SIBA in £40K cask ale push

Cask Ale Week, March 29th - April 5th

Cash to go on POS marketing

Britain’s independent brewers have agreed to stump up £40,000 for a marketing push to promote cask beer, the drink being touted as the UK’s ‘national drink’.

The cash, contributed by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), will provide point-of-sale marketing support for National Cask Week, an initiative aimed at attracting more punters into the country’s pubs to try cask beer.

The package will pay for 1,000 promotional packs for pubs signed up to SIBA’s Direct Delivery Scheme that will include branded drip-mats, posters, bunting and flags aimed at raising cask beer’s profile at bars up and down the country.

“We’re delighted to be helping a number of our customer pubs make the most of National Cask Ale Week,” said SIBA commercial director Nick Stafford.

“Some 85% of the beer brewed by SIBA members is cask ale, so we are supportive of anything that encourage people to try our national drink and are confident that National Cask Ale Week will deliver an impressive sales uplift for our members’ beers.”

Last year’s event generated sales growth of 27% over the week and participating pubs saw an overall sales lift of 5%. Cask Ale Week - organised by Cask Marque and the Campaign for Real Ale – will take place from March 29th to April 5th.

In further support of the event, SIBA is calling on the 450 brewers that form its membership to hold brewery tours, tastings and beer and food matchings throughout the week.