PROMOTIONS
BEER & CIDER
Deal 1 Greene King Packaged Deal p6
Buy 3 cases of Greene King bottles or cans and get 1 case Free.
Deal 2 Prior Life Install Deal p10
2 Free Kegs and POS kit with every install of Prior Life.
Deal 3 Belhaven Best/Black/80 Install Deal p12
Free Keg and POS kit with every install of Best/Black/80 Shilling.
Deal 4 Greene King Craft Beers Deal p14
Chance to win a Winter Bundle worth £2k.
Deal 5 Wolfpack Install Deal p16
Free keg and POS kit with every install of Wolfpack.
Deal 6 Maltsmiths Install Deal p18
Free keg and POS kit with every install of Maltsmiths.
Deal 7 Greene King IPA p24
Free darts kit worth £100. Subject to availability. 1 per customer
Deal 8 Abbot Ale p26
Free indoor pub games set worth £10. Subject to availability. 1 per customer
Deal 9 Greene King Cask Ales Deal p28
Pre-order 6 firkins (or 12 pins) over a 12-week period to receive a Cask Ale Flight Kit. 1 per customer
Deal 10 Estrella Galicia Install Deal p32
Free keg and POS kit with every install of Estrella Galicia
Deal 11 Estrella Galicia Packaged Deal p32
Buy 2 cases of Estrella Galicia 4.7% or GF 5.5% 330ml & get a
Free case of Estrella Galicia 0.0%. 5 per customer
Deal 12 Wolfpack Alpha Stout Install Deal p34
Free keg and POS kit with every install of Wolfpack Alpha Stout.
Deal 13 Belhaven Deal p36
Free consumer promotion kit to support Autumn Internationals Rugby. 1 per customer
Deal 14
Old Speckled Hen Deal p40
Buy 1 9g or 2 4.5gs and get a consumer promotion kit to win spooky prizes. 1 per customer
Deal 15 Hazy Day Install Deal p44
2 Free Kegs and POS kit with every install of Hazy Day.
Deal 16 BBG Install Deal p50
Install 2 of Camden Hells, Corona or Stella Artois on draught and receive £1000 credit; install either Camden Hells or Corona and receive £500 credit. 1 per customer
Deal 17 Coors Install Deal p52
Install Coors and receive a Free Keg on install. 1 per customer
Deal 18 Asahi 6+1 Packaged Deal p56
Buy any 6 from the range and get 1 Free. 1 per customer
Deal 19 Carlsberg Install Deal p58
Install Carlsberg Danish Pilsner and get a Free Keg & POS Kit. 1 per customer
Deal 20
Rekorderlig 4+1 Deal p60
Buy 4 cases of Rekorderlig and get 1 Free. 4 per customer
Deal 21 Kopparberg Install Deal p62
Install Kopparberg Strawberry & Lime on draught and receive a Free 30L Keg & Glassware. 1 per customer
Deal 22 Weston’s Win a Years Supply p64
Buy 3 Kegs to be entered with a chance to win a year’s supply of cider. 1 per customer
Deal 23 ABK Install Deal p66
Free keg & Oktoberfest Kit on install, with another keg after 12 weeks. 1 per customer
SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER PROMOTIONS
SPIRITS
Deal 24 Bacardi POS Deal p68
Buy 3 70cl bottles of Bacardi, get 6 Free Pineapple glasses. 4 per customer
Deal 25 Save on Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky p70
Save £3 a bottle on Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky.
Deal 26 Whitley Neill & Dead Man’s Finger Deal p70
Save £2 on Whitley Neill & Dead Man’s Fingers.
Deal 27 Save on C.C.E.P ARTD’s p71
Save £2 on cases of Jack & Coke 330ml and Sprite & Absolut
250ml 8 per customer
Deal 28 Save on Lustre Cream Liquers p72
Buy any 70cl from the range and get £2 off per bottle.
Deal 29 Captain Morgan Deal p74
Save £1 on a bottle of Captian Morgan Black Spiced. 4 per customer
Deal 30 Smirnoff Deal p74
Save £1 on a bottle of Smirnoff Spicy Tamarind. 4 per customer
Deal 31 Kahlua POS Deal p76
Buy 6 bottles and get 6 Shot Glasses Free. 5 per customer
Deal 32 Save on Jagermeister p76
Buy a 70cl bottle of Jagermeister and get £1.50 off. 1 per customer
Deal 33 Hi-Spirits POS Deal p78
Buy any 2 from the range to receive 6 Twisted Shot Glasses. 2 per customer
Deal 34 Save on The Drinks Bureau Cocktails p79
Save £2 on the range of Cocktails. 4 per customer
Discounts
Deal 42 Tia Maria POS Deal p91
Buy 2 Tia Maria 70cl, get 6 Espresso Martini glasses and edible cocktail topper Free.
SOFT DRINKS
Deal 35 Schweppes 4+1 Deal p80
Buy 4 150ml Can Schweppes Mixers & get 1 Free. 6 per customer
Deal 36 Save on Coca-Cola Zero p82
Save £3 on 330ml Glass Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. 6 per customer
Deal 37 Save on Red Bull p82
Buy 1 case of Red Bull and receive £5 off a case of Red Bull Tropical. 2 per customer
Deal 38 Save on Lucozade Energy p84
Save £2 per case on Lucozade Energy.
Deal 39 Lucozade Sport Tri Bottle Competition p84
Buy 4 Cases of Lucozade Sport to enter a Prize Draw to win a set of 6 exclusive Lucozade Sport Tri Bottles (100 Sets to be won).
Deal 40 Save on Oasis Cans p88
Save £3 per case of Oasis 330ml. 6 per customer
Deal 41 Save on Smartwater p88
Save £1.50 on a case of Glaceau Smartwater. 6 per customer
Deal 43 Aqua Libra 2+1 p92
Buy 2 cases of Aqua Libra 330ml cans and receive 1 Free.
PRODUCT DISCOUNTS NOW AVAILABLE
A Complete Selection of Beers, Lagers and Stouts
Greene King keg RANGE
P11 Greene King News
Hazy Day and Prior Life hit the ground running.
P13 Greene King News Belhaven Best and Belhaven Black refreshed.
P20 Value Hub
Save thousands of pounds a year with exclusive discounts.
P22 Lead feature Cask Ale Week to put cask in the spotlight.
P35 Consumer Insight Deep dive into autumn footfall drivers.
P38 Seasonal Opportunity
Grab spooky sales this Halloween.
P42 Special Feature
Creative drive for premium craft beer range.
P48 Customer Profile: The Buccleuch Motorbike focus sets hotel apart.
P57 Cellar Services
Customers share experiences of top-notch support.
P61 Meet The Team: Laboratory Team
Scientific excellence behind beer quality.
P67 New Listings
Some of the latest products to hit the bar.
P73 Range Freedom: sparkling wine Put fizz into your sales.
P81 Cocktails Cash in on a major trend.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BEERS!
September and October are great months for putting beer in the spotlight thanks to the forthcoming Cask Ale Week, Halloween and the huge success of our new premium craft beers.
With what passed for a summer now behind us, our thoughts turn to the autumn months and the wealth of opportunities that exist to grow footfall, sales and profits. There’s no question that September and October present plenty of chances to put beer in the spotlight.
First off, there’s Cask Ale Week, the unique annual celebration of Britain’s unofficial national drink. Cask ale is very close to our hearts at Greene King and Cask Ale Week gives us a fantastic opportunity to bring new consumers into what is a fascinating and historic drink. There’s nothing else quite like cask ale and it’s unique to the on-trade, so this is a gilt-edge opportunity to drive sales and create new fans. Our portfolio of permanent cask ales coupled with our Fresh Cask Releases limited edition cask ales ensure you have everything you need to meet that heightened demand between the 19th and 29th of September and, hopefully, beyond.
After that, we have Halloween which has, over the years, grown in popularity with consumers.
Our own research shows that around a third of consumers visited a pub last Halloween, a surprising amount of them in full costume! Additionally, a lot of those consumers bought a Halloween-themed drink. To help leverage that opportunity, we will be giving Old Speckled Hen its annual makeover to transform it into Old Spooky Hen.
Last, but certainly not least, our growing range of premium craft beers also presents some great opportunities to grow beer sales over the next couple of months. Our new Hazy Day and Prior Life beers are, to be frank, flying. I would urge you to give them a go if you haven’t already and discover how well they are landing with consumers.
I wish you fantastic trading in September and October and remember: it’s all about the beers.
We’re always keen to listen and improve our service to you. Please take our 2-minute feedback survey to let us know how we’re doing.
Just scan the QR code or visit https://forms.office.com/e/ZWxgJG5A3c
Thank you!
Paul Downing On Trade Sales Director, Greene King
We've been crafting fine ales from our
Greene King Permanent Range
Customer favourites and classic beers available all year round
CASK ale RANGE
for over 200 years. Everything from traditional to seasonal cask ales.
Seasonal Range
Keep your line-up fresh with beers for all occasions
4.5G 9 G ABV: 3.8%
AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER
WATCH ROOM GOLDEN ALE
ABV: 4.3%
A juicy, tropical golden beer bursting with fruit flavours. Inspired by Greene King’s very own brewery fire brigade, formed in 1888.
4.5G 9 G
AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER
BONKERS CONKERS
AUTUMN ALE
ABV: 4.1%
A complex autumn beer with fruit aromas and taste set against biscuity malt which adds body and warmth. fragrant notes of blackcurrant, lemon and orange peel.
4.5G 9 G
AVAILABLE OCTOBER
BLOOD HOUND
STOUT
ABV: 4.4%
Brewed in collaboration with Nethergate Brewery, this special Halloween stout is easy drinking with delicious chocolate and blood orange characters.
4.5G 9 G
Be confident in stocking a full range of Greene King cask ale for your drinkers to enjoy. If any Greene King cask ales – broached or un-broached – go out of date, you can claim a full refund for un-broached and credit for remaining volume on broached casks*. For more information speak to your Sales Development Manager. *Excludes 4.5G pins. Cask Iron Guarantee terms and conditions at www.greenekingbrewery.co.uk/CaskIronGuarantee
Cask Size:
Cask
Cask Size:
PREMIUM POS KIT
INCLUDES: GLASSWARE, BAR RUNNERS, BEER MATS, STAFF T-SHIRTS, LANYARDS AND BEER INFO CARDS
A tribute to the original Bury St Edmunds master brewers, the Benedictine monks, whose ghosts are said to still walk our Abbey today. This sessionable IPA is as divinely fruity as the low strength beer they drank litres of daily, as it was safer than water at the time.
TASTING NOTES
ETERNALLY LIGHT, EASY DRINKING ALL DAY IPA WITH MELLOW TROPICAL NOTES AND CITRUS AROMA HOPS MALT CASCADE CITRA CENTENNIAL PALE MALT WHEAT MALT ROLLED OATS CARAPILS
PREMIUM PORTFOLIO HITTING THE MARK TASTING NOTES
Greene King’s rapidly expanding range of premium craft beers is continuing to deliver fresh growth and exciting opportunities for venues across the country.
