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BEER: REAL ALE
In May this year, Hall & peoples perceptions of beer,” says
ALE IS A NATIONAL
Woodhouse, brewers of the Badger Watt. “Show them you can savour
TREASURE, AND IS
range of ales, redesigned its bottles beer in a nice glass and pair it with
and labels. The glass was made food. It’s not just something to drink
FAR BETTER THAN
clear and lighter, and the bottles 10 pints of in the pub to get
became taller and thinner. In smashed.” Theakston goes even
WINE AS AN
addition to this, new labelling further, boldly stating: “Ale is a real
ACCOMPANIMENT
systems offered drinkers tasting national treasure, and is far better
notes, and a bar chart indicated the than wine as an accompaniment to
TO FOOD. IT’S LESS ale’s levels of hops, malt, bitter, fruit food. It’s less acidic and much
ACIDIC AND
and sweet. Moves like this have more flavoursome.”
opened up the category for a great “Chalkboard beer menus are a
MUCH MORE
deal of people, and assisted their great way to create an atmosphere
selections in an area they may have around beer and give it priority,”
FLAVOURSOME
previously been wary of. “The off- says Marston’s Ward. “Matching it
trade market for real ale has more on menus with dishes is also good to
than doubled since 2000,” says Rick tempt people to develop a taste for
Payne, brands marketing manager ale.” Hall & Woodhouse has been
for Hall & Woodhouse. “Then it was very active in the field of ale and
worth £80m, in 2008 this has risen food for a number of years, and its
to £183m.” website has a Badger recipes
Branded Drinks is a leading section. “Over the last 20 years,
supplier of local beers into the take- French wine has pushed beer off
home trade. It supplies much of tables,” says Payne, “and we are on
Tesco’s local range and works with a mission to put it back.” Badger
breweries were a number of smaller breweries right also offers branded, stemmed
present, and the event across the country. Sales and glasses, specifically designed to be
had an educational marketing director Gray Olliver also dinner friendly with female appeal.
focus. paints a positive picture: “The “Ale has a much wider flavour
In the off-trade new premium bottled ale sector in the profile than wine,” continues Payne,
bottle designs from a number of off-trade is thriving, as it has done “and it better goes with food.”
companies have made the category for at least the last 10 years. I think Shepherd Neame’s Craig is of a
more accessible and modern, with the basis for its ongoing success is a similar opinion to this, though he
much better shelf standout. Recent mix of the highest quality product, tempers the view of Theakston
examples of this include increasingly well presented, with slightly, preferring to regard ale not
Wychwood’s Hobgoblin, part of loads of character and personality.” as a replacement for wine, but as an
Marston’s portfolio, being released alternative. “Like wine and whisky,”
in a smaller 330ml bottle. Ale and food he says, “ale offers taste notes and
Hobgoblin is also the basis of As with the pairing of food and wine, depths and variations of flavour that
some confrontational and direct there is a growing interest in lager simply doesn’t.”
marketing, with the gauntlet slogan: matching ale with food, and even
“What’s the matter lager boy? what food can be made with ale as Cask ale – pub saviour
Afraid you might taste something?” a major ingredient. Pubs are eager In recent months, across both
“The freshness, quality and to promote this aspect, as it drives trade and national sources, there
provenance of real ale is winning the footfall for them, and simultaneously have been a number of stories
battle against global mass-produced promotes and opens up the real ale covering the fact that cask ale
lager brands despite increasing raw category. Speak to some of the could be coming to the rescue of
material costs,” says Ian Ward, brewers and, as you may well the British pub. Recent economic
marketing manager for Marston’s expect, they are firmly of the opinion woes are well documented, but
beer company. “We own five that the grain is mightier than the pubs were already feeling the
independent breweries so we can’t grape when looking for flavour pinch of factors such as the
compromise on our locally sourced profiles to go with food. It is smoking ban, forcing closures at a
ingredients or our individual hand- something that BrewDog is definitely rate of four or five a day.
crafted brewing processes.” looking at. “We want to change According to Pete Brown’s 2008
UIforward
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