Trend alert: the craft beer revolution

Do you offer your customers a varied an interesting selection of beer? Read on for everything you need to know about the trend to stay ahead of the curve and tap into this ever-growing market…

Craft beer sales

The trend originated in America, but thanks to the likes of Brewdog (who’ve used edgy branding to appeal to younger drinkers) and the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), British pub-goers are starting to get more experimental and have begun to embrace both real ales and craft beer. Beer festivals regularly sell out, CAMRA has seen its membership double in the last decade and Britain now boasts over 800 breweries. According to CGA Strategy (consultants in the food and drink industry) sales of draught craft beer have shot up by 84% in a year. And it’s not just the demographic you’d expect drinking craft beers: women and younger beer lovers are getting a taste for them too. With many British pubs under pressure, could craft beer hold the key to the industry’s survival?

Unexpected craft beer sightings

Outside of your traditional boozer, restaurants like Tom Byng’s Byron restaurant in London offer diners the chance to pair their meal with an appropriate beer instead of wine and you’ll now find beer sommeliers who have been trained by the Beer Academy in the art of tasting beer and pairing it with food. In the mixology world, creative bartenders are wizening up into the myriad of flavour possibilities which craft beers promise. Ryan Chetiyawardana, who’s been crowned UK Bartender of the Year twice, has this explanation: 'Beers offer unique flavours and textures – and the option of carbonation – to cocktails.' Again, this trend has made its way here from across the pond. American bartenders have been using craft beers in their cocktails for years, and you’ll find them in American restaurants here like Hawksmoor in London or the Leeds North Bar, which does a US-inspired Brooklyn Baltic cocktail featuring an intriguing blend of Black Chocolate Stout, Kahlua, Frangelico and Maldon Sea Salt. Why not take a look at our cocktail shakers if you want to have a go yourself?

Selling craft beer: considerations

• Bottles or on tap?

While beer fanatics will always prefer to drink their favourite tipple on tap, many would be delighted if their local restaurant or pub offered an interesting selection of bottles in their fridges too. If you want to dip your toes into selling craft beer or serving it on tap isn’t manageable, bottles are the way to go.

• Glassware

Discerning beer drinkers will expect their beer to be served in exactly the right glass. Wheat beers should be poured into a Weizenbier or Weissbier glass (which tends to be tapered and is thought to encourage a bigger head) while Belgian Lambics and fruit beers should go in a flute glass. A tulip glass is thought to be good for keeping subtle aromas trapped in a beer while a Pilsner calls for —  what else — a special Pilsner glass.

• Temperature

Craft beers should be served at certain temperatures to bring out their tasting notes. Sweet Lambics or pale ales are best kept at cold (but no lower than 5°C) while golden ales and stouts should be slightly warmer (about 8°C). For your darker, richer bitters and Porters, they might need to be kept at about 12°C.

• Sourcing beers

There are real ale festivals happening around the country , with some of the finest and most interesting breweries offering their produce for you to sample. If you can, pop along and source a few new beers to try out on your customers. Craft beer fans are demanding and like a variety, so it’s always good to keep surprising them and tempting them back with a new roster of brews. Here are just a few beer festivals to put into your calendar:

• The Great British Beer Festival
• The Scottish Real Ale Festival
• The Liverpool Craft Beer Expo

And while it would be a shame to ignore the huge range of interesting beers which are brewed throughout the country, you’ll earn points if you make an effort to source some beers closer to home. Why not find out if there are any independent local breweries nearby?

Have you seen a rise in demand for craft beer?