Inapub magazine may 2018 issue 76

inapub

Issue 76 May 2018 ÂŁ4.95 trade.inapub.co.uk

How to make your pub a World Cup winner p01 cover.indd 1

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eineken’s recent Green Paper report (the “most extensive” piece of category research undertaken by the brewer to date), delivered a sobering insight, if you’ll excuse the pun.“The decline in on-trade occasions is not being picked up in the off-trade,” it concluded.

“People are just socialising less.”

The data showed “on-trade occasions” – by which they mean people going out – have declined 10 per cent over 10 years, so it’s no surprise that one of Heineken’s new six key growth drivers is based on giving people reasons to get together. In pubs, that means creating a calendar of occasions. That might include some around big shared events, such as sporting moments – which explains rather neatly why we’ve chosen to dedicate almost an entire issue to the matter of the upcoming World Cup. We’ve got advice from the best in the business; a run-down of must-stock lagers, menu ideas, and a look at what screens are available to give your pub the edge over the competition. No one knows how far England will get this June, but if you make sure you give your customers good enough reasons to watch the tournament in your pub, at least you’ll be a World Cup winner.

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this month World Cup tips • Craft beer in the country

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drink Lagers for the World Cup • Summer drinks

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eat Chips and small plates • Bar snacks

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play Screens for sport• Cricket

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back-bar business How to make TripAdvisor work for you

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time at the bar Pubs to watch other nations in

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An AA inspector shares what he’s looking for

Find these foxes in the mag and win £200-worth of Red Letter Day experience vouchers

Editor Robyn Black 07909 251 231 • robynb@inapub.co.uk

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Multimedia journalist James Evison 07884 868 365 • james@inapub.co.uk

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Contributors Matt Eley, Richard Molloy

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Production editor Ben Thrush 07810 620 169 • ben@inapub.co.uk

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Chief executive Barrie Poulter 07908 144 337 • barrie@inapub.co.uk

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BARSTOOL EXPERT all you ever needed to know about THE WORLD CUP It’s all kicking off in Russia, then.

Oh no, what’s happened now? I didn’t think Anglo-Russian relations could get much worse.

No, I mean the World Cup. Not long now till the month-long football extravaganza starting on June 14, featuring 32 nations, that comes along once every four years to the delight of the licensed trade and fans of the beautiful game.

Bit of information overload, but yes, I know the one. Will you be watching it?

Naturally, me and 3.2 billion other people.

Hopefully they don’t all come to the pub at the same time.

True. That’s a lot of people nursing a pint for each half. Still, England are looking half-decent again.

Please. Don’t get your hopes up.

Come on. We’ve got one of the most prolific strikers in the world, a bold young manager who has implemented a new system playing to our strengths, pace, youth and several players who have been learning their trade from the football master, Pep Guardiola.

You don’t honestly think they’ve got a chance, do you?

Yes. Of getting out of the group.

Well, that would be a bonus.

Most pubs are only planning on three England games, due to recent tournament disasters. Remember Iceland?

Who could forget? At least the Three Lions are going to be there. Unless there’s another diplomatic disaster between now and then…

Stop it. We need some positive thinking here.

Like Uri Geller helping the nation cure David Beckham’s broken metatarsal? I suppose the games are on at decent times at least.

Kick-offs are all in the afternoon or early evening. Perfect for pubs. It should only be good for trade. There you go, that wasn’t so difficult was it?

Neither is a group game against Panama, but things never seem to go to plan. I just hope it passes without any trouble.

Don’t we all.

At least the next World Cup in 2022 will be held somewhere much more sensible, won’t it? Remind me, where is it again?

Qatar.

Win the World Cup: It’s all about getting the right team. Make sure your squad know their roles inside-out so they are ready for when match day comes along. Your experience as the gaffer should help you cope when things don’t go to plan. Don’t lose your head. Or the remote.

Group stage exit: Don’t bank on England going deep into the tournament. Make more of non-England games by theming your menu, forging links with fans from other nations and by running a good old sweepstake. Or simply transform into a German theme bar for the month.

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IN THE TRADE THIS MONTH ’spoons causes a stir quitting social media JD Wetherspoon caused a media storm with its decision to abandon all social media last month. The Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for all of its 900 pubs, as well as the corporate account, were shut down in a move its chairman, Tim Martin, said was “going against conventional wisdom that these platforms are a vital component of a successful business”.

Trade bodies back bottle deposit plans

TOP STORIES ON TRADE.INAPUB.CO.UK Are you ready for new laws on acrylamide?

Big push for sleeping giant Tetleys Independent pubs must stay on social media despite Wetherspoons’ decision.

Pub trade bodies were united in their reaction to the government’s proposal of a bottle deposit scheme. The British Beer and Pub Association, UKHospitality and the Society of Independent Brewers all welcomed the move to reduce waste but asked for the industry not to be disproportionately burdened with extra costs.

C&C steps in to keep Conviviality going Drinks wholesaler Conviviality hit the buffers due to an “accounting error” and an undisclosed £30m tax bill.

Magner’s owner C&C Group has since acquired the business, however — which includes Matthew Clark and Bibendum — and announced it will be “business as usual” for the retailer, saving 2,000 jobs.

Britain’s bedrooms kept busy last summer The net occupancy rate of bedrooms in the UK reached a record high of 83.4 per cent last summer, according to stats from ReportLinker, which said the results showed the UK’s tourism industry is “still booming” as international visitors show no signs of shying away despite Brexit.

Storm in a teacup over pub’s locally themed afternoon tea

Logan Rocks it at charity pub awards The Logan Rock Inn in Treen, Cornwall, has been named as the first Charity Pub of the Year, after 35 years of fundraising by licensees Anita and Peter George (pictured, second and fourth from left, accepting their award).

Sponsored cycle rides, quizzes and a welly-throwing competition every Boxing Day all raise money for a range of local and national charities. The pub also hosts visits from underprivileged children from London, delivers newspapers to Treen’s elderly residents and organises a local litter pick.

“We’re delighted to have won this award and grateful to our fantastic team of staff and customers,” Peter said.

The award has been created by PubAid and the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group to celebrate pubs’ charity efforts.

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THE WAY I SEE IT DES O’FLANAGAN

TWEET ALL ABOUT IT

The charity work pubs do needs celebrating

Last month JD Wetherspoon announced it was closing all its social media accounts. What did the publicans of Twitter make of the chain’s decision?

Pubs in the UK raise more than £100m for charity every year. Spotlighting this valuable contribution to society made by pubs was the reason we formed PubAid in 2009.

We have just named the first Charity Fundraising Pub of the Year in a new award scheme organised with the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group (see below left). We received 69 entries from pubs across the country, all of them doing outstanding work in support of charities. Whittling them down to a shortlist of eight and then choosing a winner was a challenge for our judges.

Our winning pub, The Logan Rock Inn in Treen, near Penzance, raises money for national and local charities through a raft of fundraising activities — including an annual welly throw — as well as supporting its local community in other ways. In short, the pub is everything a great community pub should be.

Pubs like The Logan Rock and the others on our shortlist give us the great stories we need to tell to consumers, MPs, the media and others. We’re delighted to see that nine years after starting PubAid, we are seeing a shift in the public perception of pubs. Media coverage, which used to focus on binge drinking and social disorder, now also recognises pubs can be a force for good.

We still have work to do, but it’s good to see the tide turning, and we know we can rely on thousands of hardworking, public-spirited licensees across the country to provide us with good news stories about their pub’s support for its local community.

Here at the Oak we like taking pictures of pints and our fire to make you all jealous! @landlordcasey The one part of the Wetherspoons decision I agree with is that if you are terrible at something, you may as well not bother. @TheAlexSW19 This is called shooting yourself in the foot. @binashah Might be right for that business. Radical for certain. @mcmoop Makes sense to ditch local accounts tbh. Head office decision is interesting. @JayMeW

FIND THE FOXES Count how many of these Old Speckled Hen foxes are scampering through the pages of this magazine and win £200-worth of Red Letter Day vouchers to #SeekARicherLife courtesy of Greene King. For your chance to win, email the total number of foxes to oldspeckledhen@inapub.co.uk by May 31.

For T&Cs see the March issue or trade.inapub.co.uk

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Des O’Flanagan is co-founder of PubAid, the group dedicated to highlighting UK pub fundraising

Hospitality workers admit to looking for a new job in a bid to alleviate stress Perkbox survey of 3,000 workers

Find us online every month at trade.inapub.co.uk @inapub

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Accolade Wines 50cl bottles

Country Range retro puds

We all love a bit of retro – ’60s psychedelia, ’70s disco, ’80s power ballads. Now Country Range is taking it back to the old school with its new dessert selection.

Summer fruit & elderflower gateau, a carrot cake roulade, a chocolate chip cookie stack, and an orange and mascarpone torte. You’ll be all set to party like it’s 1979. hello@countryrange.co.uk

Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light

For customers wanting a premium drinking experience but a no-frills waistline, Fever-Tree has unveiled its range of low-calorie mixers just in time for the swimsuit season. Two years in development, the range maintains the commitment to quality ingredients found in the drinks maker’s regular mixers, but with less than five grams of sugar per 100ml. Mediterranean Tonic, Elderflower Tonic, Aromatic Tonic and Lemon Tonic sit alongside Ginger Ale and Madagascan Cola. www.fever-tree.com

Shall we get a bottle? That decision has just been made a bit easier with Accolade Wines’ launch of a range of wines in 50cl bottles. Catering to the drinking public’s increasing appetite for moderation, the bottles are intended to provide just enough for two, which Accolade hopes will grow the midweek occasion. www.accolade-wines.com

Stuff

What’s new in the pub this month

Stowford Press Mixed Berries

Berry flavours are continuing to drive growth in the cider category, with sales up 41 per cent year on year (CGA). Even teetotallers can get in on the act, but there’s no denying there are a few of us who still like a drop of booze in our summer cider. With this in mind, Stowford Press has unveied Mixed Berries as a premimum mainstream offering, and is confident pub gardens will be filled with customers getting fruity this summer www-westons-cider.co.uk

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Funnybones Charcoal burger buns

Burgers emerging from the kitchen in blackened buns would traditionally have been met with black looks from customers. But these are no burnt baps –they’re charcoal-infused brioche buns, which deliver a slightly smoky flavour along with reputed health benefits that have seen the charcoal food trend take off in the US. 01707 321 321

Old Mout

Cider season is upon us, and Kiwi brand Old Mout is celebrating with the launch of its first alcohol-free cider, Berries and Cherries Alcohol Free. Research has shown 15 per cent more punters would go to the pub if they could grab a non-alcoholic drink, and 50 per cent want to moderate their booze consumption. The launch could be berry good news for pubs hoping tap into this trend. consumercare@oldmoutcider.co.uk

Big Al’s World Cup Winner

Modern professional footballers might have to subsist on a diet of pasta salad, but for those on the other side of the screen, there’s no accompaniment to the game more beautiful than a pint in one hand and a burger in the other. Loaded with lettuce, onion, tomato and mayo, these will be perfect to serve when your whole pub’s on its feet this summer. The company is also offering publicans World Cup sharing platters, menu cards and wall planners. For more on hand-held football foodstuffs, see pages 39-41 www.bigalsfoodservice.co.uk

Guinness Open Gate Citra IPA

No longer content with simply dominating the stout category, Guinness continues its advance into other styles of beer. Having established a foothold in lager with Hop House 13, the brewer has set its sights on the craft scene, adding this five per cent ABV release to its “gateway range” introducing drinkers to the world of craft beer with the reassurance of a mainstream brand. Look out too, for Guinness’s new Harp font, to our knowledge the first piece of dispense hardware to be shaped like a musical instrument.

020 8978 6000

WKD Mango Crush

It might sound like a partcularly painful wrestling move, but the WKD Mango Crush is in fact a fruity concoction being launched just in time to make sunny pub gardens feel like tropical paradise. Available in 275ml PET and glass bottles, along with Lemon & Lime and Blueberry & Elderflower variants, the launch will receive promotional support targeting those lovers of any green space: students.

01452 378 500

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Tips for the TOURNAMENT

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Nothing brings the nation together like a World Cup – but how can you make your pub the place where scores of fans huddle to celebrate wildly or sob sadly into their pints? We asked the experts for their World Cup businessbuilding tips and for some goose-bump-inducing memories of tournaments gone by.

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Position Left back and owner of Game On Sports Lounge in Totton, Southampton World Cup memory Gazza’s Tears at Italia ’90. As a 14-year-old boy I couldn’t get why the tears happened – public sign of emotion from a man!

World Cup tip Start selling your World Cup sweepstakes early and ensure the draw is made on a quiet night. It’s a sure-fire way of getting punters in for a few beers to see who they get.

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Position Owner of Ingate Free House, Beccles, Suffolk World Cup memory Best memory is the excitement and apprehension of everyone, all wanting to feel that unity, just hoping for that historical euphoric moment of the game!

World Cup tip Our pub this year will create the atmosphere of the ‘live’ game. Flags of all participating countries outside the pub adorning the walls and when they score we have someone on the drum and a whole heap of football songs leading up to the game.

Televisions outside and food stalls. No one will miss it.

