- Thornbridge Brewery currently seeing Year On Year growth of 30% in cask ale
- Despite the cask ale category showing a decline of 20% Year To Date*
- Thornbridge growth centred around flagship Jaipur but with growth coming from ‘modern’ styles of beer in cask
Peak District brewer, Thornbridge, are convinced that cask ale is as strong as it ever has been, despite a number of negative reports suggesting the future of cask ale is uncertain, amidst a string of bad publicity for the category.
Thornbridge are widely regarded as one of the few breweries who straddle the fence between ‘traditional’ cask ale and ‘modern’ craft beer. However, they are seeing a real demand for cask ale and 500ml bottle conditioned beer, as people seek out beer with provenance, quality and consistency.
Simon Webster, CEO commented, ‘Jaipur, our flagship beer, was initially brewed 18 years ago as a cask beer and despite its ABV, demand for it has rocketed since COVID, as it has for all our cask ales to the tune of over 30% growth. Licensees and consumers seem to be happy to pay more for products they have reassurance in from a quality perspective and for beer styles that are relevant.’
Dom Metcalfe, Sales & Marketing Director, added: ‘We are seeing a real shift towards hazy, vegan cask beer as younger drinkers seek out a style of beer they are familiar with, but one that also fits with their ethical stance on eating and drinking. This has allowed us to be experimental with styles and flavours usually associated with can and keg, but to adapt them to cask.’
Rob Lovatt, Production Director, believes that Thornbridge’s approach to producing cask ale is why they are seeing such success.
‘I believe some of the reasons we stand shoulder to shoulder with the best cask breweries in the country are down to ingredients and processes. We only use Maris Otter malt which is a heritage variety and more expensive than other types but worth it, we use a hopback meaning we use whole flower hops rather than hop pellets or hop extracts and we also use our very own house yeast strain which gives a real depth of flavour. Furthermore, we prime all our casks with a dextrose solution before filling them to ensure the condition of our cask beer is superb, from the first to the last pint, resulting in a better experience for the consumer and hopefully a better rate of sale and yield for the licensee.’
On the back of the demand for modern, hazy styles of cask ale, Thornbridge will launch their highly acclaimed hazy session IPA, Green Mountain, on cask in 2024.
ENDS
*BBPA figures for July 2023
Notes to Editors : Artwork attached.
For Trade Enquiries – please email sales@thornbridge.co.uk
For Marketing Enquiries – please email marketing@thornbridge.co.uk
For Consumer purchases – please visit Thornbridge website.
Thornbridge Website: https://thornbridge.co.uk
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/thornbridge
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thornbridge
For Trade Enquiries – please email sales@thornbridge.co.uk
For Marketing Enquiries – please email marketing@thornbridge.co.uk
For Consumer purchases – please visit Thornbridge website.
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