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Pub Guide

Opening Times

Issue 141 Winter 2009-10

 Download a copy as a PDF file - 1.0 MB

REAL ALE ON THE UP

The real ale market is showing a return to growth. The Cask Report 2009-10, published in October, shows volume growth of 1% for cask ale for the first half of 2009 and a 13.5% share of the on-trade beer market - up from 11% in 2007. The report also claims that there are now 8.5 million cask ale drinkers - 31% of all beer drinkers and 400,000 more than a year ago.

The growth of cask ale is good news for pubs as well as cask beer brewers. With closures at an all-time high of 52 a week, many pubs are fighting to stay open. But pubs with Cask Marque accreditation - a reliable indicator of well-kept, well-served cask beer - are shutting at around half the industry closure rate.

The Cask Report reveals that 42% of licensees name cask as the drink that is out-performing everything else on the bar and in the twelve months to June this year cask ale went on sale in 3,000 new pubs, many of them owned by managed pub companies who are reinvesting in cask throughout their estate.

The Cask Report, written by Pete Brown and using a number of industry data sources including Nielson and the British Beer and Pub Association, is an annual publication supported by CAMRA, Cask Marque, the Society of Independent Brewers, the Small Independent Brewers’ association and a number of brewing companies.