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Position Marketing executive at Stonegate World Cup memory The day Germany beat Brazil 7-1 in the semi-finals of 2014, in BRAZIL of all places. Surely the biggest humiliation in the history of Brazilian football?

– it gave us some small comfort as England fans after an awful campaign that “at least that wasn’t us”.

World Cup tip For me, it’s got to be atmosphere – and this is all built from different components. The main ones we look at are zoning and furniture, volume and music, and lighting. If those aren’t just right, you’ll be left with customers feeling switched off, uninterested, and possibly even looking for somewhere better to watch next time.

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Position Gaffer at The Firbank in Manchester World Cup memory World Cup 2002 in Japan. There were early morning and afternoon kick-offs, which were unbelievably busy. We ran our “don’t miss a game campaign” we’ll phone in sick for you. We had lots of calls to make for England v Brazil and a 6am opening.

World Cup tip VIP Seats, lots of table service, outdoor screens and adopt another team, just in case!

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KEY WORLD CUP DATES THURSDAY JUNE 14 Opening ceremony / Russia v Saudi Arabia

4pm ITV

MONDAY JUNE 18 England v Tunisia

7pm BBC

SUNDAY JUNE 24 England v Panama

1pm BBC

THURSDAY JUNE 28 England v Belgium

7pm ITV

TUESDAY JULY 10 Semi-final 1

7pm ITV

WEDNESDAY JULY 11 Semi-final 2

7pm BBC

SUNDAY JULY 15 WORLD CUP FINAL

4pm BBC/ITV

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Position Guv’nor at The Murderers, Norwich World Cup memory The 1990 World Cup semi-final: England v West Germany – The ‘Gazza’ game! The atmosphere was electric. In those days, the pub had two screens, but we put up another three! The pub was full and the noise like nothing else I’ve heard before or since.

World Cup tip We have worked closely this year with the University of East Anglia international students. There is a large community of foreign students who we have seen coming into the pub to watch La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga etc. We have encouraged them to watch their national teams play in the World Cup. Hopefully, this will mean that we have a captive audience for not just the England games, but the home nations of the students as well.

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Position Marketing Controller at Sky Business World Cup memory As an Englishman, my abiding World Cup memory is… penalty shootout drama. This year must be our year!?

World Cup tip Make the most of social media channels such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep customers up-to-date with what’s on – you can find free downloadable social media assets advertising a combination of Fifa World Cup and Sky Sports content on MySkySports.com

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Position Player/Coach at The Cat & Wickets Pub Co. World Cup memory So many (good and bad!). I have to go for Italia ’90 – that David Platt goal against Belgium, Lineker’s two pens against Cameroon, Gazza’s tears and the fact that we came so, so close to winning it!

World Cup tip Try to keep people in the pub after the full-time whistle to celebrate or commiserate. People tend to drift off once the game has finished, so have an incentive for people to stay at your venue...live music, sports quiz etc. Tap into your brands for World Cuprelated prizes.

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Position Boss at The Wonston Arms in Winchester World Cup memory Watching the World Cup in July 2010 in a Spanish bar in Fuerteventura with my wife. I watched Spain beat Netherlands to win the World Cup. It went mental, the owner gave free beer away and we had an amazing night around the town with the locals celebrating! It was like a carnival.

World Cup tip I’m going to do a deep-cut offer off a pint till the first goal, say half-price beer. We will also have the Wonston sweepstake during the World Cup.

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Position Boss at BT Sport Business World Cup memory Back in 1986, for some reason we decided to do a mixed-sex three-legged pub crawl, so you were tied to someone for the entire night. We went to several pubs to watch England v Paraguay. It wasn’t so easy then to find pubs showing the game. It was more like a TV on the end of the bar than a big pull-down screen.

World Cup tip If you haven’t started, plan what you are doing now and get your communications going, because it will be here before you know it. Also, think beyond the England games. In the first week Spain play Portugal on a Friday night (June 15) a great opportunity for pubs.

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BEST ENJOYED AT -18°C

Position Gaffer at Batemans Brewery World Cup memory Woolpack, Wainfleet, 14 years old: 1974 Jan Tomaszewski, Poland Goalkeeper, called “a circus clown in gloves” by Brian Clough, broke my heart when he single-handedly knocked England out of the World Cup qualifiers at Wembley, ably assisted by Martin Chivers.

World Cup tip Advertise the games well in advance, sell tickets for the best seats for charity and ALWAYS sell beer by the jug or offer waitress/waiter service.

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Position Partner at Wadworth’s Bell by the Green, Devizes World Cup memory We didn’t think we would have much success with the early kick-offs with the World Cup in 2002 (South Korea and Japan). We didn’t do food at that pub but we had a friend’s food shack outside and they were queuing at 5.30am. We had people outside looking in because we were so packed.

World Cup tip When England go out, we usually pick another team out of the hat and get behind them for the rest of the tournament.

PR ST to the perfect line up

be the Meister

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• MAXIMISE SALES, over 6x the sales uplift of spirits during euro 2016* (13% v 2.1%) • on average over 3 shots bought per occasion by 18-35 yr olds**

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* CGA data June / July 2016 v prior year ** Jagermeister / TNS U&A

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FAMOUS FOR CRAFT IN THE COUNTRY

James Evison pays a visit to SIBA’s rural craft beer champion

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I think we are promoting craft beer to a neutral crowd.

It’s nice when someone comes in and says ‘I’ll have a pint of lager’ and then ‘hang on, what’s that tap?’

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The Cove Café Bar was recently crowned the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) best craft beer pub (rural) in association with Inapub. So what was it that made Toby Robinson and Shelley Robinson-Major’s (occasionally) sleepy Devon site a winner?

Toby and Shelley aren’t locals. Originally from Crewe, Shelley was an estate agent and Toby ran a live music venue. Like many young families, they were looking for a different way of life. Hope Cove certainly provides such a gearshift. It is an idyllic coastal inlet with a sandy beach and is as far from a post-industrial city as you can get.

The first building you see on entering the seafront village isn’t The Cove Bar, though.

It is St Austell’s enormous Hope & Anchor.

Incredibly, this tiny village now hosts a SIBA award-winning pub and the flagship site of one the UK’s largest regional breweries. This tells you a lot about the quality of Toby and Shelley’s offer before you’ve even entered.

Before they took over The Cove in 2014, Toby explains,“it was a high-end restaurant but extremely small, run by an old couple. Previous incarnations included a tearoom. It was very much ‘the other place’, open seasonally, next door to the St Austell pub.”

The first thing to do was simply to make its mark.“It was glaring from the start we needed to do something really different,” Toby says. “Everywhere in Devon is about the Cornwall market and Tribute (St Austell’s signature ale), so it was a conscious thing.

“We’re in Devon, so let’s do Devon. Let’s look at local breweries to build a platform on, and craft beer was always on the mind.

And besides, I’m a big craft beer fan. If you are passionate about something, it is very easy to sell it.”

When The Cove first opened, it didn’t do any cask at all, just keg. Then it started serving by gravity, using fresh beer from the best local breweries, especially Otter, which the Cove has a close relationship with, and Toby describes as the best brewery in Devon.

He says: “We were rotating the guests on the three pumps we had. In fact, on all the taps we change every cask and keg.

It’s never the same. We might bring the odd beer back, if it’s been popular.”

Casting the net wider

In the early days, Toby used a single distributor, but as he learned more about the market, he wanted to bring in a wider range.

“Now it is personal choice and research,” he says. “We have only the most exciting beers on. In the South West, we have to be the best. Cloudwater, Garage, Beavertown, Northern Monk. I love selling it.”

“The strong Double IPAs are pretty popular, and they make a statement, particularly in this neck of the woods, because of the high ABV. It automatically pings eyes open.”

There are two bar spaces – one downstairs, alongside the food offer, and one upstairs, which is exclusively wet. He says: “It was a conscious thing to say ‘we want to do good food, so let’s keep that downstairs’, and it was nice to have somewhere in the South Hams that was concentrating on just being a really good bar.

“Not everyone wants to go and eat – it is so foodie round here.”

They chose to not have a back tap wall on either bar, as he explains: “Some of the branding is so good, like with Beavertown; why waste it with a chalkboard list? I don’t get it. We put the fonts front and centre.”

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The Cove café bar, And where does he go from here? Toby takes winning the award seriously, and says he uses the “Spider-Man line” of “with great power, comes great responsibility”. He plans to post a series of articles on beer on the pub’s website and on boards around the venue.

“Craft beer is predominately sold in places set up to sell just that. It is almost like going into a library to get a book. And as much as I like that, I think you are preaching to the converted. And if you tried a specialist craft beer shop in Hope Cove, that was never going to work.

“In terms of what we do, I think we are promoting craft beer to a neutral crowd. We combine it with live music, live sport, and food. Why alienate somebody? I’m passionate about actively promoting craft beer to people that don’t normally see it.

“It’s just basics, but it’s nice when someone comes in and says ‘I’ll have a pint of lager’ and then ‘hang on, what’s that tap?’

You give them a try, and, as long as you have staff happy to talk about beer, people are getting into it that wouldn’t normally find it. And I think for that we are a bit different to other places. And that’s a good thing.”

It certainly is.

Hope Cove, Devon Interesting fact: You don’t need a big cellar to win a SIBA award. The Cove is cellarless.

Signature dish: seafood platter with salt and pepper squid, smoked mackerel pâté and Vietnamese style fish cake.

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RICHARD MOLLOY Pub entertainment: such a varied and curious phenomenon that sees no sign of abating in the current climate of competition and decline. Gone are the days of a bloke on a piano leading a drunken, ale-slopping sing-a-long of a Sunday evening. No more is the club crooner the king of Friday nights.

Those days went even before the extractor fan became redundant and the smoke cleared. The entertainment fad emerged as the drinkers began to dwindle.

It started with karaoke. At some point in the late ’80s, someone, somewhere decided that the Japanese were the ones to consult when it came to English pubs and we all needed to endure full-time mums singing about working nine to five in a fake Deep South drawl and hear fat old men crucify Sinatra six times a night. “You didn’t do it your way mate, you did it the same fucking way as that other pissed bloke 20 minutes ago. Drink up, lads. We’re off!”

A few years later somebody invented Bar-Fly Jumping. Remember that? If you don’t, just take a minute and think about what could be the most appealing thing that you can do, pissed up, in a pub car park that doesn’t involve the exchange of bodily fluids and a watertight alibi.

If you come up with donning a Velcrostriped jump suit then running at, and jumping on, a small trampoline before somersaulting and sticking upside-down to an upturned bouncy-castle, then give yourself a pat on the back. Or, alternatively, go and smash your head against a wall and never come up with an idea again, as the person who invented this bizarre and, quite frankly, stupid craze should have done.

For about five months in the mid-90s you could barely take a sip of your summer snakebite without some drunken plumber flipping through your field of vision looking like some kind of catapulted Tellytubby.

It didn’t last. How could it?

Wii nights. They were a riot, weren’t they?

I mean, what more could you ask than to

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In the late ’80s, someone decided the Japanese were the ones to consult on English pubs and we all had to hear fat old men crucify Sinatra six times a night Richard Molloy is director of four-strong pubco White Rose Taverns and the microbrewery Platform Five. Read more of his work on trade.inapub.co.uk

walk into your local and see a couple of bell-ends shaking remote controls at a big screen pretending to be ten pin bowling?

Just go ten pin bowling, you absolute failures. This is not fun for anyone.

It didn’t last. How could it?

There’s always been the pub quiz. A quaint tradition consisting of a bloke with a pipe shouting out 20 questions and the team with the most correct answers winning.

Simple. Effective. Surely this would last?

Yes and no.

Now you have to look at a big screen and answer picture rounds, music rounds, logo rounds, anagram rounds… the whole thing lasts approximately seven hours and the team who’s most adept at cheating on their mobiles wins. So now there’s quizzes that you play in the pub on your mobile. They call them “interactive”. You heard right; encouraging people to spend more time staring at their phones is called being interactive.

It won’t last. How can it?

So now, someone, somewhere is trying to invent the next pub fad. I shudder to think what it will be, but it will probably involve drones or virtual reality glasses or fucking hover boards. Whatever it is, I want no part of it. Just get me a decent beer, a good band and rid me of those idiots that need all this bollocks to have a good time.

Cheers.

trade.inapub.co.uk 21/04/2018 08:40

SEEK A RICHER LIFE Exciting new TV campaign Distinctive new premium point of sale From the UK’s No.1 Premium Ale*

*CGA Brand Index MAT to 2/12/2017 & Nielsen Scantrack MAT to 27/1/2018

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26/02/2018 00:59

National Independent

Beer Award

Winners 2018 SIBA, the Society of Independent Brewers, represents more than 835 British craft breweries.

Here are the winners from their National Independent Beer Awards, which were judged at BeerX on 15th March in Liverpool. All SIBA members abide by SIBA’s Food Safety & Quality standard.