HAZY DAY
Craft beer has long been one of the shining stars of the wider category and has helped drive fresh interest and excitement among beer drinkers. The launch of two new premium craft beers last year by Greene King – Flint Eye and Level Head – marked the dawn of an opportunity-laden new era. The recent launch of two more premium craft beers – Prior Life and Hazy Day – has taken Greene King’s offer to an entirely new level as the portfolio now includes a solution for every venue.
Despite having launched only a few short months ago, Prior Life and Hazy Day are already stocked in more than 300 venues each.
“We are delighted to see how the two new premium craft beers have been received by venues and their customers,” says Alex Radcliffe, Head of Marketing –Premium Beers at Greene King.
“We’re already in over 300 venues each and we have another 180-200 lined up for September and October so we are confident that Prior Life and Hazy Day have very bright futures ahead of them.
“To put that in some sort of context,
Level Head is already the number two premium craft beer in the UK by rate of sale, second only to Neck Oil. Despite being only a few months old, Hazy Day has already reached 90% of the rate of sale enjoyed by Level Head.”
Just as encouragingly, Prior Life is also performing extremely well. Radcliffe explains: “Craft beer has traditionally been expensive because it’s expensive to produce. That meant it tended to be found mainly in premium venues, but Prior Life has been specifically brewed to deliver a lower ABV to appeal to a growing audience of consumers keen to moderate their alcohol consumption but without compromising on taste and quality.
“Prior Life also benefits from the changes to Duty meaning that is a much more affordable product for both venues and their guests. Essentially, what this means is that Greene King now has a premium craft beer portfolio that includes products suitable for literally every venue.
“It’s no surprise then that we have venues already selling more than 200 pints a week and I believe we will continue to see Prior Life flourish in the future.”
Hazy Day is a 4.3% ABV smooth, fruity IPA, with orange, citrus and tropical notes. The inspiration for the name dates back to the 16th Century in Bury St Edmunds, for those who were convicted of minor crimes were sentenced to a day in the pillories. With clouded judgement and a hazy sense of morality, locals would come to heckle, goad, and even throw things at the miscreants. Hazy Day is an unlawfully delicious beer packed with tropical flavours.
PRIOR LIFE
The eternally light Prior Life is, at 3.4% ABV, an easy drinking All Day IPA with mellow tropical notes and a citrus aroma. This beer is a tribute to the original Bury St Edmunds master brewers, the Benedictine monks, whose ghosts are said to still walk the Abbey today. Prior Life is as divinely fruity as the low strength beer the monks would drink litres of daily, as it was safer than water at the time!
NEW LOOK UNVEILED FOR TWO BELHAVEN BREWS
Belhaven Brewery has launched refreshed branding for several of its most popular canned products, including Belhaven Black and Belhaven Best.
Following a refresh of Scotland’s top-selling ale, Belhaven BEST, last year, Belhaven Brewery has unveiled a brand-new look for another of its popular canned products –Belhaven BLACK.
The bold, new design features a nod to the brewer’s centuries-long history using the iconic malting chimneys of Belhaven Brewery that date back to 1719. The design was inspired by the flow of the smooth velvet stout liquid tumbling into the glass, and the colours chosen reflect the coffee and chocolate notes that are evident in the flavour profile.
The refreshed designs all take inspiration from the changing face of drinking and socialising, as well as Belhaven’s proud heritage of brewing
beer in Dunbar for more than 300 years.
Fiona Matheson, Senior Brand Manager for Belhaven, commented: “The roll out of the new look and feel for Belhaven Best was a great success and we felt that it was only right for our other iconic beers to have their time to shine. The new look aligns with modern drinkers’ preferences while also continuing our heritage.
“We are currently seeing great results for the Belhaven Black refreshed look in the ontrade, up 74.4% YTD in the Free Trade and we’re excited to see Belhaven Black launch into the retail market and draw even more consumers into our delicious beers.”
BLACK AND BEST CLAIM MORE AWARDS!
Belhaven Black and Belhaven Best have added to their growing list of award wins with success in the recent World Beer Awards. Both beers claimed Bronze Medals, placing them firmly among the finest brews on the planet. Additionally, both have been shortlisted as finalists in the Scottish Beer Awards 2024 in the Best Stout and Best British Style Ale categories respectively. They were also shortlisted in the Excellence in Branding Category, following the recent successful rebrands.
The results will be announced at the official Scottish Beer Awards 2024 ceremony in September.
CHANCELLOR PUTS GROWTH ‘AT CENTRE OF PLANNING SYSTEM’
New Chancellor Rachel Reaves says the government intends to put growth at the centre of its reforms of the planning system.
In news welcomed by the hospitality and catering sectors, new Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed that the Labour government is fully committed to putting growth at the centre of a reformed planning system.
She reiterated Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ‘taking the brakes off’ approach to planning which will see planning committees modernised, decision making speededup and, ultimately, a service that is more predictable for businesses, investors and developers.
Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: “It was encouraging to hear from the Chancellor that the government intends to put growth at the centre of the planning system. Planning approvals are in freefall with the level of applications decided within statutory time limits falling every year since 2013.
“Too many hospitality businesses with ambitions to expand and grow are held back and frustrated by the current system. Planning reform is desperately needed, to unlock business ambitions and develop local infrastructure.
“The two go hand-in-hand, with many hospitality businesses often finding recruitment challenging due to the lack of housing available, particularly in rural areas. Putting growth as a central aim of the planning system can allow hospitality businesses to create new jobs, drive economic growth and contribute to the regeneration and renewal of our towns and cities.”
HOMELESS RECRUITMENT CHARITY HITS 500
Only A Pavement Away, the industry charity which helps people facing homelessness to rebuild their lives through employment in the hospitality sector, has announced the placement of its 500th member into work.
The charity launched in 2018 to connect forward-thinking employers with individuals facing homelessness.
The charity calculates that the impact of placing 500 people into employment has added £25.6m to the British economy so far through a mixture of reduced government support, financial independence and increased household expenditure.
Figures show that 60% of members have remained in employment for more than a year, which is higher than the average tenure of a hospitality professional.
Only A Pavement Away also aims to change perceptions about ‘typical’ candidate profiles and has recently expanded into Manchester and Scotland.
KIT CONTAINS:
24 x Pint Glasses
2 x Bar Runners 100 x Dripmats
Speak to your Sales Development Manager for more information or to arrange an install
KING’S SPEECH PROMISES SIGNIFICANT CHANGE
The recent King’s Speech set out the new Labour government’s key priorities, many of which will impact on the hospitality sector.
King Charles III has set out the priorities and aims of the new Labour government in the first King’s Speech since Prime Minister Keir Starmer took power. An expansive 35 Bills were set out in the speech with many of them having direct or indirect impacts on the UK hospitality and catering sectors.
To the disappointment of many, the legislative agenda conspicuously did not include reform of business rates, an issue the sector has been challenging for many years.
The speech did, however, outline the government’s ‘taking the brakes off’ approach to planning reform which will be welcomed by many businesses, particularly those who have had their growth plans stymied by council delays.
New laws will modernise planning committees, improve decision making and provide a more “predictable” service for investors and developers.
A new Employment Rights Bill will be introduced “within Labour’s first 100 days in office” which the government says will be “the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation”.
It will affect many areas of working practices and will include a ban on zero-hours contracts, and will require employers to give staff “reasonable notice” of changes to shifts and compensation for any cancelled or shortened shifts.
Parental leave, sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal will be made available to all workers from day one on the job, although a probation process to assess new employees will still be permissible.
The promise of a “genuine living wage” also raises the prospect of further hikes in wage bills for business. Minimum wage age bands will be abandoned, moving those under 21 up to the same hourly rate as older staff.
KING’S SPEECH: DIGEST
As well as the key priorities outlined on the left, the King’s Speech also addressed a number of other legislative changes that will affect hospitality and catering business, including:
A new law will make spiking a specific criminal offence.
A new law will require venues and events to take steps to mitigate the impact of a potential terrorist attack.
Labour pledges to reform the apprenticeship levy to give businesses more flexibility on how funds are spent and how courses are run.
A new organisation, Skills England, will work with employers, training providers and other organisations to assess the current and future needs of businesses.
Restrictions on advertising of High Fat, Sugar and Salt products and restrictions on the sale of high caffeine energy drinks to children.
New laws on financial reporting and the conduct of company directors to protect workers and suppliers.
EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS WITH VALUE HUB!
Cutting the cost of doing business has never been as important as it is today – which is exactly where Value Hub comes in.
Value Hub is our new platform that allows you to take direct advantage of Greene King and Belhaven’s buying power by securing substantial savings on everyday expenditures like sports TV subscriptions, gaming costs, payment and card services, equipment, furniture and waste and recycling collections.
These are exclusive savings and discounts available only to customers of Greene King and Belhaven and can help save your business many thousands of pounds a year.
Taking advantage is quick and easy – so why not see how much you can save today?
To find out more, simply visit valueforvenues.co.uk/value-hub or speak to your SDM.
Value Hub allows you to take advantage of Greene King and Belhaven’s buying power to save thousands of pounds a year on venue essentials. SAVE ON…ENTERTAINMENT, SERVICES, EQUIPMENT & MORE
Why cask ale drinkers are so important…
TIME TO PUT CASK IN THE SPOTLIGHT!
This unmissable annual Cask Ale week provides the perfect chance to enthral your customers, showcase some amazing beers, and grow your sales and profits.
RANGING FOR SUCCESS
CASK
Cask ale remains a key category for your bar, accounting for 45% of all ale serves [CGA by NIQ OPM MAT 15/06/2024]. Not only that, cask is unique to the on-trade, meaning that ale enthusiasts will be seeking out your venue for a great selection of cask. Cask ale is a lucrative category with 4.1 million consumers drinking it out of home [CGA BrandTrack].
MORE PEOPLE
Cask Ale consumers are a lucrative consumer to attract into your venue. They typically visit during quieter times of the day and day of the week. In fact 60% of cask ale drinkers visit their local pub during the week (Monday to Thursday). (CGA BrandTrack 2024). Attracting cask drinkers should therefore help to keep you busy throughout the day and week.
MORE OFTEN
40% of cask ale drinkers visit the trade at least weekly (CGA BrandTrack 2024). That’s 10% more than the average consumer.
SPENDING MORE
60% of cask ale drinkers are willing to upgrade their ale which means that offering a selection of premium cask choices will drive additional revenue.
Making sure that you have the right range is an important piece of the puzzle – too many choices and throughputs will be too low to achieve a high-quality serve, too few choices and your cask consumers won’t be satisfied with the variety.
STYLE
Almost 3 in every 4 pints of cask ale sold is Amber (CGA by NIQ OPM MAT P6 2024), making it a must stock for any cask stockist.
However, golden and pale ales continue to steal share within cask. They also play an important role in broadening appeal, attracting a younger, more affluent consumer which is great for cask ale sales!
NATIONAL V LOCAL
National brands have broad appeal with consumers whilst local choices are growing in popularity.
PERMANENT VS ROTATION
Be sure to stock choices customers can recognise and rely on, alongside new options that offer interest and excitement.
How Many Sticks?
Pub and and spend. important throughputs will choices variety. STOCK: Caskenomics report, June 2021. 4. Kantar Alcovision, 52 weeks ending 30/6/22. YouGov for CAMRA 2022.
