Research produced by the IFBB, SIBA and CAMRA demonstrates that, far from being in terminal decline as big multi-national brewers would have us believe, cask beer sales are in fact healthy and increasing. 50% of the cask beer sector consists of local and regional brewers, and the cask beer market is in fact 17% larger than industry reports would suggest. 90% of licensees report stable or growing sales of real beer, driven by a change in the brands stocked, and over 60% of regular pub goers believe that it is important that at least one beer in every pub should be locally brewed.

SIBA commercial director Nick Stafford, owner of Hambleton Ales, said ‘this research proves that our national drink, brewed by hundreds of small brewers, is increasingly popular with consumers where they are allowed to drink it. If licensees were free of inflexible ties to a limited number of small suppliers, we would see an explosion of interest in small brewers’ beers and the Great British pub!’ The full report can be found at www.caskbeerreport.org.uk

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