Cask OVERALL CHAMPION OF THE CASK COMPETITION

CASK CHAMPION STRONG BITTERS & PALE ALES

G Gold Wolf Brewery Sirius Dog Star Norfolk 4.4% wolfbrewery.com 01953 457775

G Gold Oakham Ales Green Devil IPA Cambridgeshire 6.0% oakhamales.com 01733 370500

S Silver Oakham Ales Green Devil IPA Cambridgeshire 6.0% oakhamales.com 01733 370500

S Silver Rooster’s Brewery Ltd Baby-Faced Assassin North Yorkshire 6.1% roosters.co.uk 01423 865959

B Bronze Bedlam Brewery Ltd Porter West Sussex 5.0% bedlambrewery.co.uk 01273 978015

B Bronze Cairngorm Brewery Wildcat Inverness-shire 5.1% cairngormbrewery.com 01479 812222

CASK CHAMPION STANDARD MILD ALES & BROWN ALES

CASK CHAMPION PREMIUM STRONG BEERS

G Gold Wolf Brewery Sirius Dog Star Norfolk 4.4% wolfbrewery.com 01953 457775

G Gold Big Smoke Brew Co The Judge DIPA London 8.5% bigsmokebrew.co.uk 020 8339 9721

S Silver Langham Brewery Triple XXX West Sussex 4.4% langhambrewery.co.uk 01798 860861

S Silver The Loose Cannon Brewing Co Ltd Double IPA Oxfordshire 7.5% lcbeers.co.uk 01235 531141

B Bronze Jaw Brew Fathom Glasgow 4.0% jawbrew.co.uk 0141 2375840

B Bronze Brecon Brewing Mind Bleach Powys 10% breconbrewing.co.uk 01874 620800

CASK CHAMPION STANDARD BITTERS & PALE ALES

CASK CHAMPION PORTERS, STOUTS, OLD ALES, STRONG MILDS & STRONG BROWN ALES

G Gold Wye Valley Brewery The Hopfather Herefordshire 3.9% wyevalleybrewery.co.uk 01885 490505 S Silver Purity Brewing Company Bunny Hop Warwickshire 3.5% puritybrewing.com 01789 488007 B Bronze Lacons Brewery Encore Suffolk 3.8% lacons.co.uk 01493 850578

CASK CHAMPION BEST BITTERS & PALE ALES G Gold Grain Brewery Redwood Norfolk 4.3% grainbrewery.co.uk 01986 788884 S Silver Brew York Ltd Keras North Yorkshire 4.1% brewyork.co.uk 01904 848448 B Bronze Ludlow Brewing Company Blonde Shropshire 4.0% theludlowbrewingcompany.co.uk 01584 873291

G Gold Bedlam Brewery Ltd Porter West Sussex 5.0% bedlambrewery.co.uk 01273 978015 S Silver Northern Monkey Brew Co Underdog Greater Manchester 6.0% northernmonkeybrew.co.uk 07737 125629 B Bronze Windswept Brewing Co Wolf Moray 6.0% windsweptbrewing.com 01343 814310

CASK CHAMPION SPECIALITY LIGHT BEERS G Gold Dancing Duck Wot the Duck?

Duck a l’orange Derbyshire 6.4% dancingduckbrewery.com 01332 205582 S Silver Loch Lomond Brewery Out of Range West Dunbartonshire 5.9% lochlomondbrewery.com 01389 755698

PREMIUM BITTERS & PALE ALES

B Bronze Green Jack Brewing Co Ltd Orange Wheat Suffolk 4.2% green-jack.com 01502 562863

G Gold Hooded Ram Brewing Co Liberty East Coast Pale Isle of Man 4.8% hoodedram.com 01624 612464

CASK CHAMPION SPECIALITY MID TO DARK BEERS

S Silver Dark Star Brewing Co Ltd American Pale Ale Sussex 4.7% darkstarbrewing.co.uk 01403 713085

G Gold Orkney Brewery Dark Island Reserve Orkney 10% orkneybrewery.co.uk 01856 841777

B Bronze The Backyard Brewhouse Gold West Midlands 4.5% tbb.uk.com 01543 360145

S Silver Blue Monkey Brewery Chocolate Amaretto Guerrilla Nottinghamshire 4.9% bluemonkeybrewery.com 0115 938 5899 B Bronze Mantle Brewery Dark Heart Ceredigion 5.2% mantlebrewery.com 01239 623898

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Keg OVERALL CHAMPION OF THE KEG COMPETITION G Gold North Brewing Transmission West Yorkshire 6.9% northbrewing.com 0113 345 3290 S Silver Neckstamper Brewing Elbow Crooker Session IPA London 4.0% neckstamper.com 020 7018 1760 B Bronze Orkney Brewery Dragonhead Orkney Islands 4.0% orkneybrewery.co.uk 01856 841 777

KEG CHAMPION STANDARD MILD & BROWN ALES G Gold Orkney Brewery Dragonhead

Orkney Islands 4.0% orkneybrewery.co.uk 01856 841 777

KEG CHAMPION STANDARD BITTERS & PALE ALES G Gold Neckstamper Brewing

Elbow Crooker Session IPA London 4.0% neckstamper.com 020 7018 1760

S Silver Brass Castle Brewery Misfit North Yorkshire 4.3% brasscastle.co.uk 01653 698683 B Bronze Bewdley Brewery

Worcestershire Way Worcestershire 3.6% bewdleybrewery.co.uk 01299 405148

KEG CHAMPION PREMIUM BITTERS & PALE ALES G Gold Ilkley Brewery Alpha Beta

West Yorkshire 4.5% ilkleybrewery.co.uk 01943 604604

S Silver Gloucester Brewery Session IPA Gloucestershire 4.5% gloucesterbrewery.co.uk 01452 668043 B Bronze Harviestoun Brewery Broken

Dial 4.5% harviestoun.com 01259 769100

KEG CHAMPION STRONG BITTERS & PALE ALES G Gold Gloucester Brewery

American Pale Ale Gloucestershire 6.4% gloucesterbrewery.co.uk 01452 668043

S Silver Arundel Brewery Ltd

Uptown New England IPA Sussex 6.2% arundelbrewery.co.uk 01903 733111

B Bronze Quantock Brewery Titanium

Somerset 5.1% quantockbrewery.co.uk 01823 433812

KEG CHAMPION PREMIUM STRONG BEERS G Gold North Brewing Transmission

West Yorkshire 6.9% northbrewing.com 0113 345 3290

S Silver Grain Brewery Lignum Vitae Norfolk 6.5% grainbrewery.co.uk 01986 788884

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B Bronze Sambrook’s Brewery Russian Imperial Stout London 10.4% sambrooksbrewery.co.uk 020 7228 0598

Small Pack OVERALL CHAMPION OF THE SMALL PACK COMPETITION

S Silver Adnams Dry Hopped Lager Suffolk 4.2% adnams.co.uk 01502 727200

G Gold Tring Brewery Death or Glory Ale Hertfordshire 7.2% tringbrewery.co.uk 01442 890721 S Silver Gun Brewery Imperial Whisky Stout East Sussex 7.4% gunbrewery.co.uk 01323 700200 B Bronze Wily Fox Brewery Karma Citra Lancashire 4.3% wilyfoxbrewery.co.uk 01942 215525

B Bronze Whitstable Brewery Co Ltd Kentish Lager Kent 4.1% whitstablebrewery.co.uk 01622 851007

SMALL PACK CHAMPION STANDARD MILD ALES & BROWN ALES

KEG CHAMPION STANDARD LAGER & PILSNERS G Gold Geipel Brewing Aloha from Bala North Wales 4.4% geipel.co.uk 01490 420838

KEG CHAMPION PREMIUM LAGER & PILSNERS G Gold Otter Brewery Tarka Devon 4.8% otterbrewery.com 01404 891285 S Silver Knops Beer Company Cold Fury East Lothian 5.2% knopsbeer.co.uk 01620 388588 B Bronze Hogs Back Brewery Hogstar

Surrey 4.5% hogsback.co.uk 01252 784495

KEG CHAMPION PORTERS, STOUTS, OLD ALES, STRONG MILDS & STRONG BROWN ALES G Gold Greyhound Brewery Rainbow Eyes West Sussex 5.2% greyhoundbrewery.co.uk 01798 815822 S Silver Grain Brewery Slate Norfolk 6.0% grainbrewery.co.uk 01986 788884 B Bronze Cheddar Ales Ltd

Velvet Bottom Somerset 4.7% cheddarales.co.uk 01934 744193

KEG CHAMPION SPECIALITY LIGHT BEERS G Gold Windsor and Eton Brewery Uprising’s White Riot Berkshire 5.3% webrew.co.uk 01753 854075 S Silver Merchant City Brewing American

Pale Ale Glasgow 4.7% merchantcitybrewing.com 0141 5524999

B Bronze Barngates Brewery Weiss

Cumbria 4.8% barngatesbrewery.co.uk 01539 436575

KEG CHAMPION SPECIALITY MID TO DARK BEERS G Gold RedWillow Restless Cheshire 8.5% redwillowbrewery.com 01625 502315 S Silver Brentwood Brewing Company

Mallowphant Essex 4.8% brentwoodbrewing.co.uk 01277 200483

B Bronze Purity Brewing Company Saddle Black Warwickshire 5.8% puritybrewing.com 01789 488007

G Gold Wolf Brewery Sirius Dog Star Norfolk 4.4% wolfbrewery.com 01953 457775 S Silver Brampton Brewery Impy Dark Derbyshire 4.3% bramptonbrewery.co.uk 01246 221680 B Bronze Inner Bay Brewery Jasper Fife 3.9 innerbay.co.uk 07871 172939

SMALL PACK CHAMPION STANDARD BITTERS & PALE ALES

G Gold Wily Fox Brewery Karma Citra Lancashire 4.3% wilyfoxbrewery.co.uk 01942 215525 S Silver Loch Lomond Brewery Southern Summit West Dumbartonshire 4.0% lochlomondbrewery.com 01389 755698 B Bronze Ashover Brewery Littlemoor Citra Derbyshire 4.1% ashoverbrewery.co.uk 01246 251859

SMALL PACK CHAMPION PREMIUM BITTERS & PALE ALES

G Gold Thornbridge Brewery AM:PM Derbyshire 4.5% thornbridgebrewery.co.uk 01629 815999 S Silver Tring Brewery Pale Four Hertfordshire 4.6% tringbrewery.co.uk 01442 890721 B Bronze Rooster’s Brewery Ltd Twenty-Four Seven (24/7) Yorkshire 4.7% roosters.co.uk 01423 865959

SMALL PACK CHAMPION STRONG BITTERS & PALE ALES

G Gold Windsor and Eton Uprising’s Treason Berkshire 5.8% webrew.co.uk 01753 854075 S Silver Maxim Brewery Maximus Durham 6.0% maximbrewery.co.uk 0191 584 8844 B Bronze Loch Lomond Brewery Bravehop Amber West Dumbartonshire 6.0% lochlomondbrewery.com 01389 755698

SMALL PACK CHAMPION PREMIUM STRONG BEERS

G Gold Tring Brewery Death or Glory Ale Hertfordshire 7.2% tringbrewery.co.uk 01442 890721 S Silver Knops Beer Company Black Cork East Lothian 6.5% knopsbeer.co.uk 01620 388588

B Bronze Geipel Brewing Zoiglator Bock Lancashire 6.7% geipel.co.uk 01490 420838

SMALL PACK CHAMPION STANDARD LAGER & PILSNERS G Gold Stewart Brewing Franz Midlothian 4.0% stewartbrewing.co.uk 0131 440 2442 S Silver Charnwood Brewery Liska Leicestershire 4.0% charnwoodbrewery.co.uk 01509 218666 B Bronze The Norfolk Brewhouse DewHopper Lager Norfolk 4.0% norfolkbrewhouse.co.uk 01328 878495

SMALL PACK CHAMPION PREMIUM LAGER & PILSNERS G Gold Calvors Brewery Premium Pilsner Suffolk 5.0% calvors.co.uk 01449 711055 S Silver Harviestoun Schiehallion Clackmannanshire 4.8% harviestoun.com 01259 769100 B Bronze Whitstable Brewery Co Ltd Whitstable Pilsner Kent 4.9% whitstablebrewery.co.uk 01622 851007

SMALL PACK CHAMPION PORTERS, STOUTS, OLD ALES, STRONG MILDS & STRONG BROWN ALES

G Gold Black Sheep Brewery Glug M’Glug Yorkshire 6.2% blacksheepbrewery.com 01765 689227 S Silver Loch Lomond Brewery SilkieStout West Dumbartonshire 5.0% lochlomondbrewery.com 01389 755698 B Bronze Ashover Brewery Milk Stout Derbyshire 6.0% ashoverbrewery.co.uk 01246 251859

SMALL PACK CHAMPION SPECIALITY LIGHT BEERS G Gold Flack Manor Brewery Ltd Romsey Gold Hampshire 4.5% flackmanor.co.uk 01794 518520 S Silver Salopian Brewery Lemon Dream Shropshire 4.5% salopianbrewery.co.uk 01743 248414 B Bronze Lymestone Brewery Cherry Stone Staffordshire 5.2% lymestonebrewery.co.uk 01785 817796

SMALL PACK CHAMPION SPECIALITY MID TO DARK BEERS G Gold Gun Brewery Imperial Whisky Stout East Sussex 7.4% gunbrewery.co.uk 01323 700200 S Silver Windswept Brewing Co Bear Moray 10.5% windsweptbrewing.com 01343 814310 B Bronze Purple Moose Brewery Ltd Chocolate Moose Gwynedd 4.5% purplemoose.co.uk 01766 515571

23/04/2018 12:29

drink Why is wine not sexy any more? In contrast to the Chardonnay days of 20-odd years ago it’s all craft beer and gin these days.

