Perceptions of quality and image are changing and there seems to be growing interest in cask beer amongst pub-goers.

You only get cask beer in a pub and pub-goers are seeking out new and innovative flavours. Research in 2018 by family brewer Wadworth found that 54% of those surveyed wanted to drink a beer brewed in the area where they lived. The research also found that 90% of respondents like to drink a beer in their local pub and some 65% of real ale drinkers visit the pub more than once per week.

Cask beer being unique to the on-trade brings with it a major unique selling point – a great reason to visit the local pub! Great quality cask beer is a mark of overall quality. It differentiates a good pub from a bad pub, making cask beer a ‘Cross the Road’ category and one that cannot be replicated ‘in the home’.

Demographic shifts now point to a growing 45+ age group, which bodes well for future cask beer volumes – this category brings with it a higher disposable income and is therefore prepared to pay that bit more for quality and choice.