Venue must pour min 24 pints per day (or 12 if using pins)
National brand with strong ROS
Venue must pour min 48 pints per day (or 24 if using pins)
Premium amber or golden/pale ale
Typically amber ale May be a rotational option
Venue must pour min 72 pints per day (or 36 if using pins)
Seasonal or rotational
Cask Ale Week is an annual celebration that gives pubs the golden opportunity to raise awareness of Britain’s national drink – cask ale– and grow sales of this unique and historic product. Taking place on 19-29 September, venues can organise events and activities to promote real ale and encourage customers to sample products.
Founded by Cask Marque, the independent award for pubs serving great quality cask ale, in the early noughties, Cask Ale Week is supported by trade organisations, brewers (including Greene King), pub groups and The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
Why does Cask Ale Week present such an important opportunity? Well, cask ale is a cornerstone of the Great British Pub and when executed well it can drive footfall, frequency and spend. Cask ale drinkers, as we all know, are extremely valuable customers as they visit more often than regular customers and spend more when they are there. In fact, 40% of cask ale drinkers visit the pub at least weekly - 10% more than the
GET INVOLVED
To help maximise the benefits you get from Cask Ale Week, why not try…
Organising a quiz to celebrate cask ale. There’s a blank quiz template on www.caskaleweek.co.uk if you feel like putting your own questions together. You can also make life easier for yourself by requesting a copy of a ready-prepared Cask Ale Week Quiz, which can be done by emailing info@ casque-marque.co.uk.
You can also link any events you have planned with the Cask Ale Week website to maximise publicity. Your event will then be listed on the Cask Ale Week website, putting it in front of a much larger audience. Just visit www.caskaleweek.co.uk to find out how.
A wealth of resources are also available to download on the same website including pre-prepared social media assets.
Why not build excitement for the week by doing an online countdown featuring daily posts in the run up to and during the event? These could feature images or video clips on your Facebook or Instagram pages showing different ales each day.
average consumer, according to CGA BrandTrack.
BIG HITTERS
Where to start, then, when building a range that will help you make the most of Cask Ale Week? Too many choices and throughputs will be too low to achieve a high-quality serve, too few choices and your cask consumers won’t be satisfied with the variety.
A great place to start solving this puzzle is with Greene King’s proven range of cask ale stars.
Stick 1
Stick 2
Stick 3
SEPTEMBER
JULY - 31ST AUGUST
SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER
A JUICY, TROPICAL GOLDEN BEER BURSTING WITH FRUIT FLAVOURS. INSPIRED BY GREENE KING’S VERY OWN BREWERY FIRE BRIGADE, FORMED IN 1888.
ADDS BODY AND WARMTH. FRAGRANT NOTES OF BLACKCURRANT, LEMON AND ORANGE PEEL.
SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER
OCTOBER
SEPTEMBER
STYLE: GOLDEN COLOUR: GOLD
A COMPLEX AUTUMN BEER WITH FRUIT AROMAS AND TASTE SET AGAINST BISCUITY MALT WHICH ADDS BODY AND WARMTH. FRAGRANT NOTES OF BLACKCURRANT, LEMON AND ORANGE PEEL.
BREWED IN COLLABORATION WITH NETHERGATE BREWERY, THIS SPECIAL HALLOWEEN STOUT IS EASY DRINKING WITH DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE AND BLOOD ORANGE CHARACTERS.
Our permanent range of nine amber ales and three golden and pale ales features some of the most popular cask ales in the country including favourites like Greene King IPA, Ruddles Best, Belhaven 80 Shilling, Abbot Ale, Deuchars and Old Speckled Hen.
These cask ales enjoy nationwide awareness and adding them to your offering for Cask Ale Week can help bring new drinkers into the category as well as providing tried-and-tested options for the many cask ale loyalists out there.
There’s a flavour profile to suit most tastes among the permanent range and several of the ales are available in smaller 4.5G Pins format, making it easier than ever for you to give them a try behind the bar with minimal risk of wastage.
FRESH CASK RELEASES
It’s common knowledge, however, that cask ale fans enjoy trying new beers, which is partly why Greene King has created its rolling Fresh Cask Releases range of limited-edition beers every year.
NOVEMBER & DECEMBER
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
STYLE: STOUT COLOUR: EBONY
STYLE: WINTER ALE COLOUR: RUBY
ALC. 4.4% VOL.
4.1%
A COMPLEX AUTUMN BEER WITH FRUIT AROMAS AND TASTE SET AGAINST BISCUITY MALT WHICH ADDS BODY AND WARMTH. FRAGRANT NOTES OF BLACKCURRANT, LEMON AND ORANGE PEEL.
BREWED IN COLLABORATION WITH NETHERGATE BREWERY, THIS SPECIAL HALLOWEEN STOUT IS EASY DRINKING WITH DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE AND BLOOD ORANGE CHARACTERS.
ALC. 4.5% VOL. A FULL-BODIED RUBY WINTER ALE WITH A MELLOW FRUITY FINISH, WITH GRAPEFRUIT AND LEMON CITRUS CHARACTERS. BLACK MALT ALSO ADDS A NICE LEVEL OF REFRESHMENT.
The 2024 Fresh Cask Releases features 13 limited-edition beers chosen by Greene King’s experienced and expert brewers who are passionate about creating the freshest, highest-quality, hand-crafted ale.
These ales are only available for a month or two at a time throughout the year and are tailored specifically to the time of year to help you appeal to both hardened cask ale fans and help bring new drinkers into cask.
Three Fresh Cask Release beers are available over the next couple of months. The barnstorming success story that is Bonkers Conkers returns for the month of September only and is sure to be a huge hit again this year. Bonkers Conkers is a complex autumn beer with fruit aromas and taste set against biscuity malt which adds body and warmth. Fragrant notes of blackcurrant, lemon and orange peel further enhance this outstanding beer.
Available throughout September and October is another limited edition, Watch Room golden ale, a juicy, tropical golden beer bursting with fruit flavours. It was inspired by Greene King’s very own brewery fire brigade, formed in 1888.
COLLAB
Last, but not least, Blood Hound will be available in October. This special Halloween stout is not only easy-drinking with delicious chocolate and blood orange characters it also taps in to the continued growth of stout so should prove popular with cask, and non cask drinkers alike.
TAKE FLIGHTS
Cask Ale Week presents a fantastic opportunity to lure more drinkers into the undeniable joys of cask ale –and Greene King has everything you need to do just that.
Only 37% of beer drinkers have tried cask ale, according to a recent YouGov poll for SIBA, so there’s a real opportunity to use Cask Ale Week to stoke people’s curiosity and get them tasting these enticing products, which have so much to offer in terms of different styles and flavour profiles.
A brilliant and proven way to bring more consumers into the category is by making use of our flight kits. These kits let you sell a flight of three one-third pint taster beers for the same price as a pint. When the customer has decided which beers they’d like to try, you can write the brand names on the cards provided and give them to customers, who can then scan a QR code on the card to access tasting notes.
Point of Sale material is available to help you sell flights, including pump clip topper and posters, to flag up the initiative to customers. Be sure to get your staff on board too, so that they can spread the word.
EXPAND YOUR RANGE WITH PINS
It’s now easier than ever to serve your customers a good selection of cask ale whilst minimising the risk of wastage, or a poor-quality offering. With 4.5G pins you only need to sell 12 pints a day to maintain quality, meaning that you can showcase an exciting line-up of fresh cask ale all week long.
WHEN TO USE PINS
To broaden your range of cask ale.
To maintain quality during quieter times of the week.
To offer cask for the first time, or reintroduce to your venue.
Pins are not always the best option for your pub – any brand that sells a full firkin every three days does not need to switch to pins. However, you may wish to broaden your range, or try new styles and pins are a great way of doing that. You may even find that mixing pins and firkins maximises availability and reduces wastage throughout the week.
ALE DRINKERS WANT CHOICE!
96.4% of Ale drinkers would buy an ale sampler paddle if available. 84% would be prepared to pay more than the average pint for the experience.
On average 84p more than the price of the average pint.
Source:onepulse survey – Sep 2022 – 364 respondents
CATEGORY CORNER: A NEW VISION FOR ALE
Over the next six issues of Value for Venues, we will be walking you through Greene King’s new category vision for ale that aims to turbo-charge this long-established category.
By Angie May, On Trade Category Manager
Ale, as we all know, is a fundamental cornerstone of a credible beer offer for any venue. One in five pints sold in the UK is ale which, for comparison, is twice as many as stout [CGA 2024]. That same data also shows us that cask ale is, in fact, the third biggest category by rate of sale per venue – with over 130 pints sold per week – and that’s ahead of keg, which sits below it in fourth position.
In other words, it’s a proven category that sells well – which is why Greene King has recently unveiled a new vision that is set to transform the way the industry looks at the ale category.
The launch of our innovative ‘How to Win with Ale’ proposal embraces the importance and role of ale on the bar and the challenges and opportunities for the category. It also provides a fresh perspective on innovation, quality, and presentation for the industry. This exciting development aligns with our commitment to ale and our passion for its heritage. As a brewer for over 200 years our new vision for ale aims to build on the current demand to create an even more successful future.
UNDERSTANDING ALE
The first step for us in creating this vision was to go back to basics: we had to take a deep dive into the different subcategories of ale - keg ale, cask ale and craft ale - and the role they each play on the bar.
Understanding the different areas of ale and how these then match with the venue and guest profiles is key to ensuring that
the range on offer in any particular venue is the most profitable.
In order to provide an elevated experience for guests, venues clearly need to provide more than just a good range of ales on the bar: the correct ales in that range is important too. Reviewing what works best for the venue, customer demographic and even region will help ensure those pints fly off the bar.
Given that ale, especially cask ale, is unique to the on-trade, it shouldn’t be a difficult category to engage current guests with. However, if the basics aren’t right then it all falls at the first hurdle. Focusing on quality, education, and presentation, means venues will really get the most from their offering.
So our new vision extends to more than just building the ideal range. Delivering high quality cellar management needs to be at the forefront by maintaining a high standard at all times and ensuring that training is kept up to date.
Greene King provides expert cellar training to its customers in person and with useful online guides through its Beer Genuis online portal.
To help venues further address the challenges of a fresh, short shelf-life product like cask ale, we launched 4.5-gallon pins into the market last year. The introduction of pins aimed to minimise wastage and encourage venues with smaller throughput to still have cask on the bar. It even provided the ability to add further range with a lesser volume. The launch of pins has had a great impact on growing cask with overall stockists of the seasonal
cask calendar up 20% last year vs the previous year.
To really win with ale, it is also about giving the customer the best possible experience when they visit your venue. That means offering your customers great quality ale in an appropriate branded, clean glass and presented in the best possible way. Providing that elevated experience is what guests now expect – and it is the key to unlocking increased footfall, sales, profits and loyalty.
NEW BLOOD
To truly build a thriving future for ale, the entire industry needs to recruit new drinkers too and show that there is a world beyond lager. This involves addressing other barriers perceived with drinking ale and taking learnings from other categories that have managed to build that fresh appeal and image.
Take gin as a good example. It’s a product that was once seen as a bit dated, with most pubs offering a minimal range of non-
flavoured varieties. It is now commonplace to see a selection of brightly coloured bottles, new and innovative flavours and premium barware and garnishes. The soft drink category has also tapped into this by offering a selection of premium mixers to go alongside. The result? Gin is now worth over £1.3bn in the on-trade alone [CGA OPM MAT Dec 2023).