Maybe it’s because wine is “what your parents drink” or the packaging isn’t exciting enough. Whatever it is, the mystique that surrounds it seems to have gone from being intriguing to plain old intimidating, particularly for younger drinkers.

There’s Prosecco, of course, which at 23 per cent growth in the on-trade by value (CGA) is doing its best to get drinkers into wine — but they don’t seem to be exploring the category any further.

All this was noted by Accolade Wines, owner of brands such as Hardys, Echo Falls and Kumala among others, at the launch of its Wine Nation report last month.

It was also an opportunity for the company to unveil its new strategy and new products. These included a new 500ml bottle (why has wine only come in 750ml bottles and single

with ROBYN BLACK

serve until now? And why 750ml anyway, doesn’t that strike you as a really peculiar size?*) and a bag-in-box containing two flavours of its Echo Falls Fruit Fusion range, named Echo Falls Festi Falls. Also on show was its Echo Falls vodka, launched in November, which takes the brand into spirits for the first time.

Wine snobs may snigger into their Chateau d’Yquem, but then that’s rather the point. Ultimately, we need to “democratise” wine in order to get people to try it.

Wine is more than just pressed grapes, but the myths and legends that lend it such mystique have done as much damage as good.

Whereas with beer we’ve had to inject complexity and mystery into the category to bring people in (resulting in craft beer), with wine we need to strip it away.

Wine snobs may snigger into their Chateau d’Yquem, but then that’s rather the point. Ultimately, we need to ‘democratise’ wine

*There are many theories as to why wine bottles are 750ml, including it being the biggest bottle glass blowers could manage and it being exactly six 125ml glasses.

COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN MORTIMER’S ORCHARD • Official cider of British Tennis Weston’s is hoping to serve an ace this summer with a deal that sees its Mortimer’s Orchard brand become the official cider of British Tennis. The deal with the Lawn Tennis Association will see the cider poured at the big summer tournaments, driving awareness and trial of the cider. Love-all.

BUD LIGHT • Dilly-Dilly The Bud Light team staged the first in a series of Bank Holiday promotions on Easter Monday, when drinkers at the Howl At The Moon, London exchanged Dilly coins for free beer. The activity tripled footfall.

20 MAY 2018

p20-21 drink intro.indd 20

MARSTON’S • Brew your own beer One lucky beer fan will get the chance to brew their own beer with Marston’s and see it served over the bar of their local. The competition will be promoted on point-of-sale in pubs and wannabe brewers have until the end of August to enter via marstons brewery.co.uk/ brew.

trade.inapub.co.uk 23/04/2018 13:25

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla

Tanqueray is more usually known for its lime kick but this new gin from the Diageo-owned brand is made from Seville oranges.

Anita Robinson, Europe category director for gin at the company, suggests using it to add a twist to this summer’s G&T offer, garnishing with a wedge of orange.

020 8978 6000

Fentimans Sparkling Raspberry

Developed to offer a “grown-up soft beverage with bittersweet characteristics”, this new addition to the Fentimans range will arrive in pubs and bars in time for summer.

It is the latest move in a £1.2m overhaul of the brand aimed at a growing number of people who are seeking out premium alternatives to standard fizzy drinks, Fentimans marketing director, Andrew Jackson, said.www.fentimans.com

Look out for...

Savanna Cross

Created to help the brand reach a wider market via the popularity of craft beer, this is a new cider-beer hybrid from South African cider brand Savanna. The brand’s owner, Distell International, hopes the five per cent ABV hop-flavoured cider, which comes in a 330ml craft can, will offer something different for drinkers surrounded by sweet ciders and fruit flavours. cameron.bowes@distellinternational.com

trade.inapub.co.uk p20-21 drink intro.indd 21

Maltsmiths

Heineken’s craft range Maltsmiths has been given a smart new look.

It is hoped the design will encourage drinkers who are curious about craft but lack confidence in the category.

The two brews — an American-style IPA and a Pilsner-style lager — are brewed by a dedicated team up at the company’s Caledonian brewery in Scotland. www.heineken.co.uk

DRINK

Budweiser hits the back of the net Rory Mclellan, On Trade Sales Director, Anheuser-Busch InBev Major sporting events are renowned for providing a natural association with beer and lager, as they bring the opportunity for friends to get together to celebrate, or commiserate, over a drink or two. It’s therefore a great opportunity for venues to drive footfall and increase rate of sale. And opportunities to do this don’t come much bigger than the FIFA World Cup™.

Budweiser is the official beer of the FIFA World Cup™. With the opening match fast approaching, Budweiser is committed to helping publicans and bar owners take full advantage of the world’s most widely viewed sporting event. This is demonstrated through its partnership with MatchPint, the app specifically designed to help fans find out which pubs are showing which sports events.

During the tournament, fans will be encouraged to visit Budweiser pubs through exclusive offers and competitions via the MatchPint app. These include the chance to win FIFA World Cup™ tickets as well as footfall-driving drinks promotions, enabling pub-goers to get a pint on arrival with a flash of their phone, easing waiting time at the bar. Participating publicans will also be hosting in-pub consumer competitions; punters will receive a Budweiser scratch card with every pint or bottle of Budweiser sold, which will put them in the running to win amazing World Cup prizes – including FIFA World CupTM tickets.

In a clear commitment to UK pubs and bars, Budweiser’s offers through MatchPint will be promoted to fans through a major OOH and digital campaign in the build up to the FIFA World Cup™, with a focus on driving pub visits throughout the tournament.

Stocking Budweiser during the FIFA World Cup™ will give pub and bar owners the greatest chance of driving footfall to their establishments, not only for the games in the tournament, but for sporting fixtures in the future.

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21/04/2018 09:10

A PREMIUM RANGE TO SUIT EVERY OCCASION WE ARE PROUD TO OFFER THE UK’S LEADING PREMIUM BEERS AND CIDERS FROM GLOBAL BRANDS TO LOCAL CHAMPIONS. REACH US ANY TIME AT BESTBEER@AB-INBEV.COM

Please drink responsibly. © 2018 AB InBev UK Limited, all rights reserved.

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20/04/2018 08:09

A I I FIFA ™ WORLD CUP WI B W I A A C I Budweiser, the official beer of the FIFA World Cup™, has joined up with MatchPint to support UK pubs throu hout the sportin ear.

Together, Budweiser and MatchPint will help pubs thrive by: Attractin footfall with e clusi e offers.

Increasin dwell time with e citin competitions. ri in rate of sale with tic et i eawa s and official merchandise. ecurin return isits throu hout the ear.

Get Bud on draught in your bar by emailing: bestbeer ab inbe .com

Please drink responsibly. © 2018 AB InBev UK Limited, all rights reserved.

DOWNLOAD THE MATCHPINT APP to view all of the Budweiser exclusive FIFA World Cup™ deals and drinks offers. ad page 2.indd 23

20/04/2018 08:10

World class in a glass

by ROBYN BLACK

Lager always plays in a key position for pubs, but during a World Cup it becomes the star player. To maximise the opportunity, it’s vital to pick the right line-up.

Here’s our dream team for this tournament�.

Budweiser

It’s the official beer of the World Cup and is doing its bit to boost pubs through the competition, with a campaign aiming to entice people to their local to watch matches. The activity, in partnership with MatchPint, uses geotargeting to direct users of the MatchPint app to pubs showing sport in the area. Once in the pub, fans can claim prizes, tickets and drinks promotions and claim a pint on arrival using their phone, in a bid to ease queues at peak times.

partaken of a sip or two at some point.

And what’s good enough for Messi is good enough for the rest of the football-following public, surely?

Carlsberg Export

Following a rebrand in 2016, this lager has been making the most of its “Danishness” with a new look and a lavish ad campaign starring Mads Mikkelsen, that increased sales across the on and off-trade by 20 per cent, according to the brewer. The brewer is now looking to spark similar growth across its portfolio and is bringing out a new range of seasonal brews under the Carlsberg banner as a result. June’s offer, just in time for the tournament, will be Carlsberg Unfiltered, a lager with naturally occurring yeast, resulting in a hazy colour and crisp taste.

Krombacher Pils

With Germany among the favourites to make the final, it would be good planning to have a classic German beer on as part of your World Cup offer — and not many come with a pedigree as good as this. Krombacher is Germany’s number-one-selling premium beer. It is made to the German Reinheitsgebot, or Beer Purity Laws, using water that comes directly from local mountain springs, giving the 4.8 per cent ABV brew its distinctive

Quilmes

By all accounts, Lionel Messi doesn’t drink much beer. Apart from anything else he would appear to prefer the grape over the grain, having launched his own wine back in 2012. This is Argentina’s favourite beer, however, with the Lion(el)’s share of its home market.

The brand has even sponsored the national football team in its time, so we’re pretty confident that he’s

p24-25 world cup lager.indd 24

23/04/2018 11:07

taste. The brewery also makes Germany’s number one alcohol-free beer – Krombacher Low Alcohol – which is also brewed under the strict purity rules but which then goes through a de-alcoholisation process. In fact, one in five alcohol-free Pils drunk in Germany is a Krombacher.

Asahi Super Dry

“Karakuchi has arrived in Britain,” Asahi UK trumpeted at the relaunch of this Japanese favourite back in January – for all the nonJapanese speakers among us “karakuchi” refers to the beer’s dry, crisp taste.

The beer was, until the end of last year, brewed by Shepherd Neame in the UK but production has shifted overseas with a return to the original Japanese recipe. It is now served using hi-tech bar taps that will “ensure a pint in London will have the same perfect serve and taste as one in Tokyo.”

Just the pint to raise as Japan face Colombia in their first group match on June 19.

Heineken 0.0

Heineken itself may be a Dutch beer but its UK portfolio is broad enough to offer several must-stock world beers – Kronenbourg for France; Foster’s for Australia; Sagres for Portugal and Birra Moretti for Italy for starters. As drinkers continue to cut back on the booze, however, it might be worth looking at last year’s Heineken 0.0 launch to help out not just those wanting to watch the football without booze but also those wanting a less hefty session, who will mix alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Estrella Damm

This Spanish lager has done a great job at aligning itself with gastropubs and topquality food but it doesn’t mean it isn’t also an equally good match for pub snack classics, so it’s still a good choice as part of your World Cup beer offer. The lager is still made to the original 1876 recipe and its “clean, crisp, taste” makes it a great foil for football fodder such as sandwiches, salty chips and crisps (check out our bar snack feature on p39-41 for more inspiration of feeding the football fans). As well as tortilla, gambas and jamón, of course.

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23/04/2018 10:50

THE ULTIMATE GIN & TONIC PAIRING GUIDE

Gin is only as good as the tonic it’s paired with. That’s why our award-winning tonics have been carefully crafted to complement the varied flavour profiles of gin. Find the perfect tonic for your favourite gin at fever-tree.com

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23/04/2018 12:51

drink.

What will be hot

by ROBYN BLACK

this summer?

In 2015 it was craft beer; in 2016 it was Aperol Spritz, and last summer gin was the thing, so what will we be sipping this summer?

Cognac perhaps? With global exports of the spirit at their highest levels to date in both volume and value currently, that’s not such a wild idea.

“As summer approaches, customers

look towards refreshing flavours and longer drinks to quench their thirst,” says David Bolleau, of the Cognac Bureau.

“Licensees can tailor their drinks offering to this demand with limited-edition summer menus that provide inspiration for customers looking to try something new.”

Offering and promoting spirits that perhaps drinkers might not associate with summer not only makes your pub standout in a crowded market but also provides a good upselling opportunity, he argues.

Young VS and VSOP Cognacs mix well with tonic, ginger ale or lemonade for simple, refreshing mixed drinks, for example.

Mixing it up

As mixed drinks do indeed tend to come into their own during the summer months, cola unsurprisingly comes centre stage at this time – the most popular long mixed drink is vodka and cola, according to CGA stats (MAT to April 2017), while rum and whisky with cola are also very popular.

With health and the sugar tax in the headlines, however, licensees should ensure this summer’s cola options include lowersugar versions.

“The great taste of Coca-Cola Classic mixes perfectly with dark spirits and is traditionally the go-to when picking a mixer,” says Simon Harrison, customer marketing director at Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP).With health high on the agenda, people are on the lookout for low-calorie and low-sugar options but without compromising on taste, which is why Coca-Cola Zero Sugar is a great choice for those wanting a dark spirits mixer.”

Alongside cola, tonic will remain popular this summer particularly the “posher” brands that have fuelled the G&T boom in recent years.

CCEP got in on the act recently,

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MAY 2018

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23/04/2018 12:42

as 61 per cent, in outlets where they’ve been used, the company reports.

For this summer, Fever-Tree’s on-trade marketing manager Fergus Franks is earmarking the brand’s Aromatic Tonic as a big seller.

