The weekend’s sunshine delivered a boost to this year’s Henley Ale Trail, with hundreds of customers visiting one of the 10 Brakspear pubs on the route and starting the trail with a pint of Brakspear ale.
Over 1,000 Ale Trail maps have now been handed out since the Trail started two months ago and the Henley Visitor Information Centre has requested a supply after receiving numerous requests for them from visitors to the town.
For 2013, Brakspear has increased the number of pubs on the route to 10 – up from nine in 2012 – given it a makeover with new POS and widened the prizes available for customers who complete the trail.
The new look for the Ale Trail, appearing on the map, posters and window stickers as well as a brand new dedicated website www.henleyaletrail.co.uk, is based on a stunning oil painting of Henley Bridge by artist Doug Myers. Brakspear has also produced external banners, designed to encourage customers walking past participating pubs to drop in.
In previous years, ‘trailers’ have been able to claim a free pint of Brakspear with their completed map, and a special Ale Trail T-shirt which has become a collector’s item in Henley. This year, Brakspear is offering an alternative prize of an Ale Trail Gift Pack containing two bottles of Brakspear ales and a tankard.
Brakspear chief executive Tom Davies said, “The Ale Trail has developed over the years into a Henley tradition, with many loyal ‘trailers’ who complete it every year.
“Clearly, we didn’t want to change a winning formula too much, but we’re pleased with the improvements we’ve made this year, in particular the new artwork from Doug, which gives the Ale Trail a strong visual presence in the pubs. All our tenants on the route are delighted with it and, with a bit of good weather, we should be set for a bumper year for the Ale Trail.”
Mark Dunlop, tenant at the Angel on the Bridge, said, “We definitely saw a spike in people starting the Ale Trail at the weekend. We’re always busy in good weather, and we promote the Ale Trail with a banner outside the pub and posters inside, so a lot of customers found out about it in here, took a map and collected a stamp for their pint of Brakspear. The POS for the Ale Trail this year is the best I’ve seen and it’s definitely catching the eye of potential ‘trailers’.”
At the Row Barge, tenant Jolyon Miller said, “Our pub is a little hidden away, so the Ale Trail is a great way of encouraging customers into the pub. The trail seems to start slowly, but after a while we start seeing groups of friends taking part, enjoying a pint or two and getting their maps stamped. Often, it’s their first time in the pub – but we try to make sure it’s not their last.”
The pubs on the Ale Trail are: The Anchor, Bull on Bell Street, Angel on the Bridge, Little Angel, Saracens Head, Rose & Crown, Row Barge, Old Bell, Three Tuns and, the final point on the route, The Three Horseshoes. The Ale Trail runs until 30th December.
Caption: Mark Dunlop, tenant at the Angel on the Bridge, with the new Ale Trail banner outside his pub
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Issued on behalf of: Brakspear
By: ShielPorter Communications
Further information: Ros Shiel
ros@shielporter.com / 07841 694137