Now, let’s be clear: we aren’t likely to start putting mint or rosemary into our ale when serving a pint, but if gin can change its perception and its image so dramatically, then so can ale in its own way. It can achieve this by focusing on:
1. Highlighting and tapping into the demand for provenance.
2. Building a strong heritage story.
3. Making ale more mentally accessible with innovation in flavours and tapping into the premium trend.
4. Presenting ale in a way that is appealing and modern.
SPANISH, NOT SPAN"iSH"
“ALE, ESPECIALLY CASK ALE, IS UNIQUE TO THE PUB AND SHOULDN’T BE A DIFFICULT CATEGORY TO ENGAGE CURRENT GUESTS WITH. HOWEVER, IF THE BASICS AREN’T RIGHT THEN IT ALL FALLS AT THE FIRST HURDLE. FOCUSING ON QUALITY, EDUCATION, AND PRESENTATION, VENUES WILL REALLY GET THE MOST FROM THEIR OFFERING.”
ON THE JOURNEY
Greene King has already started on its own journey from these learnings. In 2022 we launched our craft beer portfolio with the launch of Flint Eye and Level Head. This year we added two more premium beers in Prior Life and Hazy Day. These exquisitely modern beers also draw on the heritage and passion of our brewers and our centuries old brewing history. With a colourful and innovative image for the brand and exciting pump handles and glassware, we are offering a bold and exciting new range for the modern drinker.
Our efforts to bring in new drinkers are not just limited to new craft offerings, however. For two consecutive years have launched our Fresh Cask Releases calendar, a portfolio of limited-edition cask beers available at specific times throughout the year. The calendar offers new styles and flavours of cask and adds excitement for the category and those influential drinkers.
The launch of the calendar last year resulted in driving great success for cask, with an increase of 42% in volume of our seasonal ales vs 2022.
As an industry, it is important that we engage with today’s customers and serve them to the best of our ability. However, we can only ensure a strong future for ale by making sure that we appeal to the new generation and their preferences too.
PASSION PLAY
The aim of our vision is nothing less than to inspire the industry to feel the passion and motivation we have for ale and
understand how to make the best out of it for now and work towards making it successful for the future.
Greene King wants to make it as easy as possible for our customers to win with ale and in turn seek the rewards from guests too.
Where there is demand there is a need - and we believe that it’s about getting it right now and about making those necessary changes for the future that will provide profit for businesses and an exciting future for ale.
LOOK OUT FOR THE NEXT INSTALMENT OF OUR VISION IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF VALUE FOR VENUES WHERE WE WILL BEGIN DISCUSSING OUR VISION FOR HOW WE CAN ALL ‘WIN WITH ALE’.
ALPHA STOUT
DIVE INTO THE DARK DEPTHS OF WOLFPACK ALPHA STOUT, WHERE ROBUST ROASTED BARLEY MEETS THE BOLD KICK OF COFFEE AND THE LUXURIOUS COMPLEXITY OF CHOCOLATE MALT. SIMPLY HOPPED WITH CHALLENGER, THIS BREW OFFERS A CLEAN BITTERNESS, LETTING THE DECADENT FLAVOUR TAKE CENTRE STAGE.
HOW IMPORTANT ARE AUTUMN EVENTS?
The autumn and winter months are packed with major events, but how exactly do consumers feel about Halloween, half term and Bonfire Night?
By Caroline Morley, Insights Manager – Consumer
Everyone operating a hospitality venue will already know that the annual trading calendar is to a greater or lesser extent built around regular seasonal events, interspersed with less frequent events like the Euro Finals, the World Cup and the Olympic Games.
We are all aware that these events present a great opportunity to drive additional footfall, sales and profits, and most venues will make a special effort around such events to try to fully leverage that opportunity.
But how exactly do consumers feel about seasonal events like Halloween, half term and Bonfire Night? Are these events as important to them as we think? What are they looking for from a venue when they visit during one of these events? We decided to ask 600 pubgoers to find out, 200 per event. Here’s what they told us…
KEY POINT 1 HALLOWEEN
It’s probably fair to say that Halloween isn’t a huge occasion for pubs – only 35% of our pubgoers sample told us they visited the pub during Halloween in 2023. It’s nevertheless an occasion that’s grown over recent years.
Of those that did visit the pub on Halloween, almost half (47%) told us they visited their local drinking pub. When trying to cash in on Halloween, it’s clear from our research that themed drinks and food were popular. A
significant 40% of those that visited the pub told us they ordered a Halloween-themed drink and 42% said they ordered from a Halloween-themed menu.
Additionally, a perhaps surprisingly high 39% of pubgoers wore fancy dress!
When we asked pubgoers what they liked about going to the pub at Halloween, atmosphere came out top. They also told us they enjoy dressing up, seeing others’ costumes and the decorations in the pub.
SO WHAT?
The findings strongly suggest that ensuring you have Halloween-themed drinks and a Halloween-themed menu could help drive additional sales.
It also seems clear that a little effort in terms of decorations and having staff dress up in costumes might pay dividends in terms of an enhanced atmosphere and experience for your customers.
KEY POINT 2
OCTOBER HALF TERM
More than one in five (22%) of pub-goers told us they plan to go to the pub for food during the half-term period. Obviously, weather can be unreliable around October half term, and we know our pub-goers find entertaining children a challenge during the school holidays in bad weather.
SO WHAT?
To help families ensure an enjoyable time around half term,
consider family-friendly events, food, menus and activities to keep families entertained and occupied.
Try to create an environment that is welcoming and relaxed to help everyone enjoy a trip to your venue, including easily bored children!
KEY POINT 3 BONFIRE NIGHT
Almost a quarter (23%) of our pubgoers told us they plan to go out to the pub for Bonfire Night.
10% told us they were going for food and 13% told us they intended to go for drinks.
Going for food or drink after, or before, a bonfire or fireworks event was a popular option and something pubgoers enjoyed as it helps continue the social occasion. When we asked pubgoers what they liked about pubs on Bonfire Night, they said the happy atmosphere and cosy environment – open fires, hot food – were the key features.
SO WHAT?
There is a clear opportunity for venues to make the most of the opportunity by offering themed food and drinks around Bonfire Night.
This could be as simple as fun desserts and cocktails, advertised on social media, to help being people in. Additionally, mulled wine and cider, toffee apples, ginger parkin, pies and jacket potatoes were specifically mentioned by pubgoers when we asked them what types of themed food and drink they’d like to see.
GET YOUR FREAK ON
Halloween presents a great opportunity to cash in on an increasingly important sales opportunity by embracing a tailored range of food and drink and throwing in a little theatre to bring the spooky season to life for your customers.
As soon as dusk falls on October 31, pavements around the UK will begin to resemble a Michael Jackson video, packed full of mini goblins and ghouls as trick or treaters take to the streets, demanding goodies, and generally enjoying a seasonal event that has continued to grow in importance over the years.
Halloween has long been a big deal on the other side of the Atlantic but it is only in recent years that the season of spooks and ghouls has really come to life over here – and that is great news for venues.
Indeed, the season has grown into an absolute monster with Halloween spending in the UK topping an incredible £1bn in 2023 (Mintel), more than double the £419m that the research firm predicted Brits would spend just five years ago in 2018.
But it’s not just the little folk who want to celebrate this fright fest. More than half (56%) of consumers planned to spend some money on Halloween celebrations, decorations or costumes last year, with an average spend of £36 per person, according to a survey by Finder.
Alcohol sales saw a clear benefit from the ghostly goings on. CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker shows that adults are most definitely getting involved in some fiendish fun over the Halloween period, with average drinks sales in managed venues in the week to Saturday 4 November growing 7% ahead of the same period in 2022 – the best weekly performance since September.
In fact, sales were in year-on-year growth on four of the seven days, peaking at +15% on Sunday (29 October). Halloween night itself, which fell on a Tuesday, also saw double digit growth
(+11%). This was followed by a 17% jump on 1 November, and another 10% uplift on Saturday 4 November boosted by bonfire celebrations.
CGA data shows that all drinks categories were in year-on-year growth, with cider (up 10%), beer (up 9%), soft drinks (up 10%) and wine (up 6%) all enjoying a strong week. Even spirits sales, which CGA claims lagged throughout most of 2023, achieved 2% growth, thanks to Halloween celebrations.
TAKING A BITE
So how can you get your fangs into this lucrative occasion? Well, as highlighted above, it’s not just the kids who like to get dressed up for the occasion: at Halloween these days, you’re just as likely to see grown-ups decked out in ghoulish finery and swarming nearby venues. Research carried out by Greene King’s Consumer Insight department found that a surprisingly high 39% of pub-goers who ventured out to a venue on Halloween night did so in fancy dress!
And when they venture out, they’re looking to carry on the Halloween-themed experiences throughout the night. The same Greene King research found that more than a third (35%) of pub-goers made a visit to a venue on Halloween last year and, of that 35%, around 40% bought a Halloween-themed drink and 42% said they ordered from a Halloween-themed menu.
With that in mind, two of our own beers are getting Halloween makeovers: Old Speckled Hen becomes Old Spooky Hen for the season while - new for 2024 - Old Golden Hen is transforming into Old Ghostly Hen, helping you tap into that demand for
HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN
Halloween originated from the pagan festival Samhain, which was celebrated by the Celts.
Pagans believed that on October 31 the barrier between the human and spirit worlds was at its thinnest and the dead were able to travel between worlds.
Bonfires were lit to scare away the dead.
Brits would originally carve faces into turnips and potatoes to ward off evil spirits.
Pumpkins only became associated with Halloween during the 19th century when immigrants to America spread the carving tradition.
These days, the word witch has evil connotations, but in medieval Britain, witches were also healers and could use spells to encourage crops to grow.
Before the days of trick or treating for sweets, in Scotland and Ireland youngsters would take part in guising where they would sing, recite poetry, or tell a joke in return for fruit, nuts or coins themed-drinks.
With its rich auburn copper colouring and a high proportion of crystal malt providing an inviting toffee and caramel flavour, Old Spooky Hen is tailor-made for the time of year. Stockists of Old Speckled Hen in cask will receive a new pump clip to rebadge the ale as Old Spooky Hen for the month.
And, if you buy a firkin or two 4.5g pins of Old Speckled Hen, you’ll also receive point of sale materials for a special consumer competition that offers them the opportunity to truly freak out. All customers need to do is scan their pint and they’ll have the chance to win one of the frightfully fun prizes on offer including a hair-raising visit to a haunted house and an unforgettable escape room experience.
Something new for this year is Old Ghostly Hen, a Halloweenthemed pump clip to swap out for the usual Old Golden Hen clip. This refreshing ale is part of a growing golden ale cask market and is an ideal way to bring a touch of Halloween fun to a cask lineup.
Old Spooky Hen and Old Ghostly Hen pump clips will be available to order in October.