“A perfect summer garden drink option is Fever-Tree’s Ultimate Pink G&T,” suggests Fergus. “Made using Fever-Tree Aromatic Tonic water paired with a juniper rich and robust gin, produces a simple but wellbalanced and visually striking serve.”

Pretty in pink

“

People are now thinking more carefully about the mixer they want to pair with their favourite gin

28

MAY 2018

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launching Schweppes 1783, a premium version of its Schweppes brand, last October. “New gins are launching regularly, from independent craft offerings to new flavours and variations of popular brands,” says Simon. “This has lead to almost a quarter more gin being sold in 2017 than 2016. As a result, consumers are now thinking more carefully about the mixer they want to pair with their favourite gin.”

To cash in on this, the team at fellow mixer brand Fever-Tree are encouraging licensees to up their G&T game for this summer by using its bespoke mixer menu service.

This allows drinkers to discover their ultimate G&T (or another spirit and mixer pairing), encouraging them to upgrade to a more premium spirit than their usual choice.

It has increased premium gin sales by 45 per cent, and overall G&T sales by as much

It’s going to be a pink gin summer over at Diageo as well, which launched its Gordon’s Pink Gin last June.

“It’s going to be a summer of fruit gins,” predicts Rob Poulter, on-trade consultant at the drinks giant.

“The gin craze has seen an explosion in all gin styles over the last few years but more recently there’s been an increase in the popularity of gins infused with fruit, such as Gordon’s Pink Gin (infused with strawberries, raspberries & redcurrants) and Tanqueray Sevilla (infused with Seville oranges). We expect to see lots of pink and orange G&Ts going out in pub gardens everywhere as soon as the summer season arrives.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be a British summer without another Diageo-owned classic – Pimm’s. Classed as a “speciality spirit”, Pimm’s makes up around 10.7 per cent of this category by value for most of the year,

trade.inapub.co.uk 23/04/2018 12:43

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Pimm’s Cider Cup was launched three years ago

“

Draught cider is one of the few areas growing in the on-trade, adding almost 14 million extra pints over the last 12 months

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but that jumps to just under 23 per cent in the summer months (CGA). You can increase your share of that by “pimping your Pimm’s”, offering customers a Pimm’s Spritz, a Pimm & Proper or a Pimm’s Gentleman’s Mule, for example (video guides on how to make all of these can be found on the Inapub website).

What’s your flavour?

Alternatively, you could stock Pimm’s Cider Cup, launched three years ago, which neatly bridges the gap between one summer classic and another.

“There’s no doubt cider is a key drink for the summer months,” confirms Heineken category and trade marketing director, Jerry Shedden. “Over the last few years, cider has

changed significantly, with the category now accounting for around nine per cent of total wet trade across the UK and this continues to grow.

“Draught cider is one of the few areas growing in the on-trade, adding almost 14 million extra pints over the last 12 months.”

By and large it has been fruit cider, specifically Heineken’s own Strongbow Dark Fruits, that has sparked the resurgence in draught, yet four in five outlets still offer no flavoured ciders on draught, Jerry reports.

Teetotal tipples

Another key area for cider this season will be low- and no-alcohol.

“With 50 per cent of people now moderating their alcohol intake (IPSOS) and 15 per

Dishes and drinks for the summer “As the summer season arrives people tend to socialise more and the longer evenings mean they stay out longer,” points out Russell Goldman, commercial director at Britvic.

This means drinks need to be more “sessionable” but also that they should pair well with food, as the likelihood is that those staying out longer will want to also order a meal or nibbles.

“Salads are a staple of the warmer months and tend to have fresh, fruity and more delicate flavours, so don’t go for a drink that is overpowering – try a J20 Spritz peach & apricot,” he says.

Or, “for burgers straight off the barbecue, think about a Pepsi Max,” he adds.

trade.inapub.co.uk 23/04/2018 12:10

T S

7 N O

A w

drink. cent saying they would visit the pub more often if there were better non-alcoholic options available (Populus Pub Survey) it is vital that pubs stock market leaders to cater for this demand,” says Jerry. The company launched Heineken 0.0 to tap into this last spring, but just last month moved into non-alcoholic cider when it unveiled Old Mout Alcohol Free Berries & Cherries. It joins just a handful of other cider brands in this area, including Weston’s Stowford Press Low Alcohol cider and the Kopparberg Alcohol Free range.

Shake things up

Cider cocktails are another area worth experimenting with this summer, says the team at Thatchers. They have created a selection of recipes, including one which mixes its Thatchers Haze cider with gin for a simple

cocktail that neatly taps into two of this summer’s biggest trends.

“Offering cider cocktails to your customers in the cider months is a great way to add theatre to the serve,” suggest Anthony Morgan, head of on-trade at the cider maker.

And if you are thinking of creating a cocktail or two this summer, then your liqueur range will need some attention – just as drinkers have embraced more expensive spirits and mixers, they are now turning their attention to liqueurs.

As well as good quality brands, you should also be keeping an eye out for on-trend flavours.

“A brand such as Teichenné is ideal for making cocktails with its 15 flavours including in-demand offerings such as coconut, peach and vanilla,” says Christian

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Cider cocktails are worth experimenting with this summer, say the team at Thatchers

Sarginson, brand controller at Teichenné distributor, Global Brands. For operators unable to commit to making cocktails during busy summer periods, however, Christian suggests the company’s range of pre-mixed cocktails, London Road – just add ice and shake. This joins sister brand, the Crooked Bev Co range of alcoholic craft sodas, as the contemporary face of RTDS.

Remember tradition

That’s not to forget traditional RTDs, however. “The RTD category is worth £200m in the UK on-trade (CGA) and they are incredibly popular with 18- to 30-yearolds who see summer as a carefree time,” explains Christian. “We know that the summer months are a pivotal drinking occasion and operators need to have a range that will appeal and sell, such as our VK range, which is the best performing ‘traditional’ RTD in the on-trade (CGA), and Hooch, the cult RTD, which sees an uplift in sales of 46 per cent during the summer months.”

What goes around, comes around, eh?

Because, if I remember correctly, Hooch was first the drink of the summer way back in 1995, by which rule of thumb means we should earmark this year’s favourites as due for a comeback in 2041. See you there – mine’s a pink gin.

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Pop the Prosecco A very cold glass of white wine is always popular in the summer evenings and Sauvignon Blanc looks as if it will remain the tipple of choice for wine lovers this summer, according to research from Accolade Wines, owner of brands such as Hardys and Jack Rabbit.

There’s rosé too, of course, but for summer 2018, “we expect to see Prosecco continue to grow in the ontrade,” says Accolade’s insights director, Andrew Nunney.

“To ensure you make the most of demand for Prosecco in the warmer months, operators should make sure their Prosecco is cold and ready for spontaneous occasions,” he advises. “Jack Rabbit Prosecco DOC, the UK’s best selling on-trade wine brand, would perform well on such occasions.”

And don’t forget to keep the icebuckets clean and to hand as well – keeping a bottle chilled until the end will encourage repeat purchases.

trade.inapub.co.uk 23/04/2018 12:11

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eat The World Cup only comes round every four years, so licensees must make sure they don’t miss an open goal when it comes to food.

While I’m sure a lot of publicans will be focusing on the booze drunk during the matches, especially England’s games, it is worth looking at the times of the games. There is a definite opportunity for a compelling, unique food upsell.

England’s match against Tunisia is on a Monday night at 7pm (June 18). The (hopefully) big match against Belgium is on a Thursday at the same time (June 28). Customers will probably be heading straight from work to the pub without eating dinner. Both handheld food items and chips — as showcased in our feature overleaf — should come flying

with JAMES EVISON out of the ovens, alongside your main menu offer. This will definitely help soak up all those beers.

The other match, against Panama, is on a Sunday at 1pm (June 24). As a result, it may be worth ditching the roast offer that week for a more straightforward hot snacks and handheld menu to cater for the large number of customers crowding into your pub looking for an instant edible hit.

There will, of course, be punters looking to eat before and after the matches. Make sure your packaged snack offer is compelling and in full view across the back bar. There are plenty of great snack ideas out there to get people talking about your venue, as illustrated in our feature this month.

Game on!

Fish for the future

Picking the perfect pair

As Britain prepares to leave the EU and fisheries negotiations get under way, the Marine Conservation Society has updated its Good Fish Guide with a list of Top 10 fish to eat after Brexit. The MSC argues that a shift away from the “big five” of cod, salmon, haddock, tuna and prawns would reduce the UK’s reliance on imported fish and help safeguard fish stocks.

If you’re interested in mixing up your menu while signalling your environmental credentials, why not give these a try?

Inapub spoke to chef-patron Dom Robinson of The Blackbird in Bagnor, Berkshire, about pairing snacks with wine and beer. “We try to have a mixture of hold and cold, salty and sweet items, which we display with a menu on the front of our bar,” Dom says.

“At The Blackbird there are certain beers to go with the charcuterie and wines with the cheese. The charcuterie is from Chiltern Charcuterie — it is excellent and quite local. We suggest a beer pairing of Saazbrucker, a German Pilsner made in collaboration between West Berkshire Brewery and Arcobrau in Bavaria. We also have excellent salami sticks from the same supplier.

“Cheese-wise, we use Premier Cheese and select the best seasonal French and British cheeses. Currently we have Beauvale — a soft blue cheese made by the Cropwell Bishop creamery in Nottinghamshire; Driftwood, an ash-rolled goat’s cheese made in Somerset; Bath soft, a buttery soft cheese made in Bath; and from France, Beaufort. We normally match these cheeses with a glass of Port or Madeira wine.”

• • • • • • • • • •

North Sea dab Hake Irish North Sea and En lish Channel herrin South-west En land mackerel Scottish and North Sea me rim Ro e- rown mussels estern Channel brown crab al Estuary ueen scallo s Celtic Sea ollock Do er sole

p34-35 eat intro.indd 34

trade.inapub.co.uk 23/04/2018 12:54

Yorkshire puddings

BRITAIN’S BEST PUB ROAST

“Check The White Post’s Facebook posts on Sunday morning at 5.30am. I make 12 puddings at a time with fresh batter. It takes about two to three hours in the one oven we have, so I have to get up early to get them all out.”

Brett Sutton, chef-patron, The White Post, Yeovil, Dorset Winner of the Britain’s Best Pub Roast competition in association with Maggi

Cabbage

“The red cabbage dishes are braised in cider from local cider orchards. It gives a lovely sweet and unique flavour to the dish.”

Vegetables

“These are drippingcooked potatoes, roasted carrots and parsnips. The vegetables are sourced from local supplier Arthur David, which provides us with seasonal vegetables.

As well as foraging for wild garlic, I also find meadowsweet and other herbs that are added for flavour.”

Cauliflower and broccoli cheese

“These are two of the other side dishes you get with the sharing plate. The vegetables are from the local supplier and the cheese is from the same supplier as the local cheese board.”

p34-35 eat intro.indd 35

Meat

“We provide a sharing platter of three meats. The beef is a salt chamber-matured beef rump from Hannans in Northern Ireland. All of the beef is extraaged in a Himalayan salt chamber which, over a period of 28 to 45 days, concentrates the flavour of the meat and seals in the natural juices. The slowcooked shoulder of pork is from Walter Rose & Son, based in Wiltshire, and the thyme-roasted chicken is infused with stuffing using wild garlic, which I forage for and which adds a lot of flavour to the meat.”

21/04/2018 09:23

Handy to have

by JAMES EVISON

The timing of many of this summer’s World Cup matches — between lunch and dinner — means that traditional pub snacks and smaller plates are likely to take centre stage for football fans looking to soak up the beers.

With that in mind it might be time to take a look at those hot, small foods that can be easily eaten standing up – such as sausage rolls, hot dogs and, of course, chips. Plugging a gap in the market between full meals and small snacks, they can be the perfect profit booster – as long as you get them right.

The cheese and meat board from The King & Co. The pub uses sharing boards to offer customers the chance to try dishes without committing to full portions

36 MAY 2018

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Share and share alike

Anthony Gunson, who runs The King & Co in London’s Clapham Common and the Elm Park Tavern in Brixton Hill, explains that speed and seasonality are key when it comes to these foods. “Customers don’t want to be waiting half an hour for their bar snacks,” he says. “More than anything, though, we like to offer the kind of hot and hand-held snacks that we like enjoying with a pint or two.”

Popular options include Mac & Cheese bites and spicy chicken wings. Anthony also suggests offering a “taster” of dishes can help upsell and promote the larger menu offer. “Sharing boards are something we

like to offer from time to time,” he continues.

“This gives the customer the chance to try a bit of everything without committing to full portions. People like to graze, and these are perfect for that, especially when you don’t want a full meal.”

Party on

When considering a hand-held food option, pairing with wines and beers can be crucial, and can extend the food into other events and offers, such as tap takeovers.

“We paired some with Moor beers recently at our tap takeover event.” says Anthony. “We also cooked with the beers This is something that we tend to do more with the main menu than smaller items. Our gravy has loads of beer in it.”

It is also important to consider a specific hot snacks menu as part of other entertainment offers. Anthony says: “Our snacks form part of our party menu. We send an extended snack menu out to larger parties when they are interested in offering food to their guests.”

