Want to own your own brewery? Is crowdfunding good for the British brewing industry?

This rise in popularity of craft ale has brought with it a desire and passion for many to start brewing their own ales. This isn’t like the homebrews of the 80’s, rancid strong liquid only fit for stripping wallpaper. These guys are cooking up some seriously sophisticated, flavoursome beers. And now with social networks and […]

Birmingham Beer Bash – craft ale comes to the Midlands

We’ve already posted a blog on the Birmingham Beer Bash but it was so good one post just doesn’t cover it. And let’s face it we couldn’t blog about a beer festival without talking about the beers we sampled. So Birmingham Beer Bash blog part two will be all about the beers. The format of […]

Birmingham Beer Bash – the rise of craft ale in the UK

Despite only having two craft breweries in Birmingham the city is home to many vocal ale fans. These fans are so passionate about the rise in craft beer they felt it necessary to create something new to showcase the many great beers from across the country and bring together a new era of ale drinkers. […]

Beer brands, marketing & the regulator: has the ASA got it wrong with BrewDog?

BrewDog is no stranger to controversy. The Scottish brewer’s brand is built on a rebellious, anti-authority streak. They’ve often gone out of their way to infuriate the industry’s own self-regulatory body, the Portman Group over the iconic packaging, high strength beers and the limited edition packaged in stuffed animals. The result is a legion of […]

Big brand ciders battle it out in the taste stakes

Carlsberg Somersby v Carling’s British Cider. It wasn’t surprising that this summer we’d have two new cider’s launching into the market from the biggest brewers. With the cider category in growth (47% since 2011 to be exact) it’s understandable that they want a bite of the apple (no pun intended!) Whether this is good or […]

Craft beer and social media – a lesson from the artisan brewers

According to Mintel statistics from America craft beer appeals to 49% of millennials and 40% of genXers. With this shift in the demographic of craft ale drinker’s inclusive social media marketing has never been more important. A recent campaign by Scottish brewers BrewDog caused quite a stir on social media. The mischievous brand sought to […]

Can responsible drinking campaigns from brands be effective?

The issue of responsible drinking is likely to come back on the agenda. Recent evidence from Scotland suggests that a fall in alcohol sales is due to the ban on multi-buy promotions. Irrespective of whether the ban has really worked and if so, how far, it is likely to encourage anti-alcohol campaigners to lobby for […]

Is the launch of ciders from the big beer brands good or bad for drinkers?

Walking into a supermarket and you’d be forgiven for thinking that cider is the nation’s new favourite beverage. The aisles are packed with apple, pear and other fruit variants. For many Strongbow, Magners and Bulmers are the main names they’d associate with cider. More surprising is the arrival of ciders from the big lager producers: […]

Don’t be a lager snob… it can be alright!

Since starting my journey into the world of ale I’ve found myself becoming a bit of a snob when it comes to lager. For my sins I used to be a Stella drinker until  the talented guys at Purity Brewing  tickled my fancy with their Mad Goose. I now feel confident, and ever so slightly proud […]

Supporting micro and craft breweries

As beer fans there’s no shortage of great ales, porters and stouts to sample and enjoy. Our recent discovery of  the beer treasure-trove that is Stirchley Wines has also opened our eyes to the sheer range of fantastic British beer. This has its downsides though as a visit to the supermarket beer aisles are disappointing […]