BLOOD HOUND
Another beastly beverage to help get consumers in the mood at Halloween is our brand new Fresh Cask Release Blood Hound. This limited-edition collaboration between Greene King and Nethergate Brewery is an easy-drinking stout flavoured with
7% drinks sales growth in Halloween week 2023
10% Cider sales growth in Halloween week 2023
9% Beer sales growth in Halloween week 2023
35% Of pub-goers visited a venue on Halloween night last year
40% Of that group bought a Halloween-themed drink
FRIGHT NIGHT FEELS
With plenty of venues vying for their attention, it’s worth making a bit of extra effort to lure customers through your doors.
DECK OUT THE VENUE
Cobwebs on the casks would be a nightmare at any other time of year, but come Halloween, they could be just the thing to add a little festive fun to proceedings. Add a few hanging skeletons and bats on the ceiling and some spooky decals to the windows and you’re well on your way to creating a delightfully deadly vibe. You could go all out and even hire a smoke machine to make the atmosphere extra macabre.
SET THE SCENE WITH SPOOKY SONGS
Adding some Halloween-themed music can really help to get customers into the spirit of the occasion. You can compile your own playlist, or simply use auto-generated lists of spine-tingling tunes from the likes of YouTube or Spotify. Playing a mix of songs from different eras will appeal to a wide mix of customers and get everyone tapping their feet to the eerie beats.
COSTUME CAPERS
A guaranteed way to up your body count is by hosting a fancy dress competition. You could market your event on social media and offer a drinks discount for anyone in costume, as well as a prize for the best dressed. From devil horn headbands to a full boiler suit and proton pack, encourage staff to dress up as well to maximise the fun. Get the team to post pics of their creepy costumes on Facebook and Instagram to create further engagement.
CHILD’S PLAY
Organising family friendly activities can help to widen your audience and increase your spend. You could hire a face painter to work their magic; organise a colouring competition; dish out some terrifying temporary tattoos; or call for kids to bring their best pumpkin carvings to display at the venue. Showing some child-appropriate Halloween movies could help to get more footfall during the daytime, giving you a chance to boost drink and snack sales.
DEMONIC DRINKS
Don’t forget to make sure that staff are clued up on all the fangtastic drinks you have on offer this Halloween. Serving up a pint of Old Spooky Hen, Old Ghostly Hen, Blood Hound or some horrifically haunting cocktails will definitely get customers into the spirit. Check out our Cocktail feature on p79 for some seasonal inspiration.
irresistible chocolate and blood orange characters, perfect to warm customers up when the temperatures drop.
The brew is available in both firkins and pins, so you can keep wastage to a minimum and choose whichever format suits your customer base.
Don’t forget firkins are available on a sale or return basis, thanks to Greene King’s Cask Iron Guarantee. This means that if a cask goes out of date and you still have 2G+ of beer remaining, you can claim a full refund on broached casks, or credit for remaining volume on broached casks.
So order with confidence and see if you can scare up some extra sales this spooky season.
JOIN IN THE FUN
Of course, if you really want to make the most of the Halloween opportunity, a little effort and creativity is all that’s required. Ghoulish outfits for your staff, some spiders and cobwebs and a few pumpkins dotted around and you’ll soon have your venue feeling just right for a Halloween night of fun.
Unique beers, unique marketing
For a range as unique and creative as the Greene King premium craft beer range, nothing less than a unique and creative marketing support package will do – and that’s exactly what Greene King is delivering.
The entrance of Greene King into the premium craft beer arena last year marked the dawn of a new era for the business. With craft beer the star of the wider beer category, Greene King was perfectly placed to help venues capitalise on that opportunity. Earlier this year, the addition of two new premium craft beers into the portfolio – Hazy Day and Prior Life – meant that Greene King could now offer a premium quality craft beer for every venue, allowing far wider access into a growing category.
With over two centuries of brewing history, Greene King was unique in having the track record, heritage, reputation and expertise to bring genuine, premium quality craft beers to market: ‘legendary beer, centuries in the making’.
That unique combination of modernity and tradition is reflected in every aspect of the premium craft beer range, as Will Hemmings, Brewing & Brands Marketing Director, says: “Our new range of premium craft beers is inspired by Greene King’s
200-year heritage but the recipes and tales have been reimagined for the modern craft consumer of today.
“We’ve twisted and adapted traditional flavour profiles and channelled some of Britain’s colourful folklore to create authentic, modern, and exciting beverages, perfect for a new urban audience right across the UK.”
That engaging narrative plays into the modern consumer’s desire for backstory, heritage, authenticity and genuine quality.
NEW CAMPAIGN TO BE SEEN BY 10 MILLION TARGET CONSUMERS!
To help Greene King’s growing range of premium beers continue to flourish in the future, a new ad campaign has been created that will reach an enormous 10 million target consumers.
The new media Out-of-Home (OOH) and social media campaign, entitled ‘Legendary Beer, Centuries in the Making’, launched at the very end of July and will directly support every stockist across the country.
More than 2,000 venues now stock at least one of the four new beers and the campaign sees Billboards, Digital display, Social Media and Video on Demand featuring brand new creatives that will reach 10 million target consumers.
The layered campaign means every pouring venue will be supported via Digital display & Social Media which is proximity targeted to only people who are or have been within 500m of the venue.
INCLUDES: GLASSWARE, BAR RUNNERS, BEER MATS, STAFF T-SHIRTS, LANYARDS AND MINI CHALKBOARD
& SMOOTH
In the 16th Century in Bury St. Edmunds, those convicted of minor crimes were sentenced to a day in the pillories. With clouded judgement & a hazy sense of morality, locals would come to heckle, goad & even throw things at the miscreants!
TASTING NOTES
A SMOOTH, UNLAWFULLY FRUITY HAZY IPA WITH ORANGE, CITRUS AND TROPICAL NOTES HOPS CASCADE, CITRA AND TALUS
But with such a unique range of beers, a run-of-the-mill marketing campaign was never going to cut it. This exceptional, creative range demanded an exceptional and creative marketing support programme – and that’s what Greene King is delivering.
WONDER WALLS
Some high profile and visually striking examples of this fresh approach to marketing are visible in bricks and mortar around the country. Working with internationallyacclaimed artist Si Mitchell, Greene King has commissioned an extensive range of handdrawn, bespoke murals in venues across the country, from Norwich to Edinburgh.
A former World Illustration Champion, Si’s client list makes for impressive reading. Working for carbon-neutral experiential event services business We Are Brand New, he regularly works for everyone from bands like Green Day and McFly to global giants like Marvel, Star Wars and Disney.
More recently he has added Greene King to his roster and over the last year or so has been busily transforming pubs across Britain with arresting, brightly coloured huge-scale murals and artworks.
Every commission Si does for Greene King is unique, but the one thing they all have in common is prominent branding for the Greene King premium craft beer portfolio,
as can be seen from the photographs in this feature.
“It all started when someone senior at Greene King contacted me out of the blue and asked me if I would be interested in doing some high impact artwork for them in pubs and other venues around Britain,” says Si. “I was right up for it!”
So how does the process of doing a unique, hand-drawn mural of that scale work? Si explains: “In some ways it’s pretty complex but in others it’s really simple. First up, I look to do a site visit or two, just to see the lay of the land and what I’m looking at. I size up the challenges I’ll face and, for example, if there’s repairs needing done to the
brickwork or whatever, I’ll organise to have that sorted.
“Then I’ll have a bit of a brain-storming session with Greene King and with the venue owner, just to find out what sort of thing they’re after. I’ve been really lucky, actually, because I’ve just about been given carte blanche on every job I’ve done so far, which is really liberating. After that I’ll usually do some research on the area, the venue and so on, just to see if I can find anything to inspire me and trigger some ideas that are relevant and poignant for the specific venue I’m working on.”
With the groundwork done, it’s time to get down to the creative work. “With the measurements and photos I’ve taken I’ll then start bouncing some ideas around,” says Si. “That might be freehand on a piece of paper or it might be on the computer, just to get some rough ideas together.
If you take the mural I did at the Swan & Hedgehog in Ipswich, for example, I quickly discovered the venue is famous for music. In fact, Ed Sheeran has even played there, being a native of Ipswich. So that gave me the spark I needed.”
With his initial ideas in place he then consults once again with his clients and together they settle on a strategy.
“After that, it’s down to business!” laughs Si. “I usually take an assistant to help me on bigger jobs like this and we also have to organise things like high access equipment because the top half of the wall we were painting was very high off the ground.
“Everything I do is hand-drawn and all I use is spray paint and some hardwearing heavy emulsion. Nothing is printed or preprepared, it’s all by hand. It’s quite timeconsuming. At the Swan & Hedgehog, for instance, it took four days to do the whole thing and you’re entirely at the mercy of the weather. When it rains – and it rained a lot!
– I did the interior artworks and when it was decent weather I did the outside.
“One thing you might be able to see from the photographs is that, over the years, I’ve developed a way of preparing the surface that helps me make sure the final artwork is in exactly the right place and perfect. I basically write letters or words, often nonsensical ones, in a special pattern then when I get the spray paint out, I know exactly where I’m painting what. It looks weird and it complicated but it’s really not – and it works a treat.”
The end result, it seems uncontroversial to say, is breath-taking – but was the client happy with it?
“At the Swan & Hedgehog, I’d say so!” says Si. “I got big hugs and kisses and they seemed delighted. And, I have to say, everyone at the venue treated us so well during the visit. They were just lovely to us.”
And, critically, was Si happy with it?
“Absolutely! Over the moon. They had the courage to go for it so it’s ended up bright, brash and beautiful. It’s really neat and tidy and precise too, which I like.”
And it’s not just at the Swan & Hedgehog that Si has been working his magic. “I’ve done The Beehive Inn in Edinburgh, The Acorn in Barking and a load more – and I’ve got more in the pipeline,” he says.
“Every one is unique and done from scratch specifically for the venue and I think they really add something to the venue, which is fantastic. And the murals and artworks are also a great way of promoting Greene King’s premium craft beers range. It’s a unique range so I think it deserves some uniquely cool marketing materials!”
FESTIVAL FUN
Eye-catching murals are not, however, the only way that Greene King are pushing the boat out when it comes to spreading the word on the new premium craft beers range and driving awareness and trial on a mass scale.
Greene King’s events marketing team has been hectic over the last year attending key music, food and drink festivals which provides a brilliant opportunity to allow new consumers to try the range and, hopefully, become loyal fans. That will then have a knock-on effect in venues across Britain.
A great recent example is the Cambridge Club Festival in June which saw retro acts like Chaka Khan and Sister Sledge grace the stages with very modern performances, very much in line with the ethos of the premium craft beers themselves. Greene King was there in style with a dedicated bar and a wealth of creative marketing materials to make sure that the range was
unmissable. The bar also gave thousands of festival goers the opportunity to enjoy a taste of the beers in a positive environment.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Alex Radcliffe, Head of Marketing –Premium Beers, concludes: “Our premium craft beer range is truly unique and we are fully committed to helping our Free Trade customers generate additional sales and profits through the range.
“With such a creative and history-laden range, we have always felt it was appropriate to ensure that the nature of our marketing activities reflects the nature of the beers themselves.
“We are delighted with the progress we’re seeing on the range and distribution is growing by the week, as are sales. We would encourage all venues to give the range a try if they haven’t already. They are indeed legendary beers, centuries in the making.”
Hitting top gear in Moffat
The Buccleuch Hotel & Restaurant in Moffat has established itself as one of the top venues in Europe for motorcycle tourism, drawing leather-clad guests from far and wide.