Hot chip

When the big match is about to kick off, and it’s standing room only, football fans will want food that doesn’t interfere with their viewing. This is where a hand-held portion of chips comes into its own.

It is widely known that chips are a “must have” part of a pub menu, but the reality is more complex. The National Food Survey found that in 2014, Britons bought three times the amount of chips they had bought in 1974. The amount of chips bought out-ofhome, however, had fallen to just one-third of the figure from 40 years ago.

So does this mean you shouldn’t care any more about the beloved chip? Far from it, but it does mean that the offer has to be bang on the money to get punters to care.

trade.inapub.co.uk 22/04/2018 21:15

eat.

How posh is your chip presentation?

Premium experience Copper pan Jenga stack A cut above Metal cup Wooden bowl Mid-market Small ceramic plate Shabby chic Paper cone Cardboard carton Cheap and cheerful Plastic basket Polystyrene tray

“

Customers would rather change their meal than not have chips

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Research by McCain Foodservice found customers would rather change their meal than not have chips. Also, 75 per cent of them wanted chips as a side dish.

Mohammed Essa, commercial director, UK & Ireland at Aviko, says the number of out-of-home chip purchases is still very high – and it is all about quality. He says: “When you consider there were a staggering 1.75 billion potato servings out-of-home in the year ending March 2016, it’s extremely important for pubs to get their chip offering right. The trend for premiumisation is one pubs can champion to show themselves as a leader in the market, offering consumers an experience they can’t get elsewhere.”

Premium chip ranges are available from both McCain and Aviko, but another option is to simply create a fresh skin-on look yourself. Adding seasoning and toppings are also on-trend options. If you do want to go for a supplier, the options are wide-ranging, with most frozen produce heating quickly and having a long shelf life.

Kids’ options, which shouldn’t be forgotten during family-friendly events such as the World Cup, are also available from a number

Chip choices 1. Traditional thick or thin cut oven chips 2. Skin-on and ‘supercrisp’ options 3. Alternatives such as sweet potato or even courgette 4. Different shapes such as wedges or waffle fries 5. Dirty fries with cheese or chilli toppings

of suppliers. McCain, for example, offers sweet potato fries under its Menu Signatures range. Such concepts offer benefits including visual appeal and the potential for upselling.

Mixing things up is also beneficial for pubs looking to add a touch of fun to kids’ menus and drive family sales through choice and variety.

MAY 2018

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23/04/2018 00:11

eat.

chew on

Something to

by JAMES EVISON

‘Salted or dry roasted?’

As great as packet of nuts can be, if you want to keep punters happy in this day and age, your snack offer has to be much more exciting.

SCT is now going from strength to strength, with sales increasing around the country. Some of the establishments we supply have now taken out other snack products, as they have found ours to be so good. They offer a great return in the market and are low in carbohydrates, gluten-free and sugar-free, which is exactly what the consumer wants these days.

With our range of 9 exciting flavours, we are ticking all the right boxes. However, we found that some establishments with limited back-bar space needed a product to help them use that effectively,

SALE OR RETURN

while others wanted something a bit more upmarket.

With the help of Paul Davis Designs we have upgraded our labels and we now supply all our flavours in Utopia clip seal glass jar. The Pork Crackling can be in either a 3L or 1.5L jar and with an additional 1kg – 2.5kg – 5kg of crackling that will increase your margin.

In addition, due to demand we have launched a nut range: Cashews, Almonds, Walnuts & Peanuts in the following flavours, Salt & Pepper, Garlic, Chorizo, Sweet Chilli & Extreme Chilli.

For those with limited backbar space we now have:

9 flavours of Pork Crackling in Clip Seal Pots 27 units per box with 3 of each flavour …or bespoke your own 27-unit box.

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Cashews ✭ Almonds ✭ Walnuts • Utopia clip seal jar 1.5L + 2.5kg of our Pork Crackling per flavour

Flavours: Salt & Pepper, Garlic, Chorizo, Sweet Chilli, Extreme Chilli Utopia clip seal jar 2L per flavour

• Utopia clip seal jar 3L + 5kg of our Pork Crackling per flavour

300%+ return

We recently exhibited at the Food & drink Expo at the NEC and enjoyed talking to a wide variety of new clients.

We were extremely successful for many reasons.

We can’t guarantee to be the cheapest in the marketplace, but what we can guarantee, unlike other well-known brands, is our unquestionable consistency, flavours and quality.

Due to this we have taken on a large number of clients previously supplied by others in this market. The key factor is returning consumers to your establishments, who trust you, and trust that your establishment will provide the same great quality and taste they enjoyed the last time they visited your establishment.

We have recently taken on some well-known restaurants that now use our flavoured products crumbed to the top of a dish, to add a new texture and flavour and enhance what was a great dish to a new level.

We now look forward to working with even more new clients in broader areas than we first thought.

p39-40-41 snacks.indd 39

And with the World Cup about to kick off, now could be a great time to upsell unusual snacks.

Keris de Villiers, licensee of The Pig and Whistle in south-west London, makes a point of difference out of selling exotic snacks during sporting events.

She said: “Of course, crisps, nuts and such snacks are the best in terms of GP, but if you want to get people talking and making your venue part of the conversation, then doing something unusual is much better.

“We like to do weird things – at the moment we have a range of bugs available as snacks. Water bugs, for example, and mixed critters, such as crickets. Bugs is a great

300 retu %+ rn

Proper Pork Cracklin

Chorizo

Low in carbohydrates 100g

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Ingredients: PORK RIND, SMOKED PAPRIKA, GARLIC POWDER, DEXTROSE, PAPRIKA EXTRACT, WHEAT SPICE,SALT, FLOUR, FLAVOUR ENHANCER , RAISING AGENT E503 in bold

All allergen info shown

Crackling nutritional informatio n per 100g: total fats: 62.9g, saturated 22.2g monounsaturated 32.2g, polyunsaturated 6g non-fatty non acid content 0.96g, protein 33g carbohydrates 1g, of which sugar 0.1g sodium 0.815g, ash 2.7g, dietary bre (AOAC) 0.5g Total energy kcal 351, Kjoules 1450 Not suitable for vegetarian s Packaged in a food grade container SCT & SCT Limited, unit 7 Telford Road Wimborne BH21 7QW Tel: 01202 875 280 info@sct-sct.com / trade@sct -sct.com www.sct-sct.com

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PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

Cracking crackling The rise in high-protein, low-carb diets has resulted in the return of that classic heath food, pork scratchings.

They still make the perfect pub treat, particularly during busy events such as the World Cup, as Robert Parkin of Savoury Crunchy Treats & Sweet Candy Treats explains.

“Firstly, during large sports events most people eat on the hoof, and so with a full pot of our pork crackling, this is a meal in a pot. Those with a higher salt content will increase sales, and if they are brave enough, go for the Extreme Chilli. They will definitely need a pint then!

“Price is important, and while we are not the cheapest snack on the market, quality speaks volumes and with a return margin of £1.65 – £2.65, it fills the tills quicker!

“We have now also introduced our Pork Crackling in three-litre glass jars that look great on a bar for self-serve and an increased margin and with our pots they stand out as a ‘want me’ bar snack.”

Robert offers nine flavours, including sage & onion, which he suggests matching with a glass of dry white wine.“Our chorizo goes amazingly well with stout or red wine. Sweet chilli is perfect for rosé wine now the summer is coming, and the World Cup,” he adds.

“The extreme chilli sits nicely with any lager or ale, or keep the kids happy with a glass of Coke and a pot of BBQ.”

The bar snacks at the Pig & Whistle include tarantulas and Cheese & Onion crickets

“

Crisps, nuts and those types of snacks are the best in terms of GP. We have all our bar snacks on show on the back-bar

trade.inapub.co.uk p39-40-41 snacks.indd 40

23/04/2018 00:14

way to go. It is looking at the I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here! trend. The GP isn’t great, but you can be sure people will be talking about it.”

If bugs are a bit too out there, then there are other options beyond nuts and crisps that sell well. Keris says: “We have also just started doing chicken crackling, as well as various chocolate bars and pretzels. They fly off the shelves.”

Just because the items are packaged, that doesn’t mean you can’t use them for food matching. Keris says: “We do a wine club on a Monday, where we pair the chicken crackling with white wine, and also do a taster beer dish, which includes a bar snack.”

Keris says the most important thing is to make sure the snack offer isn’t hidden away or simply written on a blackboard. “Visualisation is key,” she says. “You see it, you want it, basically. For me, there can be too many blackboards. We have all of our bar snacks on show on the back-bar.”

Hitting social media is increasingly important, and Keris has a story about its power.

“We had a huge amount of Ultimate Easter Eggs to sell. It was 180 eggs, so we went on social media – Twitter, Instagram, Facebook – and heavily promoted them. They were all gone two weeks before Easter weekend.”

Keris doesn’t use just one or two suppliers for her bar snacks, either. She believes this is another crucial element of her success. “You have to go online,” she continues. “Find what other pubs are up to on social media, and what has been successful, and search for the specialist suppliers of the products. It takes time, but in the end it is worth it.

“The snacks are a really good percentage of our total sales. You just have to always be on your toes, and always getting new products out there.”

Keris and her team hit social media hard to shift 180 Ultimate Easter Eggs

p39-40-41 snacks.indd 41

22/04/2018 21:45

MAKE YOUR VENUE THE HOME OF SUMMER SPORT There’s an irresistible line-up on Sky Sports this summer to help pull in the customers, while you pull the pints.

Add that to the World Cup on BBC & ITV and you’ve got a recipe for success.

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16/04/2018 13:05 15:13 23/04/2018

Call 08444 178 983 or visit business.sky.com/summer-calendar to download your free summer sports calendar

Sky Sports requires Sky subscription, equipment and installation. Scheduling may be subject to change. World Cup is broadcast live on BBC & ITV in the UK and RTE in ROI and does not require a Sky Sports subscription. Further terms apply. Calls to Sky cost 7p per minute plus your providers access charge. Correct at time of print: 06/04/2018.

THE F1 LOGO, F1, FORMULA 1®, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX AND RELATED MARKS ARE TRADE MARKS OF FORMULA ONE LICENSING BV, A FORMULA ONE GROUP COMPANY.

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@SkySportsPub

16/04/2018 13:06 15:13 23/04/2018

play with MATT ELEY England boss Gareth Southgate will be finalising his squad and his tactics for the World Cup this month — and pubs should be doing the same.

This potentially till-filling opportunity only comes along every four years and while the chances of England winning are slim, your chances of success are anything but.

However, you will need the right team in place and to have the right tactics. Do you know when England’s games are or how many staff you are going to have on the bar for those matches? Also, how will you promote your offer to ensure customers pick your pub over the one down the road — or even their own sofas?

Are you doing enough to attract people before the games and are you putting on entertainment to keep them in after the final whistle?

What about the 60 or so matches England aren’t involved in? Will you get behind other nations? Will you run a top goalscorer sweepstake? Should England play five at the back or revert to a more traditional back four? To be fair, that last question is probably for Southgate, but everyone in the pub will have an opinion.

For pubs, and the England team, success is dependent on planning and performance. Make sure you give yourself the best chance of winning during the World Cup.

Rugby returns to its roots as Merchant’s Inn scoops Melrose Sevens top prize Football isn’t the only game in town this month: May also sees the culmination of rugby’s domestic and European competitions.

One pub that should attract plenty of fans is The Merchant’s Inn in Rugby. The pub, which is located just 200 yards from the field where William Webb Ellis famously picked up a ball and ran, has been named the top rugby pub in Britain.

It won an online vote to pick up the award run by Aberdeen Standard Investments Melrose Sevens, seeing off competition from four other top pubs associated with the oval ball game: The Athletic Arms in Edinburgh; The Cabbage Patch in Twickenham; The Palmeira in Hove; and the Buccleuch Arms Hotel in St Boswells, the Scottish Borders.

James Reeve, manager of The Merchant’s Inn, said: “We’re overwhelmed to win this award and it means a great deal to us, particularly being up against some of the best rugby bars around.

“We see ourselves as the pub of rugby, as we are less than 200 yards from where the game was invented, and it’s great to know our customers think so highly of what we

44 MAY 2018

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Pic: calflier001/Wikipedia

offer here.” The Merchant’s Inn gained 42.7 per cent of the vote, with the Cabbage Patch the runner-up, securing 35.6 per cent.

trade.inapub.co.uk 23/04/2018 00:55

Champions Cup final

It won’t be Sarries picking up the cup again this year but the final will no doubt be a tough-tackling treat for Rugby Union fans.

May 12, BT Sport/Sky Sports, 4.45pm

Champions League final Not only will Europe’s finest football teams meet in Kiev on this date but May 26 also sees the Championship Play-Off Final and rugby’s Premiership finals. The Europa League final is May 16.

May 26, BT Sport, Champions League Final, 7.45pm

Happening this month End of the Prem

The title is Man City’s but who is going down and who will claim those final European places? Watch the drama unfold.

May 13, Sky Sports, 3pm

May 5, Sky Sports Box Office

Bank Holidays

There are two Bank Holidays to remember this month, so expect some slightly longer than usual Sunday and Monday sessions.

