Attic puts cask drinkers at the heart of new campaign as Cask Ale Trail launches

Birmingham based independent brewery Attic is putting drinkers at the heart of its approach to cask, combining new consumer research with a 65-venue Cask Ale Trail designed to get more people discovering and talking about cask beer.

Running from 17–27 September in support of Cask Ale Week 2026, the Attic Cask Ale Trail brings together 65 pubs and bars across the Midlands and as far as Oxford, encouraging drinkers to explore independent venues and try cask along the way.

Drinkers can pick up a trail card from participating venues and collect a stamp each time they purchase an Attic cask beer. Six stamps can then be exchanged for a limited-edition pin badge, subject to availability.

But alongside getting more people to the handpull, Attic wanted to better understand what drinkers actually think about cask and what influences their choices at the bar.

The research explored attitudes towards cask, including how frequently people drink it and what style they prefer. The findings highlighted the importance of quality, flavour, freshness and choice, while also identifying an appetite for locally brewed independent beer and a broader range of modern cask styles.

Attic is using those insights to shape its approach to the category, including the launch of Gleam, a new Session IPA developed for cask.

Gleam joins Attic's established cask range of Clasp Pale Ale, Ingot Golden Ale and Quarter Amber Ale, giving the brewery three permanent and a limited-time special style designed to offer different entry points into cask.

The research also reinforced the role pubs play in people's experience of cask beer, something Attic wanted to put at the centre of this year's Cask Ale Week activity.

Rather than focusing the campaign solely on its own taproom, the brewery has partnered with 65 venues to create a trail stretching from Birmingham and the wider Midlands to Oxford, supporting the pubs and bars that continue to champion cask on their handpulls.

Jo Farn, Marketing Executive at Attic, said:

“We didn't want to go into Cask Ale Week simply telling people they should drink more cask. We wanted to understand what people actually think about it, what they enjoy, what puts them off and what makes them choose one beer over another.

“What came through strongly from the research was that drinkers care about quality, flavour and freshness, but they also want choice. Cask doesn't have to mean one particular style of beer or one particular type of drinker, and that's something we've tried to reflect in our own range.

“The trail takes that research into the real world. We're working with 65 brilliant venues that play such an important role in keeping cask visible and accessible. It's a chance to encourage people to visit those venues, try something they might not normally order and hopefully discover a new appreciation for cask along the way.”

The activity comes at a challenging time for the wider beer and pub sector, with breweries and venues continuing to navigate changing drinking habits, rising costs and pressure on the traditional on-trade.

For Attic, supporting cask therefore means supporting the pubs and bars responsible for serving it too.

Oli Hurlow, Co-owner of Attic, said:

“Cask has always been an important part of British beer culture, but it can't stand still. If we want more people to choose it, breweries need to listen to drinkers, keep the quality high and make sure we're producing beers that people are genuinely excited to order.

“We're proud of the cask range we've built and of the relationships we have with the pubs serving it. Bringing these venues together for the trail shows there is still real enthusiasm for cask, and we're excited to see where we can take it next.”

The Attic Cask Ale Trail runs until 27 September 2026, with participating venues located across Birmingham, the wider Midlands and Oxford. For the full list of participating venues, head to Attic’s website atticbrewco.com. They are also hosting a special cask ale tasting and brewery tour on Saturday 26th September in Stirchley.

Notes to editors

About the Attic Cask Ale Trail

The Attic Cask Ale Trail runs from 17–27 September 2026 in support of Cask Ale Week.

Drinkers can collect a trail card from participating venues and receive a stamp when purchasing an Attic cask beer. Collecting six stamps qualifies participants for a limited-edition pin badge, subject to availability.

The trail includes 65 participating venues across the Midlands and as far as Oxford.

Attic's cask range includes:

Gleam 4.2% Session IPA

A fresh, hoppy and sessionable IPA designed to deliver plenty of flavour while remaining easy drinking.

Clasp 3.4% Pale Ale

A sessionable pale ale with citrus flavours and balanced bitterness.

Ingot 4% Golden Ale

A light golden ale, light and refreshing with a clean citrus finish.

Quarter 4.4% Amber Ale

An amber ale delivering hedgerow flavours, malt character and a lingering bitterness.

About Attic

Attic is an independent brewery based in Stirchley, Birmingham. Founded in 2018, its mission is to brew great beer that brings people together, producing a range of modern and traditional beer styles across keg, cask and can.

Attic operates its brewery and taproom in Stirchley alongside The Barrel Store in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter.

Photography credit: Angela Grabowska

For further information please contact Jo Farn via jo@atticbrewco.com.

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