Every venue needs its USP, particularly if the venue happens to be in a semi-rural location with a very limited local customer base – but it’s probably fair to say that very few venues have found a USP quite like The Buccleuch in Moffat: motorcycle tourism.
“It’s kind of weird because we didn’t actually set out to become a motorcycle tourism venue,” laughs Dave Smith, the owner of the striking 18th century Georgian hotel and restaurant.
“This is very much a family business and we are all mad-keen motorcyclists and we were very conscious of the fact that, when you’re on a long tour on a bike, you often don’t get a very warm welcome from hotels and restaurants that you visit. So we decided we should make The Buccleuch welcoming for bikers.”
To say that Dave and his family have succeeded in that aim is something of an understatement. The Buccleuch is quite literally famous across Europe among the
THE BUCCLEUCH
CUSTOMERDAVE SMITH
LOCATIONMOFFAT, DUMFRIESSHIRE
VENUE TYPEHOTEL & RESTAURANT
STAFF17
motorcycle touring fraternity and hardly a week goes by without a group arriving from Germany, Belgium, France or further afield.
“One of the odd things is that, when we go touring ourselves in Europe, we talk to so many bikers who know about the hotel – yet in Scotland hardly anyone knows about us!” says Dave. “Every motorcycling journalist in Europe knows about us, we’re famous in England yet we’re still largely unknown in Scotland.”
So how exactly do you go about luring motorcyclists to your hotel from thousands and thousands of miles away to a little town in Dumfriesshire?
“We look after them!” explains Dave. “We have been bikers ourselves since forever – I’m just back from a ride to the Pyrenees and I’m heading to Morrocco shortly – so we know what bikers want when they stay at a hotel and eat in a restaurant.
In the beer garden out back, we have a load of lockable metal bike containers where our customers can safely store their bikes and keep them out of the weather. We have a compressor for them to pump up their tyres, we offer free washing and cleaning materials from a special service station, we have all the lubes, oils, potions and lotions they need to keep their bikes in great shape for the next leg of their journey.”
And that’s only the beer garden. “All of the rooms in the hotel are unique and each has specially commissioned dramatic motorcycling photos on the wall. We also have a special room with huge maps of Scotland, England and Europe on the wall to
help our customers plan their journey. On a daily basis I’m printing off routes and offering advice on great routes to take, depending upon what each customer is looking for from their ride.
“The thing that most people don’t get is that, contrary to the popular misconception about bikers being rough and ready, they actually tend to be really civilised and polite and respectful and friendly. They’re also very restrained with the alcohol as they’re usually up and off early in the morning. The same can’t be said for parties of golfers, for instance, who tend to come and create havoc!”
It’s hardly a surprise then that the Buccleuch has become an international star of the motorcycle touring circuit. But it’s not just motorcyclists that keep Dave and his family busy. “We also get a lot of mountain bikers, road bikers and walkers,” he says, “and we also have a surprising number of eagle hunters who visit this area because we are in one of the few areas in Scotland where you can spot a golden eagle.”
What’s even more remarkable about all the success that Dave and his family are enjoying is the fact that it all started from almost literally nothing. “I arrived in the UK in 2004 after taking the decision to leave Zimbabwe as the country was crumbling. Zimbabwe had the highest inflation in the world, no foreign currency, the infrastructure was shattered, and the country was basically in freefall.
“At the time I had one daughter, Polly, at University in South Africa studying marketing and one son, Clint, at hospitality school in
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South Africa where he met his wife who was an apprentice chef. We called them to a family meeting and told them that their mum Jonesy and I felt like we had no choice but to leave. We didn’t expect them to come with us but by the end of the meeting, we had decided that it was one for all and all for one, so we all left together.”
Why Scotland? “Well, my wife is British and her father was a Scot, so we decided to start at the top of Britain and work our way down. We didn’t have enough money to even visit and scope it out, so we just arrived one day knowing nothing about the UK and had to get on with it. We had nothing. Well, that’s not quite true, I had £4,000 to my name. I had been a very successful entrepreneur
in Zimbabwe and was involved in a lot of different businesses and organisations. But when we left we weren’t allowed to take anything with us. So we arrived with just about nothing.”
The reason why the Smiths chose hospitality was pretty straightforward. “I had one son who had trained in hospitality, his wife who is a chef, another son trained in marketing and IT, my wife who has extensive admin experience, and me as the entrepreneurial one,” explains Dave.
Getting started, however, was a challenge. “We had no money, no pension, no property, no guarantors, nothing,” laughs Dave. “Hotel brokers wouldn’t touch us because we were penniless – so we did
the only thing we could and started visiting hotels that were for sale and tried to talk our way into a deal! We visited 66 different hotels before we found The Buccleuch. It was in pretty bad shape and had been on the market for three years.
“We persuaded the owner to give us a three-year lease by selling the idea to him that we would turn it around for him then he’d have something that he could actually sell and that had some value. And we said we would buy it from him ourselves as long as we pre-agreed the sale price before we took the lease on.”
As it turned out the family did a fantastic turnaround job on the venue and, after trading for two years, were able to present a decent enough set of accounts to the banks that allowed them to borrow money to buy the hotel outright.
“We had to borrow 100% of the value for the purchase and we also needed extra cash for investment in the building and even more money for cashflow. At that point our borrowings were at 170-180% of the value, so we were in deep,” says Dave. “And it was tough, really tough. It eventually took 10 to 15 years to clear the debt – and the recession in 2008 and 2009 didn’t help!”
An interesting twist to the story involves the Coachman Bar which is adjoined to the hotel. “We ran the Coachman ourselves for 17 years and it’s a traditional pub, but we were never really publicans – we’ve always been hoteliers,” explains Dave. “We were a bit schizophrenic in that sense because the mentality needed for running a pub is very different from that needed for running a hotel and restaurant.”
So in Jun 2019, Dave came to an arrangement with friends who had arrived from Zimbabwe whereby they would take over the running of the Coachman and then buy it from him when they could. “We gave them the money to get started and they just ran with it,” he says. “They’re much better publicans than we ever were and they drove big revenue increases, which is fantastic.” And, in December 2022, Heather and her wife Georgie duly bought the pub from Dave.
“It’s a great arrangement actually,” comments Dave. “It’s run as a separate business but we’re very close and we share a lot, including the beer garden at the back!”
Interestingly, Dave has been with Belhaven since day one. “That’s about the only thing the previous owner did right,” he laughs. “Roy
Knox is our SDM and has been since the beginning and he’s just a fantastic bloke. He’s been so helpful in so many ways and the relationship is great. He looks after us and we buy all of our beer from Belhaven, all of our soft drinks and a lot of our spirits.”
Belhaven Black, Belhaven Best, Level Head and Estrella Galicia all feature on the bar, as well as Buccleuch Eagle, a beer made by Belhaven for the hotel. The bar also features Bucc8 cask ale, another beer provided by Belhaven.
“We’re not a huge cask ale pub but we get enough demand to merit having it there permanently,” says Dave. “And we don’t have draught Guinness but pretty much everyone is happy to try
Belhaven Black instead and the response is invariably positive.”
The hotel also majors on wine, buying through specialist dealers and has been named Wine Hotel of the Year in the past. It seems that whatever Dave and family turn their hand to, they don’t do it in half measures. Indeed, the first-floor dining room features an array of industry awards for everything from training and wine to tourism.
The tale of The Buccleuch is a remarkable story of perseverance, courage, hard work and commitment – and all built around understanding customers and giving them what they want, and a lot more besides.
CELLAR SERVICES: WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY…
Efficient cellar management is vital for delivering beer to your guests in the best possible condition – and the Greene King Cellar Service team are committed to helping you do just that.
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY…
VENUE: BLYTH CRICKET & RUGBY CLUB
CUSTOMER: DAVID HUMES, BAR CHAIRMAN
“We had our cellar fully refitted around six months ago by Greene King. We had been with another supplier up until that point but it was far too expensive, ridiculously so. We spoke to them about it but there was nothing doing.
“So one night I was out in a local pub I got talking to the manageress, who I know, and I was telling her about my problems! She said she was with Greene King, she said they were great and she said we should give them a go.
“So we sorted out a visit from the SDM who was just fantastic. We had a good chat and, financially, it was simply a no-brainer.
“The Greene King Cellar Service team then came in a did a full top-tobottom refit of the cellar. They stripped out all the other supplier’s kit and installed their own and it looked and worked great.
“A few weeks later a technician came back out and tweaked the gases and we haven’t had a single issue since and that was, as I say, about six months ago.
“We now use Greene King as our main supplier and the transition has been really smooth. Our John Smith’s customers have moved over to 80 Shilling without a peep and it’s just gone so well. I’m delighted we made the move.”
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY…
VENUE: WHITELY BAY COMRADES CLUB CUSTOMER: GILL RUTTER, STEWARDESS
“We had previously been with another supplier and, to be perfectly honest, the cellar and even behind the bar was an utter shambles. The building is about 100 years old and I reckon the cellar had been exactly the way it was for at least 50 of those.
“We had endless problems and everything was broken and damaged. It was messy and it was unhygienic. I had spoken to the supplier on lots of occasions and, what did it in the end, was a call I had with them when I was telling them about the state of the cellar – and they laughed. I’m not joking, they actually laughed.
“Well, I didn’t laugh so I got hold of the SDM for Greene King and they came and had a look.
“The Cellar Service team came in and, within a day and half, had ripped it out entirely and replaced literally everything in the cellar and also sorted out the mess behind the bar. The team couldn’t have been nicer and they even explained exactly what they’d done to me, which I found interesting and very helpful.
“That was at the end of January and we’ve had not one problem since then. Everything is clean, hygienic, neat, tidy and efficient. We’re thrilled to bits.”
Range includes: Strawberry-Lime, Wild Berries, Mango-Raspberry, Passionfruit, Blood Orange and Peach-Raspberry.
Meet The Team: Paul Filby & Simon Heffer
GENTS, WHAT DOES A SENIOR LAB TECHNICIAN DO?
Paul: Essentially, it’s our job to make sure that every pint that leaves the brewery does so in absolutely perfect condition. Greene King’s entire reputation is built on fantastic quality beer and the team in the lab have the responsibility of upholding that reputation that has been painstakingly established over more than two centuries of brewing.
Simon: In our world, what that means is that we carry out more than 200 tests on our beers. Those range from simple ‘sight and taste’ tests through to extremely complicated analysis using extremely advanced technical machines and complex chemistry and biology.
This issue, we catch up with not one but two of Greene King’s Senior Lab Technicians who are responsible for carrying out more than 200 tests on our beers to ensure they leave the brewery in perfect condition.
SO, DOES THE LAB LOOK LIKE SPACE-AGE?
Paul: Indeed it does, and we even wear white lab coats! The lab was refitted a couple of years ago and it looks exactly the way you’d imagine a mad scientist’s lab to look! It’s very space-age with some very clever and very expensive machines and kit in it, all to help us consistently produce perfect pints.
CAN YOU GIVE US AN EXAMPLE?
Simon: Well, we have an atomic absorption spectrophotometer which is pretty smart. It can measure various metal elements found in beer to ensure our brewing processes are exactly right.