The royal wedding: did you know?

It’s the match everyone’s talking about, and for once we are not talking sport.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tie the knot this month. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. The royal couple will become newlyweds on May 19 in a ceremony at Windsor Castle. The marriage takes place at 1pm, so get those TVs on if you want to screen it.

2. Keep the remote handy because the FA Cup finals in England and Scotland are also being played on May 19.

3. This is a British and American celebration so why not mark it with some pairings of your own? American food and British beer or vice versa, there is plenty to play with.

Chicken wings and an IPA, anyone?

Bellew v Haye

Seconds out, Round 2. Liverpudlian underdog Tony Bellew surprised many boxing fans with his victory over the Hayemaker just over a year ago. Can he do it again?

Pic: Aurelien Guichard

Local & Community History Month This month-long event is designed to raise awareness of what has happened locally in years gone by. Pubs could play a big part.

All month

May 7 and 28

4. Whether you care about the wedding or not it gives you the opportunity to stay open for longer. All pubs and bars have been given a special exemption to stay open until 1am on the Friday and Saturday — no TENs required.

5. Don’t lose your head but May 19 is also the date on which another royal bride, Anne Boleyn was executed in 1536.

Pic: 70023venus2009

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23/04/2018 00:58

Where are you

by MATT ELEY

watching it?

Most pubs and their customers will want to see England advance at the World Cup this summer. But how they see events unfold comes down to your screen choices. You could settle for that old set in the corner or you could look at some alternative options that could really put your pub in the i ture.�

TV’s outside? In this country, with our weather? Aqualite Outdoor boss Kim Mennen says his company has provided TVs to businesses based in Finland with temperatures o 35 an in the i le ast here the mercury can rise to 40 .

That should just about cover the vagaries of a British summer.

He explains: “They started to become popular when the smoking ban came in, so people could go outside and not miss the action. Now lots of places have them just because people enjoy being able to see hat s oin on outsi e. he orl up is one of our busier times, along with the Summer and Winter Olympics.”

Won’t they get damaged?

These are heavy pieces of kit, built to withstand rain, sun or even very angry customers. Kim continues: “We had one pub tell us that when England went out of the last orl up someone as so an ry that they threw a pint glass at the TV but it bounced back in his direction, which resulted in a cheer from the other customers.”

Can’t I just put a telly in a protective box?

You can, and that is certainly a cheaper option but they could be more susceptible to theft or damage than the purpose-built sealed units.

What about the three years, 11 months and two weeks when England aren’t in the World Cup? If there’s nothing decent on the telly you can always use the screens for advertising. They have USB connection points so you can display promotions or even advertise what games are coming up next. Or you could sell advertising to local businesses. You can also digitally link TVs to show the same

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Toilet television

Aidan Coughlan, owner of Isaac’s in Ipswich, installed screens in his pub’s outside area eight years ago

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When England went out of the last World Cup, someone was so angry that they threw a pint glass at the TV but it bounced back in his direction, which resulted in a cheer from the other customers trade.inapub.co.uk

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promotions at multiple pubs or throughout an estate. As well as in pubs, you might see similar screens at train stations, theme parks or any time you happen to be on a luxury yacht…

It sounds expensive.� Due to the elements they must withstand and being designed to minimise glare, it is going to cost more for an outdoor TV than your regular telly.

Can I hire one?

You can hire outdoor screens from numerous companies, or just do what Trish Baldwin at The Bell By The Green in Devizes, Wiltshire, is doing. She and partner James Blake took over the tenancy at the Wadworth’s-owned sports bar in March.

There are 14 screens inside the pub – ranging from 55-inch to 75-inch – but she wanted an alternative option for the summer.

“We have a big car park and we are going to put up a marquee for the duration of the tournament,” she says. “We are hiring a 110inch TV for it, which will be big enough for 150 people to see. We are also going to run a bottle bar outside to speed up service.”

Trish hires all the TVs in the pub rather than buying them outright. She explains: “We considered buying, but with hiring if something goes wrong you can just phone up the company (Chantry Digital) and they will replace it rather than you having to go out and buy a new set.”

Phil Cutter, landlord at award-winning Norwich freehouse The Gardeners Arms, known locally as The Murderers, believes his was the first pub to have TVs installed in the toilets. He says: “Sport is a great way to get people coming back to pubs and through having TVs in our toilets our customers don’t miss a moment of the action.”

MORE TV TIPS ALWAYS KNOW WHERE THE REMOTE CONTROL IS You don’t want the telly going into standby at a vital moment because it has been on too long.

GET THE SOUND RIGHT For England games fans will want to hear commentary above the din of the pub, so make sure speakers and zoning systems are in order DON’T RUSH OUT TO BUY A 4K TV The World Cup is being broadcast in 4K (Ultra HD) by FIFA but the BBC and ITV do not offer 4K channels yet.

23/04/2018 08:29

Cricket cheats 2 1

by MATT ELEY

Cricket has found itself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately but don’t let that leave you stumped this summer — Inapub has some tricks that should help you bring fans of the sport flocking to your pub.

1

Hook up with a local side…

If there’s a village or local team near you, hopefully they already use you as a base. If not, it’s time to reach out.

Brian Priest, landlord at The Chequers in Swinford, near Rugby, has a couple of cricket teams that use his pub. “There’s a side that plays on the village green and recently the pub football team decided to set up a cricket team. They always come back for a drink,” he says.

2

…or set up your own

Rich Molloy, landlord at Molloy’s in St Marychurch, Torquay, took it one stage further by helping to set up a new team: St Marychurch Old Boys. The Inapub columnist says: “A lot of players found club cricket was getting too serious or they weren’t getting picked, so we set it up for some fun. You have to come back to the pub afterwards, or you don’t get picked the next week.”

3

Build up strength in depth

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Spread your sponsorship

5

Provide the food

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Make sure you’ve got a jug

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Take it outside

If you do set up a team, make sure you have more than the bare 11. Rich says even with a squad of 20-plus it can be hard to get a team out some weeks due to other summer commitments. “Ideally you want the full team, a scorer, an umpire and a 12th man,” he adds.

As well as sponsoring the Old Boys, Rich also takes out adverts for the pub in the programmes other local cricket sides produce. “We are in three or four different ones and it helps get a few other teams back here for drinks,” he says.

There aren’t many sports that stop for a meal but it is one of the many great quirks of cricket. Brian provides tea straight from the pub for his footballersturned-cricketers.

Another great cricket tradition is that successful players — normally those who score 50 or take five wickets — have to buy a jug of drink for their teammates. Always have one (or two) handy behind the bar.

If the sun is out the players might like to be as well. David Vaira, Sky Business marketing controller, says: “Why not think about installing some screens in the outside areas of your pub, such as the beer garden or patio (see pages 46-47), if it’s viable, to show the cricket? Combine it with a barbecue or outdoor food offering, if the weather plays ball, and you’re sure to create a great experience for your customers.”

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CRICKET ON TV NOW UNTIL THE FINAL ON MAY 27 Indian Premier League

All out: cricket can be thirsty work, so make sure the teams pick your pub after the game

8

Don’t forget the opposition

Cricket is a social game and the opposition will often come back for a drink or two after a match. Make them feel at home because they are also potential returning customers.

“

9

Keep an eye on the weather

Rain can stop or delay play, which means the players could be looking for something to do (or something to drink) before they pull on the whites. Rain might not be good for cricket but it isn’t necessarily bad for business.

Cricket is a social game and the opposition Be a clubhouse will often come 10 Some cricket clubs will have their own clubhouses with bars, but others back for a drink will need a base. You can be it. Rich says: “We have all the meetings here and after or two after a a few drinks they tend to convince me to spend a bit more on sponsorship.” match. Make use your box 11 Always them feel You might not draw in the same numbers as you would for a big footat home ball match but, naturally, cricket players like to see how the stars perform.

12

Practise your delivery

Make sure you communicate what’s coming up at the pub with your cricket club members. David adds: “Drop them a line to let them know what games you’ll be showing over the summer.”

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TESTS MAY 24 — 28 1st Test

England v Pakistan

JUN 1— 5 2nd Test

England v Pakistan

AUG 1 — 5 1st Test

England v India

AUG 9 —13 2nd Test

England v India

AUG 18 — 22 3rd Test

England v India

AUG 30 — SEP 4 4th Test

England v India

SEP 7—11 5th Test

England v India

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England v India

DOMESTIC SEP 15 T20 Blast

Edgbaston

All on Sky Sports. Check listings for times.

MAY 2018 49 23/04/2018 11:59

stay 11

An (AA) Inspector Calls

by ROBYN BLACK

“

Often I find businesses don’t invest enough in the mattress... bed quality is paramount to a good night’s sleep

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Simon Numphud, managing director of hotel and hospitality services at The AA, is head of the rating schemes for both the AA and Visit England and has worked in hospitality his whole career. It’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about how to get accommodation right (and wrong).

Simon doesn’t just inspect pubs, of course — hotels and bed-and-breakfasts come under his remit too — so Inapub wondered if there was anything licensees could learn from them. There was only one way to find out: we gave him a call. Here’s what we learned…

ten isn’t picked up or the person who does answer isn’t trained to take the reservation.

More and more people are habitually online and booking via mobile devices is increasingly common too, so even if you do have online booking set up do check it works well on mobile too.

Inapub: When inspecting accommodation, what are the immediate signs you look for that suggest it is going to be a good one?

Simon: Before we even arrive, we are looking carefully, just as a guest will, at the website and booking facilities. Is the website easy to navigate? Up-to-date? Are there good-quality, wellchosen images that tell me something about the venue and has it won any awards?

It is around booking, in fact, that pubs can compare badly — often we find booking an inn more difficult than a B&B or hotel.

The phone of-

Inapub: What can pubs do to stand out in a crowded marketplace?

Simon: Pubs have a huge advantage here, as one of the best ways to make your proposition unique is to offer a real sense of place. Pubs can often do this through the building — make something of its history and story because guests generally really enjoy that.

Your drink offers, too, can be a clear differentiator: local ales, craft beers and gins are very much in vogue.

MAY 2018 23/04/2018 01:28

stay.

Inapub: What can licensees learn from the B&B market that will help them improve their accommodation?

Simon: What B&Bs do very well, overall, is offer a warm welcome. There’s the offer of refreshment on arrival and a sense of genuine hospitality. Remember, it is likely your guests will have had a long journey to get to you, so anticipate what might make that first impression even better. It’s not rocket science but things like pre-filling in details on forms if guests must register — you’ll have all the info from their booking and it shows a degree of care and thought.

Make sure the heating is already on and the room is cosy in winter, or cool with a window open in the summer. Draw the curtains and have a light or two on if they are arriving after dark.

On a more practical level, think about what the outside of the building looks like when people arrive. Are the bins overflowing? Are pathways well lit and are there clear signs from the car park to show the way?

Pubs have a huge advantage over many hotels and B&Bs because they can offer a real sense of place

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Inapub: Is it the same for hotels?

Simon: Where hotels can stand out is around the design and comfort of rooms — pubs do some great things but I would say, because the focus is on food and drink sales, the rooms can often seem like an afterthought.

Stay in your rooms for the night to see it from the perspective of a guest. When you do that a lot of things will jump out at you and you can make improvements. It might be as simple as re-arranging the room or taking out a piece of furniture to make it more spacious and easy to move around in, or it might be something more significant like not having enough plug sockets.

Sockets are crucial these days, because we have to charge everything, so not only do you need enough of them but they also need to be in convenient and obvious places.

The other thing I would say is around mattresses. Often I find businesses don’t invest enough in the mattress. We’d recommend buying a contract-quality one, not a domestic mattress. Bed quality is paramount to a good night’s sleep, which is why people are staying with you after all.

MAY 2018

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23/04/2018 01:29

back-bar business

Learning from

by JAMES EVISON

the best

The publican’s nightmare: the TripAdvisor review that ruins the reputation of your pub. But despite the headlines, with a bit of careful work, you can use customer review sites to get very positive results for your business. Here are some examples from the best-rated pubs in the country – all of which were ‘top ten pubs’ in their localities at the time of writing.

To reply or not to reply?

It is the perennial dilemma of many licensees, but do you respond to TripAdvisor reviews? A lot of independent pubs don’t bother to respond to customers. Even some of the pubs featured here as best-practice examples don’t reply. So why should you?

We’d say, it’s because you aren’t the best but are hoping to get there. To make your venue stand out, make the customer feel wanted, needed, and listened to.

It’s your front door to the world Be engaged on the platform. This may sound obvious but the first bad review will be someone who discovered the menu was incorrect or the opening hours were wrong.

Always ensure the contact details are available and highlight changes to format or offer as soon as possible. The chances are that on a search engine the first result for your venue will be TripAdvisor, so treat it as your front door to the world.

Best-rated example: The Waldorf, Manchester Up-to-date details and a description of the pub delivered concisely in a few sentences. Outlines that it has ‘smartened up its look’ recently, and that it has teamed up with Banger Bros on a food menu. Talks about the venue itself, and that it has a first floor function room for hire. Keeps it brief, relevant, and precise.

