With the explosion of craft breweries all over the country, we have seen some superb craft beers coming onto the market in the past decade. Compared to typical mass-produced beers, there is a far greater level of creativity and experimentation that goes into each craft brew.
With this level of creativity, not only have we seen craft breweries give us some excellent real ales from their expertise, we have also seen more traditional breweries experiment with their cask ales and go down a similar route. Some excellent re-imaginations of traditional styles and improvements to our firm favourites inevitably lead to even better beers on our bars!
On another note, something that I’ve spoken about in previous articles often comes up in the debate between craft and cask. The lovely word “premiumisation”! With the current cost of living crisis increasing prices of beers left, right and centre, premiumisation of real ales is becoming a key attribute of getting our real ale selections right. Both beer categories require immense skill, equipment and time to make the beers that we love. So, in some respects, seeing the increase in price for real ales and putting them alongside what we associate as premium products is probably the best thing that could happen for cask at present. What we are starting to see is the bridge between two different markets that normally never crossed paths before.
With cask ales creeping into this more premium market, we are starting to see traditional breweries adjust their image with more interesting marketing and innovation than we’ve seen in a long time, taken out of the craft beers book of recent successful advertising. Like a breath of fresh air, we are seeing a change in the industry to a more vibrant and fun beer category, which promotes high quality beer alongside a more traditional brewing approach.
In my opinion, long may the battle between cask and craft continue. We are starting to see a much greater shared interest among the two types of drinkers, with each starting to pay more attention to the other. With the quality of beer that is being produced on both sides, I’m very much looking forward to what exciting beers we have on the horizon!
Real Ale vs Craft Ale: Friends or Foes?
Royal Blenheim landlord Steven Lyne asks whether cask and craft are really competing with each other
With craft beers becoming ever more popular in recent times, are the two distinct categories competing against each other and stealing sales off one another? Or is there a bigger picture to look at?
I think we are spoiled for choice when it comes to beers available in the UK. It’s certainly not the same in other countries. I remember when I first started working in pubs in the UK, and confidently going up to pull my first pint of real ale during my trial shift. Of course, I hadn’t mentioned that I had never seen a cask ale in my life, and I promptly covered myself in beer as I was a bit too keen on the first pull! Thankfully I have gotten a little bit better since then.
When I first started in hospitality over in Ireland, the drinking scene was a tad different. Whilst it has gotten significantly better in a very short period of time, most bars are still chock full of lagers, stouts, and craft ale on tap, with a real ale on cask very difficult to come across. And over in Europe and the U.S. it’s a similar situation. When we get people visiting us here, they are perplexed by what real ales are and what to expect.
They seem to be familiar with the styles of beers, your IPAs, porters, bitters and what not. However, people sometimes get confused as to what the differences really are. And with seasoned drinkers in the UK, us publicans can get mixed signals as to what people associate with the two beer categories. One group often refuses to drink the other. So, is there anything we can take from these situations and see what the current state of Cask vs Craft ale in the UK is currently like?
One of my favourite instances that happens in the Royal Blenheim occurs plenty of times throughout the year but is very much prevalent during the summer months. You watch someone slowly enter the pub and walk up to the bar to ask a very strange question: “Do you sell any beer?” I always quickly have a little giggle as I look at the 20-odd options they have in front of them, but I normally always respond with, “Well, what type of beer are you after?”
It is always interesting having a conversation with a customer who is fresh faced to real ale. Plenty, if not all tend to be very familiar with their craft counterparts. However, now they have a unique opportunity of trying something different. Obviously, both cask and craft share many similarities, but they also have key differences to look at. I wish more places took this approach but what we do at the Blenheim is try to not only work out what the customer is after, but also recognise what they like about what they drink. This way, not only can you give someone a drink they like, but guide them in a new direction at the same time. Sometimes you get them to try something they may not have even seen, or even considered. That is how you get people excited about beer!
Overall, both real ales and craft ales offer unique and enjoyable drinking experiences. Plenty of craft drinkers enjoy the crisper and more effervescent mouthfeel that the style has to offer. Real ales, with their more traditional methods and ingredients, lead to that wonderful softer, smoother, more natural feel in the mouth. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference as to what your tastebuds like! When customers have the opportunity to try both craft and cask beside each other, we often see a pleasant surprise on their faces!
So, looping us back to our original title, are the two categories friends or foes with one another? I think in the current climate they are helping each other along much better than just a few years back. With the explosion of craft breweries all over the country, we have seen some superb craft beers coming onto the market in the past decade. Compared to typical mass-produced beers, there is a far greater level of creativity and experimentation that goes into each craft brew.
With this level of creativity, not only have we seen craft breweries give us some excellent real ales from their expertise, we have also seen more traditional breweries experiment with their cask ales and go down a similar route. Some excellent re-imaginations of traditional styles and improvements to our firm favourites inevitably lead to even better beers on our bars!
On another note, something that I’ve spoken about in previous articles often comes up in the debate between craft and cask. The lovely word “premiumisation”! With the current cost of living crisis increasing prices of beers left, right and centre, premiumisation of real ales is becoming a key attribute of getting our real ale selections right. Both beer categories require immense skill, equipment and time to make the beers that we love. So, in some respects, seeing the increase in price for real ales and putting them alongside what we associate as premium products is probably the best thing that could happen for cask at present. What we are starting to see is the bridge between two different markets that normally never crossed paths before.
With cask ales creeping into this more premium market, we are starting to see traditional breweries adjust their image with more interesting marketing and innovation than we’ve seen in a long time, taken out of the craft beers book of recent successful advertising. Like a breath of fresh air, we are seeing a change in the industry to a more vibrant and fun beer category, which promotes high quality beer alongside a more traditional brewing approach.
In my opinion, long may the battle between cask and craft continue. We are starting to see a much greater shared interest among the two types of drinkers, with each starting to pay more attention to the other. With the quality of beer that is being produced on both sides, I’m very much looking forward to what exciting beers we have on the horizon!
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