SIMON HEFFER
THAT SOUNDS PRETTY SPACE-AGE…
Paul: And we also have a new Particle Size Analyser. As the name suggests, it measures the size of particles within the beer and can help aid filtration of the beer. And we have a Hazemeter which is yellow and looks a bit like a ‘Minion’. In our traditional beers we want the liquid to be bright and crystal clear. But with some of our newer premium beers like Hazy Day and Prior Life, we expect to see a certain amount of haze in the beer because it was brewed to be that way. The Hazemeter allows us to measure the amount of haze extremely precisely and it works by shining coloured light through the beer and measuring diffraction levels.
OK, WE DID ASK…
Simon: But it’s not all high-tech kit. A lot of what we do is simple sight and taste tests. As a Senior Lab Technician, we are put through a very rigorous and extensive taste testing training programme to ensure that our palates are extremely developed. The final exam in the programme requires us to taste 12 different lager samples that have been ‘spiked’ with compounds found in beers. Some are desirable for beers and some are not. To pass and become and authorised taster you have to correctly identify nine of the 12’.
Paul: We use those tasting abilities and skills in detecting flavour volatiles regularly in the lab, however. We routinely do ‘3 Glass’ tests which are effectively blind tasting sessions where two drinks are the same and one is marginally different. We have to
ABOUT PAUL & SIMON
Paul Filby and Simon Heffer are both Senior Lab Technicians at Greene King and are part of the team that work a space-age laboratory and carry out more than 200 individual tests on our beer to make sure that, when it leaves the brewery, it is an in absolutely pristine condition. Paul has been with Greene King for over six years having previously worked as a lab technician analysing groundwater and mud samples (which he says is less exciting than beer!)! Simon has been with the company for around two years, having previously been Commercial Manager at Nethergate Brewery.
correctly identify them. We do this a lot, for example, when we try new recipes and, say, use different hops.
SO DOES THAT MEAN YOU WORK ON EXISTING AND NEW BEERS?
Paul: Absolutely. A lot of our work is on maintaining the quality of our existing portfolio but we also work on new beers that we’re trialling and testing. Some of what we do is around identifying and investigating problems with our beers. To be fair, it doesn’t happen very often but if we do have a problem with taste or head retention or haze or whatever, it’s our job to figure out what the problem is and fix it. We also work on process enhancement where we identify better and more efficient ways of doing what we already do.
THAT’S A LOT OF EFFORT TO MAKE BEER TASTE GOOD…
Simon: It is a huge amount of effort, time and investment, but as we said before, the quality of our beers is what our reputation as a brewer is built on. It’s our crown jewels – and we take the job of maintaining and enhancing that reputation very seriously indeed.
SO EVERY PINT LEAVES THE BREWERY PERFECT?
Paul: Yes, that’s our job! But beer can be a delicate product, particularly cask ale which is obviously a live product, so we
PAUL FILBY
“WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER AND WE RELY ON OUR VENUES JUST AS THEY RELY ON US. WE CAN NEVER FORGET THAT OUR GOAL IN LIFE IS TO POUR HAPPINESS INTO PEOPLE’S LIVES!”
rely on our venue operators to carry on where we left off by taking good care of our beers. Greene King provides training programmes for customers to help them equip them with the knowledge they need to ensure that every pint is in perfect condition when it ends up in the hands of a consumer.
Simon: At the end of the day, it’s not just our reputation that is on the line every time a venue sells one of our beers, the reputation of the venue is also on display. A poor quality beer will mean an unhappy customer and that affects everyone. We’re all in this together and we rely on our venues just as they rely on us. We can never forget that our goal in life is to pour happiness into people’s lives!
ARE YOU BOTH LOOKING FORWARD TO CASK ALE WEEK?
Paul: Definitely! Cask ale is particularly close to our hearts so it’s a great opportunity to bring some new customers into the wonderful world of cask ale. We typically see a spike in sales of cask that week so it’s doubly important that when customers try cask ale for the first time, it’s in absolutely pristine condition.
Simon: Unlike keg beer, cask ale doesn’t actually leave our brewery finished. It has to go through secondary fermentation in the cellar at the venue, a truly critical stage leading to a unique drinking experience that can’t be replicated at home. So I would urge everyone reading Value for Venues to take advantage of the opportunity cask ale presents and give it some real focus –and that obviously means ensuring the cask ale they are selling is perfect. Cask is a wonderful category and we want more customers to experience it in all its glory.
GET INTO THE SPIRIT
Liven up your drinks selection with the newest spirits and soft drinks listed at Belhaven and Greene King.
AU VODKA BLUE RASPBERRY 70CL
This sweet flavoured electric blue vodka has an ABV of 35.2% and comes in Au’s iconic metallic gold packaging, which can act to elevate your spirits display.
Au Vodka is distilled five times prior to filtration, where all carbonbased impurities are removed to create a truly premium spirit.
This variant can be served on the rocks, but also works well with lemon juice, sugar syrup and soda water to create a Blue Raspberry Fizz cocktail.
If you and your customers are feeling adventurous, then you could mix them up a Blue Brew, with equal parts Blue Raspberry vodka and pomegranate juice, plus maraschino syrup and freshly muddled blackberries.
AU VODKA PINK LEMONADE 70CL
With its gleaming gold bottle and exceptional taste, Au Pink Lemonade (35.2% ABV) combines five-times distilled vodka with lemons to create a refreshing beverage of the highest quality.
The pink liquid works well with rose wine and soda or lemonade to create a refreshing spritz. You could also use it to add a twist to a Cosmopolitan cocktail.
LUCOZADE ENERGY ORANGE & ORIGINAL 500ML
First launched in 1927 by chemist, William Hunter, as ‘Glucozade’, Lucozade Energy was used to replace lost energy through sickness and was used extensively throughout hospital wards and pharmacies in the years that followed.
These days, the drink helps to pep up just about anyone. The sparkling flavours of Lucozade Energy Original and Orange help to reduce tiredness thanks to their vitamin B3 content. These drinks also contain a good dose of glucose and caffeine to awaken the senses, providing the perfect pick-me-up to get consumers through the day.
LUCOZADE SPORT BLUE FORCE 500ML
Lucozade caused a tidal wave of excitement when it launched a series of blue flavours earlier this year. This exotic fruit flavoured isotonic drink provides carbohydrates and electrolytes to enhance hydration and help maintain performance during prolonged endurance exercise. Dubbed the “perfect performance partner”, a 500ml bottle of Lucozade Sport is packed with electrolytes and 32g of carbohydrates to help provide enhanced hydration.
OASIS SUMMER FRUITS CAN 330ML
Flavoured with strawberry, redcurrant and cherry juice, Oasis Summer Fruits is a fabulously fruity thirst quencher. Beloved by kids and adults alike, this bright red, still drink is bursting with personality and is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Previously only available in 500ml bottles, the drink is more appealing than ever before in a convenient can format.
DEL MAGUEY PUEBLA MEZCAL 70CL
This single village Mezcal has been made using artisanal methods in a state-of-the-art palenque, located at the foot of Popocatépetl volcano in Axocopan, Puebla in Mexico. Ripe agaves from the area are roasted underground, naturally fermented and twice distilled in small copper stills. The 40% ABV drink has bright fruit and floral notes, with a hint of green herbs, poblano peppers and roasted agave.
The producer describes this spirit as an invitation for the “explorador” taking their first mezcal steps. Mixed with sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters, it makes for a mean Manhattan.
DE KUYPER TRIPLE SEC 50CL
Created by distilling the dried peels of sweet and bitter oranges, and mixing the two flavours together, De Kuyper Triple Sec carries a full ABV of 40%.
This unique, orangeflavoured liqueur is the perfect partner for tequila if you’re customers like a Margarita.
Its distinctive taste saw the beverage pick up gold in the Citrus Fruit liqueurs category at the 2019 International Spirits Challenge.
MAKE YOUR WINE SALES SPARKLE
As we wave goodbye to summer and the cooler evenings approach, it’s time to revisit your sparkling wine selection and ensure you have the best range possible to capitalise on this cosy time of year.
There’s nothing like a bottle of fizz to celebrate a special occasion. Whether it’s a birthday, a leaving do, or a new job –everything feels elevated with sparkling wine. And these days even not-so-special occasions, such as a simple catch up with friends, can be reason enough to order a bottle or two. People really don’t need much of an excuse to crack open the bubbly and with the autumn weather setting in, people will be only too happy to cheer themselves with a glass of the good stuff. Here at Greene King we have a wide selection of sparkling wines to meet your customers’ every need.
Once upon a time, Champagne was the only sparkling wine to be seen with, but in more recent years, offerings from Italy and England have bubbled up the ranks. Champagne has been losing ground to alternative sparkling wine categories in Britain’s On Premise market over the past year, according to the latest
findings from CGA.
Prosecco continues to top the chart as Britain’s top sparkling wine category, thanks to its great taste and affordable price point. Champagne bubbles might last longer than frothier Prosecco, but the former’s sales have dipped as consumers watch their spending and look for alternatives that offer more bang for their buck.
Prosecco accounts for 72.1% of the total volume share and 59.3% of the value share for the combined Champagne & Sparkling Wine category, up 2.1% and 4.1pp respectively compared to the previous year [CGA]. Meanwhile, Champagne has seen total volume fall 14.3% and value decrease 29.8%, marking a considerable decrease of -2.9% and -5.2% respectively compared to 2022 [CGA].
However, it is crucial to bear in mind that Champagne remains the most valuable sparkling wine in the British On Premise market. The price of a bottle of Champagne has reached an average of £74.64. In contrast, Prosecco now averages £29.45 per bottle, according to CGA.
Your best bet is to ensure you have all bases covered by stocking wines at a range of price points and adopting a ‘good’, ‘better’, ‘best’ approach to ranging.
The Greene King range has a host of wines on offer, allowing you to choose the perfect fit for your individual customer base.
A great starter wine within English sparkling is Chapel Down A Touch of Sparkle. Aromas of pineapple, grapefruit, and elderflower characterise this crisp, refreshing drink, which goes well with grilled poultry.
Or for something more sophisticated, you can’t go wrong with the Kingscote English sparkling, which boasts fresh, yet subtle aromas of citrus fruits, green apple and gooseberry, supported by minerality and freshness.
FIZZY FACTS
Mionetto Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene DOCG offers a great opportunity for Prosecco fans to trade up with its velvety bubbles and fresh green apple flavours.
Or if you’re seeking a crowd-pleasing big brand, then Dom Perignon Vintage Champagne offers the very best of the best for those looking for true elegance.
If you need further assistance with choosing your range, remember to reach out to your Greene King SDM who will be happy to advise.
A significant 38% of consumers prioritise price when selecting a sparkling wine in the On Premise, surpassing considerations of quality (23%) or type (21%), states CGA. London still sees strong demand for Champagne, with its consumption accounting for a third of all sales, according to CGA data.
Pubs have increased volume share of Champagne by 1.1pp, finds CGA, while hotels have seen a 0.5pp increase. This compares favourably to restaurants, which have experienced a decline of -2.3pp, although this is partly due to a reduction in the number of outlets, notes CGA.
ENGLISH CLASS
While Champagne may be loosening its grip on the market as Prosecco panders to people’s pockets, consumers can’t seem to get enough of English sparkling wine.