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Best-rated example: The Cove Bar, Hope Cove, Devon The Cove has a certificate of excellence for great reviews – but also responds to them.

Toby and the team often respond to reviews, either good or bad, and make sure to feel engaged with the site. He says: “We always pass on any good comments to staff and engage with those who write great reviews.

“Equally, there are always strong views on TripAdvisor, and licensees should feel able to respond to comments. You have to be smart, and make sure everyone is catered for. But the best way to get great reviews is to run a great pub.”

trade.inapub.co.uk 23/04/2018 08:21

Forget the internet and just be fantastic There is another way of looking at TripAdvisor… it is irrelevant. The truth is great food and drink, the fantastic and attentive service, beautiful interiors, and wonderful, warm atmosphere will get you up the ranking.

Just read the reviews of the examples given in this feature and you will discover what makes a “top ten” pub. Yes, you will find the odd bad review. It happens. But the pubs are top ten venues because of the ‘certificate of excellence’ for their hosting skills.

As John Creevy of Windmill Taverns explains: “I wanted to showcase what a great welcome was at Mc and Sons. To make people feel involved as soon as they stepped through the door. Great service matters and makes a difference.

“The five-star reviews show that.”

The Circus Tavern

“

You have to be smart, and make sure everyone is catered for.

But the best way to get great reviews is to offer a great pub

Best-rated examples: Read the TripAdvisor reviews for: • i re o in irmin ham • he onk s etreat in otnes • he ircus a ern in anchester • he umble rape in on on

Get snappy

If you are proud of your interior design and have spent a fortune refurbishing the pub, then show it off on TripAdvisor with photos.

As a Business Advantage customer you can e en uploa i eo. o e er just makin sure there is a quality primary photo on the carousel and a collection of photos showcasing the venue, food and drink will suffice, and draw custom from online.

Best rated examples: The Humble Grape, and Mc & Sons, Southwark, London he umble rape has 115 pictures on the

he umble rape

carousel with many high-quality photos from the licensee. It clearly outlines the quality of the offer, the environment of the venue, and the drinks and food available.

John Creevy, operations director at Mc & Sons owner Windmill Taverns, tells how the Southwark venue has flown up the rankings since it opened in October.

“We have a lot of customers come in and take pictures of the design and food, but equally the professional shots which sit at the top of the page are great,” he says.

“We make sure that the site shows exactly what you are getting at the pub.”

To make your venue stand out, make the customer feel wanted, needed, and listened to

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MAY 2018 53 23/04/2018 08:21

time at the bar

TOP

10

SUPPORTERS' PUBS World Cup venues for fans of all national teams 1. Germany

Octoberfest Pub, Fulham, London If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Expect a more than 60 German beers, bratwursts, oompah bands, lederhosen and envy-inducing displays of footballing competence.

2. Saudi Arabia

Geese & Fountain, Grantham, Leicestershire With Saudi being a dry country, it might seem fitting to watch with a glass of something soft. The Geese is recommended by teetotal pub-crawlers Club Soda for its range of alcohol-free beers and sparkling pressés

3. Belgium

The Old Red Lion Theatre Pub, Clerkenwell, London Established as a Belgium supporters’ pub, this is the place to come to cheer on Eden Hazard et al with a fine selection of beers.

4. South Korea

The New Malden, Pusan, South Korea OK, so it’s a long way to go for a pint and some fish & chips, but if you’re after a British pub vibe with a bunch of South Koreans going crazy, this place will be tough to beat.

Even if they haven’t quite hit the nail on the head with the whole British pub name thing.

5. Denmark

The Rose of Denmark, Charlton, London A staunchly Charlton Athletic pub during the domestic season, The Rose welcomes supporters of all stripes, even putting up photos of away fans on its walls. Spurs fans might think the name refers to midfield dynamo Christian Eriksen, but it’s more likely to be Princess Alexandra, wife of Edward VII.

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6. Nigeria

The Rye, Peckham, London A pub that takes its sport seriously, with a big screen and a big garden, in the middle of the UK’s biggest Nigerian neighbourhood. Expect fireworks here when the Super Eagles face Argentina on June 26 – a rematch of the 2014 group game in which the Nigerians narrowly lost a five-goal thriller.

7. France

The Carpenters Arms, Ascot, Berkshire Run by French expats with a Michelin-star background, the Carpenters can offer an authentic French menu along with a traditional lounge bar and sports TV. Allez, allez!

8. Australia

The Alexandra, Clapham, London Nestled in the heart of Aussie expat-land, with seven big screens, there’s bound to be a bonzer atmosphere in here when the Socceroos take on France on June 16. With a sport-obsessed nation still reeling from the discovery their cricket team are a bunch of cheats, will salt be rubbed into the wound?

9. Poland

The Belvedere, Acton, London A Mecca for Polish sport fans and the venue for the I Love Polish Party, there will surely be an entirely wholesome kind of Pole dancing here if the White Eagles can claim a win.

10. Panama

The Famous 3 Kings, Fulham, London How many Panama fans are there in the UK? To find out, head here for their game v England on June 24th – the award-winning sports pub sucks in supporters of from every corner of the globe.

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These quizzy rascals at The Crown in Radnage, Buckinghamshire, raised more than £2,000, as part of the World’s Biggest Pub Quiz this year. Overall the event has raised £139, 256 so far… and counting, with organiser PubAid hoping to hit the £200,000 mark. This year 2,200 pubs took part, a whopping 200 per cent increase on last year. This is the third year of the initiative, in which pubs can choose to support PubAid’s charity partner Prostate Cancer UK, or another charity. The quizmasters at The Crown donated the cash they raised to the Motor Neurone Disease Association. PubAid co-founder Des O’Flanagan said: “Pubs raise more than £100m for charity every year, and we’re pleased to see this message is now getting through to consumers, MPs and others, helping to shape positive perceptions of the great British pub.”

THE COLLECTION TIN What pubs around the country are doing to help good causes The Dodford Inn in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, was the final stop for a charity tractor drive that raised £804 last month, to be split between the MS Society and the Coronary Care Unit at Worcestershire Royal Hospital. Eighteen farmers and their tractors took part in the parade, stopping at seven pubs, to rattle the collection buckets and sell raffle tickets.

More than 15 per cent of Heineken’s 2,000 employees are expected to take part in a two-day event in the Cotswolds this summer. Participants in Race to the Tower can walk, jog or run a half-marathon, full marathon or ultra-marathon in aid of MIND, the mental health charity. Last year Heineken raised £30,000 for Mind, and £125,000 in total for other charities.

The Prince of Wales in Sudbury, Suffolk has launched a sixmonth drive to raise funds for local mental health campaign Just Talk. The first event was a casino night, complete with roulette, blackjack and poker tables, that raised £300.

A book celebrating community pubs has raised £300 for Cancer Research UK. The Jolly Regulars, by journalist Rhiannon Stocking Williams, was launched at The Jolly Anglers in Reading, Berkshire, and stars 37 of the pub’s regulars.

LANDLORD OF THE MONTH A pie supper and quiz night at The Old Bowling Green in Winster, Derbyshire, brought in £1,300 for Prostate Cancer UK and brought home the title of Landlord of the Month to publican David Bentley. David was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February 2016. He said he chose to support Prostate Cancer UK after the charity supported him during that time, and to raise awareness of the disease, which affects one in eight men in the UK. “I am really surprised to be named Landlord of the Month, what an honour!” David told Inapub “The recognition though, should be jointly awarded to my wife Marilyn and all our staff – who freely volunteered their services on the night – and our loyal customers who so generously

supported the evening, without whom it would not have been possible.”

The Old Bowling Green will now be in with the chance of being named Prostate Cancer UK’s “Favourite Local”, judged by a panel of industry experts including Masterchef judge Gregg Wallace and darts legend Bobby George. For more information on your pub becoming a Men United Arms in support of Prostate Cancer UK, or for a fundraising pack, visit prostatecanceruk.org/menunitedarms

Are you raising funds for a great cause? Let us know at editorial@inapub.co.uk

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trade.inapub.co.uk 23/04/2018 09:14

PLATE OR SLATE? Where the nation’s publicans stand on the really big questions Nick Stephens The Gun Hackney, London

Plate or slate?

Nick (pictured in red t-shirt, with regular punter Mehdi) bought The Gun on the first day of the 2014 World Cup, with business partners Olly Dixon and Ben Raumann. Their aim was to turn it back into a “bloody good local”.

They serve beer from independent brewers, artisan spirits, small plates and cornflake fried chicken. Friends come to play records and evenings often turn into a party.

Brass all day long.

Family friendly or keep the kids home?

Cocktails or cask ale?

Well-managed kids. Low tolerance for lazy parenting and raucous nippers (I have kids).

Cask AND cocktails. Often one in each hand. (Fun fact, Americans refer to having a drink in each hand as “double fisting”) .

Wear what you like or uniforms for the staff?

Plate.

Brass or chrome fittings?

Mustard cords or skinny jeans?

Won’t catch me in either without a fight.

Cash or Apple Pay? Cash but increasingly and reluctantly Apple.

Background music or silence is golden?

Music is the answer.

Wear what you like but don’t dress like a twat.

Book in advance or find a seat where you can?

We do bookings for food but prefer turning up in general.

Live sport or big-screen ban Low-key sport – no outside advertising. Just BT or terrestrial.

Karaoke or pub quiz?

Quiz before five pints – karaoke after.

Shabby chic or design shrine?

Not overly designed, and real, not shabby.

Table service or order at the bar?

Table service upstairs and at the bar downstairs.

Dyson Airblade or hand towels?

Neither – we’ve had to put in low-strength dryers due to the vibrations of a stronger model irking a neighbour. It’s like being coughed on by a septuagenarian. Not ideal.

Big night out or a meal with friends?

Meal with friends that ends up in a big night out.

Packet of scratchings or Michelin stars?

Scratchings made by a chef.

Dogs allowed or the only animals are on the menu? #thegundogs

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23/04/2018 10:05

time at the bar

HAIR OF THE DOG Tales of the unexpected from the wonderful world of pubs Premier Inns , pondered named after Lord North Why are there no pubs .

The Spectator last month I know 0 to 1782 but, “as far as 177 m fro Prime Minister author and list rna jou te r him,” wro not even a pub named afte Zenga Longhorn. ely considrather witty, but was wid He was, by all accounts, es through lost the American coloni ered at the time to have . bungling mismanagement management” mis ling Given the “bung er makes us of modern day PMs, it rath r be some eve l re’l the wonder whether May we m? the r afte boozers named (to s Arm ir Bla y suggest the Ton ron me Ca Iraq) or the David Inn (out of Europe)?

Maybe not.

April round-up In a world getting crazier by the day, it can be hard to tell the fake news from reality. Last month saw a slew of mind-boggling stories from across the industry.

No sooner had we rolled our eyes at the news Coca-Cola was making a play for the hipster market with an avocado variant, than energy drink Carabao announced a new flavour of its own Mandarin Orange, intended as an homage to the US president’s skin tone. Not to be outdone, Bud Light announced they would be turning Piccadilly Circus blue in a bid to help its “Dilly Dilly” catchphrase translate across the Pond.

Then, to the disgust or red-blooded boozers everywhere, it was announced that Prince Harry’s stag do would be a sedate weekend of yoga and chakra realignment…

All sounded pretty foolish to us, as we flipped over to the fourth page of The Inapub Inn’s calendar.

58 MAY 2018

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Taciturn Tim tweets his last Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin has never been shy of sharing his opinions on the state of the nation. From now on he’ll be doing so through traditional media though, with the pubco giant having quit Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in disgust at the trolling of MPs and the amount of time people in general are wasting on social media.

“We are going against conventional wisdom that these platforms are a vital component of a successful business. I don’t believe that closing these accounts will affect our business whatsoever,” Tim told ’spoons’ 44,000 followers, announcing the decision through the medium of … er… Twitter.

Beat that for a mo uthful London listing sit e The Londonist asked its reader they knew what s recently if was the capital’s longest pub nam Suggestions inclu e. ded The Only Ru nning Footman fair; Paradise by in MayWay of Kensal Gr een in the north city and Zeitgeist -west of the at The Jolly Gard eners in Lambe The winner so fa th. r however, is the Jack Beard’s at and Anchor, in Po The Hope plar (suggested, incidentally, by a calling himself Di reader amond Geezer – you don’t get m uch more Lahnda hn than that). The m oniker, including spaces and punc tuation, comes in at 35 characters , but we’d like to know what the UK ’s longest pub names are. Sugg estions on a scro ll, email (editorial@ inapub.co.uk), or Twitter (@Inapub , if they’ll fit) plea se.

trade.inapub.co.uk 23/04/2018 11:45

Introducing the pub trade’s first DIGITAL online guide to digital marketing Only

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Follow step-by-step guides to improve your visibility on Google

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WE’VE HAD OUR BEST YEAR YET. MARTIN THATCHER HAS BOUGHT A NEW TRACTOR TO CELEBRATE. *

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Thatchers Gold is the8 fastest selling draught apple cider in the category. It looks like Haze is doing well too, growing at 133%.**

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*Source: CGA OPM Data to 27.01.18 **Source: CGA Vol growth 52we 30.12.17

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