Similar in taste to its Gallic cousin, English sparkling has been steadily gathering pace over the years.
WineGB’s latest data shows that total sales of English and Welsh wine continue to grow, with sales up 10% last year to reach 8.8m bottles. Within this, sparkling wine sales have risen 187% since 2018, from 2.2m bottles to 6.2m in 2023.
GOOD
464491
Giorgio & Gianni Spumante
464785
Italy | 10.5%
Gentle and delicate citrus fruit aromas with hints of honey on the nose. The palate is wellbalanced with flavours of citrus zest and green apple with a lovely crisp finish.
Chapel Down A Touch of Sparkle
326913
England | 12.5%
English sparkling is characterised by aromas of pineapple, grapefruit and elderflower, with tropical fruit and floral flavourings giving a crisp, refreshing finish on the palate.
Jacques Bardelot Brut Champagne
France | 12.5%
Delicate and discreet aromatics with a lively mousse and soft mouthfeel. A well-balanced Champagne with a delightful finish.
BETTER
464688
Realuna Prosecco Rosé
321784
Italy | 10.5%
An attractive soft salmon pink colour, light and refreshing with a summer fruits finish.
Prosecco Follador Cuvee Rosé
459021
Italy | 11.5%
Bright pink with fine bubbles showing strong nuances of apple, pear and apricot.
Kingscote Sparkling
010103
England | 11.5%
A fine and elegant sparkling wine offering fresh yet subtle aromas of citrus fruits, green apple and gooseberry, supported by minerality and freshness.
Bollinger Champagne
France | 12%
A bone-dry, full-bodied Champagne, crisp and fresh with a good mature flavour and longlasting mousse and aftertaste.
BEST
086525
Dom Perignon Vintage Champagne
421253
France | 12.5%
One of the flagship Champagnes, classic and beautiful elegance.
Mionetto Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene DOCG
Italy | 11%
Superiore Prosecco, full of gentle velvety bubbles and fresh green apple flavours.
464653 Alberto Nani Organic & Vegan Prosecco DOC
Italy | 10.5%
Pale straw yellow, bouquet intense, with floral notes. Harmonic taste with a mineral finish.
MIX IT UP FOR MARGIN!
It
doesn’t matter whether you want to go all out with shakers and muddlers, or simply stock a few ready-to-drink lines, everyone can benefit from getting involved in the colourful and growing cocktail category.
With Covid chaos, ingredients shortages, a staffing crisis and a failing economy, the UK cocktail industry – and indeed hospitality as a whole – has been well and truly shaken and stirred in the last four or five years.
But despite all of this – or perhaps because of it – demand for cocktails is huge. Britain’s cocktail market is now valued at an impressive £707m [CGA’s Mixed Drinks Report, Mar 2024], and with drinks boasting typical gross margins of 70% it remains a lucrative opportunity for venues to exploit.
As they seek out value-for-money serves, the cost-of-living crisis has seen many consumers veer towards safer, tried-and-trusted cocktails, according to the CGA by NIQ’s first-half Mixed Drinks Report. But the tide is starting to turn as while almost half of all drinkers (47%) prefer classic cocktails, this has declined 5% from a year ago. They haven’t abandoned the category, however, they’ve just changed what they’re looking for. The number of people preferring more innovative signature cocktails has risen 3% to 21% while 16% of customers are opting for modern cocktails, up 1%.
FAVOURITE COCKTAILS BY AGE
Age 25 and under
Martini
Cosmopolitan
Long Island Iced Tea
Ages 26 – 45
Mojito
Piña Colada 3. Long Island Iced Tea
Age 46 and over
Sex on the Beach
White Russian
SOURCE: FIZZBOX SURVEY 2023
CGA says interest in new cocktails is seeing consumers widen their tastes and they now have an average of 7.1 flavours and 4.6 cocktails in their standard repertoires, up 1% and 0.6% respectively.
These more experimental consumers are becoming increasingly confident about trying less familiar flavours. Consumption of smoky flavours has risen by 4% YOY, while interest in sour, creamy, coffee flavours and hot cocktails have all climbed by 3%.
What’s more, coconut-based flavours have rocketed 8% YOY, while lemon and vanilla are up 6%. Apple, pineapple, lime and cherry are among the other non-standard flavours on the rise. The research also shows that time of day comes into play as there is evidence to show consumers are open to drinking cocktails midweek and earlier in the day.
When it comes to in-venue theatre, the magic of a cocktail being created before a customer’s very eyes is clearly hard to beat. From the tantalising scent of freshly-combined fruit, mixers and spirits, to the vigorous shaking and the crushing of herbs and ice as various ingredients are muddled, witnessing a cocktail being made from scratch is a delight for the senses. It’s not right for every venue, of course, and it can be time-consuming, but in the right venue it’s a great way to elevate the experience.
There’s also the added element of being able to create bespoke drinks, tailoring the ingredients to a customer’s preferences, or surprising the more adventurous with a serve they’ve never tried before.
But skilling up a bartender to that level of expertise isn’t cheap and it can be expensive and demanding with courses lasting from a single day to several weeks.
What’s more, while extravagant cocktails
WHAT’S TRENDING?
Smoky flavours
Sour
Creamy
Coffee flavours
Hot cocktails
SOURCE: CGA BY NIQ’S FIRST-HALF MIXED DRINKS REPORT
are undoubtedly impressive, both in terms of taste and entertainment value, not every customer wants to wait five minutes while their drink is being prepared. And even if someone is happy to wait – the people in the queue behind them may not be.
EASY PEASY
But just because a full mixology experience isn’t suitable for every venue doesn’t mean that customers have to miss out on an engaging cocktail experience. There are ways to incorporate all the fun and excitement of cocktails without the wait or whimsy.
Developing a finely-tuned menu of cocktails with no more than five ingredients each means that all bar staff can take on the role of mixologist.
For example, for an Espresso Martini you only need to combine equal measures of
a coffee liqueur, vodka and espresso with ice and shake for around 20 seconds. Then pour your drink into a martini glass and add a few coffee beans for garnish. Simples.
A classic Dark N Stormy is equally untaxing. Fill a glass with ice and add ginger beer, leaving a space at the top. Squeeze in the juice from half a lime and pour in 50ml dark rum and there you have it.
Using fewer ingredients not only makes life easier for bar staff, it also means that you minimise your wastage, and cost.
Paying attention to seasonality is also important in the cocktail game. Adding an Autumnal cocktail at this time of year will add interest to your menu and limited edition serves might even be worthy of a premium price tag. You don’t need to spend hours racking your brains over what to create, just adding a simple
SIMPLE SERVES
CRANBERRY G&T
Ingredients:
50ml Bombay Sapphire
70ml Premium Tonic Water
30ml Cranberry Juice
Cubed ice
Lime Wedge to garnish
Cranberries to garnish
ESPRESSO MARTINI
Ingredients:
Ice cubes
25ml Vodka
25ml Coffee Liqueur
25ml Espresso
3 whole coffee beans to garnish
DARK N STORMY
Ingredients:
Ice cubes
50ml dark rum
Tablespoon of lime juice
Ginger beer to top
Lime to garnish
twist to an existing popular serve can do the trick. For example, you could offer a Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martini around Halloween, simply by adding a dash of pumpkin syrup to your base recipe.
Or if you already serve a summer spritz with gin, tonic and elderflower, you could swap out the latter for cranberry juice to create a more Autumnal vibe.
Whether or not to incorporate premium spirits into your cocktails is also a key consideration. For example, will your Gin Spritz feature Bombay Sapphire or perhaps Whitley Neill? Customers may well be attracted to the draw of well known names, and be happy to pay a little more for what they deem to be a higher quality drink. A third of cocktail consumers (33%) say a highquality taste is the key way to decide if a brand is premium, while roughly one in eight consumers are influenced by factors like glassware, bottle design and endorsements by staff, shows CGA research.
One solution offering zero prep time and big brands is Diageo’s On Tap Cocktails, available to order from Greene King. Featuring a choice of Smirnoff Espresso Martini and Passionfruit Martini, Captain Morgan Strawberry Daiquiri and Gordon’s Pink Martini brands, each 10l bag-in-box offers 80 serves. The draught system is able to create six cocktails in the time it takes to make one by hand, which could be a game changer for high
volume venues.
Another option if you don’t have the time or inclination to get mixed up in making cocktails, but still want to give customers a good time, is RTDs. Greene King has just started stocking 1.5l party box cocktails from The Drinks Bureau. Available in Passion Fruit Martini, Strawberry Daquiri, Lychee Martini, Spicy Margarita and Espresso Martini, the drinks have a 10% ABV and each box contains 10 servings.
Tails Cocktails from Bacardi are another pre-mixed option, with each 1l bottle serving up 8 glasses. The range comprises Passion Fruit Martini, Espresso Martini, Pina Colada and Classic Mojito.
Or if you want to put on a bit of show, but don’t want the faff of all the different ingredients, then Funkin prebatch cocktails, which can be ordered through Greene King, could strike a happy medium. Its 1l cocktail mixers come in Passionfruit Martini, Pina Colada, Strawberry Daquiri and Zombie variants and all you need to do is add the appropriate spirit to complete the drink.
Whether you’re ready to brave making your own concoctions, or simply want to branch out with a few pre-mixes, capitalising on the cocktail market is definitely a great opportunity to infuse some energy into your drinks menu and encourage customers to trade up.
CUT OUT THIS POSTER AND DISPLAY IT IN YOUR VENUE! Turn the page to find out more and order an Invisible Pint pump clip!
The InvisiblePint in aid of
As well as a real pint, why not buy our Invisible Pint, where your full donation will go to Macmillan and help those affected by Cancer? It’s the best pint you’ll never have!
SCAN THE QR CODE TO DONATE! *
HELPING TO RAISE THE BAR WITH OUR CHARITY PARTNER!
Greene King Free Trade customers have helped raise more than £3,600 so far this year for Macmillan Cancer Support – and our Invisible Pint initiative provides a great way for your customers to help support the charity too.
Our amazing Greene King customers, aka you, have helped us raise an awesome £3,600 year to date in support of our charity partner Macmillan Cancer Support. We cannot thank you enough as every penny goes to making a difference to someone struggling with cancer; so we are not the only ones who appreciate your support.
This year Greene King Brewery are on a mission to raise £100,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support and our team members are busy running, walking, cycling, baking and eating to achieve this. However, to help support our fundraising we have come up with the idea of “THE INVISIBLE PINT” as a way for your customers to help support Macmillan Cancer Support too.
All they need to do is to scan the QR code on the pump clip (shown here) or the poster over-leaf (cut it out and pin it up) with the
camera on their phone and they can choose a donation amount to be paid via the payment method on their phone (e.g Apple Pay).
So, if you have an unused pump on the bar then you can order the pump clip via our online platform (greenekingorders.co.uk/ Sundries & Point of Sale) or via our Customer Sales (0345 600 1799) and it will be delivered alongside your next beer & drinks delivery. The pump clip code to order is 231607.
If this is not an option, then over the page is a poster that can be cut out and put up near the bar or in the bathrooms maybe!
PLEASE CONTINUE TO HELP AND SUPPORT US WITH OUR FUNDRAISING MISSION IN AID OF MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT. WE MASSIVELY APPRECIATE YOUR HELP.
