The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) has elected Keith Bott as its new Chairman. Bott takes up the position following the organisation’s AGM in Stratford-on-Avon today, at which current Chairman Peter Amor stood down from the role he had held for three years.

Bott, the MD of Stoke-on-Trent’s Titanic Brewery, was elected by SIBA’s board of trustees. He served four years as SIBA Chairman from 2003 – 2007, a period of rapid growth for the organisation , following the introduction of Progressive Beer Duty (PBD) in 2002.

Bott comments, “SIBA today is a very different organisation to the one I chaired three years ago.  Since then, we have appointed our first chief executive, Julian Grocock, who has steered SIBA through a period of change and enhanced our standing with Government,  trade bodies, the media and other stakeholders.

“This is an exciting time to be taking on the Chairman’s role, and I look forward to working with Julian, as well as SIBA’s trustees and directors, to ensure the continued success of the UK’s thriving quality beer sector.”  

Bott will stand down as from his current position as SIBA President and will include the role’s political lobbying elements within the Chairman’s remit. 

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Health lobbyists are campaigning for a landmark bylaw that will allow councils across the North West to bring in minimum pricing.

In a document, seen by The Publican, the Manchester-based health body, Our Life, has outlined the “strongest legal approach” for getting a minimum price of 50p in the region’s pubs and supermarkets.

The move has been welcomed by a Manchester-based trade body, representing more than 600 on-trade venues in the city, and tallies with The Publican’s own Make it the Minimum campaign.

Councils are being asked by Our Life to force the government into giving local authorities the power to introduce a minimum price.

The group has taken legal advice which shows that under the Local Government Act 1972, a bylaw can be introduced for the “prevention” and “suppression” of nuisance in an area.

It also highlights that under the Local Government Act 2000, councils have the power to do anything “likely to promote the economic, social or environmental wellbeing of their area”.

The group says the strategy would avoid falling foul of competition law, which is the major stumbling block around minimum pricing.

Reports emerged last year that councils and National Health Service leaders were pushing for a minimum price due to concerns about alcohol-related problems in the North West.

But the new document shows the health community is determined to make a noise about the issue, as the government seems reluctant to act on minimum pricing on a national scale.

Andy Walker, head of corporate affairs at Our Life, said the bylaw proposal was currently “just an idea up for discussion”.

But he added: “For a lot of councils and health bodies around the region the bill for alcohol problems is becoming unaffordable.

“The supermarkets are very much part of this and it’s something that needs to be addressed.”

The group admits that even if the bylaw bid fails it would still “send a message to government that real and tangible action on alcohol pricing is now required”.

Phil Burke, a spokesman for the Manchester Pub and Club Network, said the group “fully supported” any scheme that would bring in minimum pricing.

“It will give us a fair playing field and it’s what we’ve been asking for for a long, long time,” he said.

“It’s really affecting people’s livelihoods.”

But Lee Le Clercq, regional secretary for the British Beer & Pub Association North, questioned the idea of a bylaw.

“I cannot begin to imagine how UK competition laws would allow such an anti-competitive bylaw no matter how well intentioned it might be,” he said.

“If we are to have minimum pricing it must be national not local.

“What is even more surprising is that in times of public sector cutbacks and anticipated job losses, there are those who consider this an effort worthy of the investment of public money.”

Taken from:  The Publican

By James Wilmore

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Top UK beer author Roger Protz has hailed South Yorkshire’s Acorn Brewery as ‘a shining example of craft brewers’ after sampling the innovative brewer’s award winning cask brews.

The country’s foremost beer writer and editor of the annual Camra (Campaign for Real Ale) Good Beer Guide visited Barnsley to learn more of Acorn’s fast growing success as a craft brewer. Roger has written 18 books on beer and pubs - including ‘The Beer Lover’s Guide to Cricket’.

Acorn’s core cask-conditioned brews – Barnsley Bitter, Barnsley Gold, Old Moor Porter, Gorlovka Imperial Stout and newcomer Conquest - have won more than forty awards for the seven-year-old brewer*. Recently sale volumes spiralled by 29 per cent on the previous year, well above average in the steadily growing cask beer market**. All beers use the same yeast strain as the original Barnsley Brewery of the 1850’s, to provide their distinctive Yorkshire character.

After looking around the Wombwell brewery, Roger tasted several Acorn beers with head brewer Dave Hughes at Elsecar’s historic Market Hotel - the brewery’s first pub customer. The tasting included a pioneering IPA (India Pale Ale) range showcasing New Zealand hop varieties throughout 2010.

In previous years hop varieties from the UK, USA and Europe have been featured in the special brews and demand has grown each year. All are brewed to the same recipe at 5%abv strength with only the hop changing. With 36 IPA cask ales brewed since 2007, Acorn brewers believe they already have set a world record for brewing in this original 19th century style.

The first brew was Pacific Gem with ‘distinctive berry fruit aroma and was followed by Motueka offering ‘a desirable new world “noble” aroma’ and New Zealand Cascade with ‘exceptional levels of citrus’. This initiative has been praised in the Society of Independent Brewers Business Awards.
Roger said: “Acorn Brewery is a shining example of the new breed of craft breweries that are bringing taste and flavour back to beer. Acorn has a fine portfolio of beer, ranging from traditional bitter, through golden ale to porter and stout. In the 21st century, Acorn is brewing the type of beer that a growing number of discriminating consumers want to drink**.The Barnsley Bitter has a lovely hop resin aroma. It’s all about the beauty of the hop and its quite dark for a bitter. It also has a little taste of chocolate in the mouth”

Dave Hughes said: “It was a real pleasure to tell our success story to Roger and introduce him to our popular beers including the new IPA selection. This positive feedback from such a leading industry figure is very much appreciated as we prepare to invest further in our own growth and the craft beer revival.”

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Nottinghamshire’s largest independent brewery, Springhead, is celebrating an 800% growth in demand for its reciprocal trading business from December 2009 to February 2010 as a result of an intensified firkin swapping campaign.

Like many small breweries Springhead has long been involved in a barrel exchange system with other like-minded breweries. This co-operative effect enables them to forge long-lasting relationships with both free houses and pub groups and introduces the breweries to a wider geographical audience. In the last six months Springhead has increased the number of breweries it trades with tenfold and is now guaranteed £100, 000 in gross sales for the coming year.

The end of 2009 and the start of 2010 has been witness to some of the largest developments to Springhead’s marketing activity, including a complete re-brand and the appointment of and North-East agent and two new sales managers, one of whom is National Accounts Manager, Phil Owen who has been the driving force behind the successes of the beer swap.

The initiative sees Springhead swapping a mix of its five core beers, including its most popular beer, Roaring Meg, and a specially selected monthly brew from its larger selection of 12 further beers with other similar microbreweries belonging to SIBA, The Society of Independent Brewers. Each microbrewery then has a range of different beers from all around the country with which to trade, selling them on to their regular suppliers, pubs and pub groups. Each beer from the Springhead portfolio is created from an entirely separate recipe to focus on different strengths, colours and flavours to account for different tastes across the UK. Springhead plans to trade with 40 other breweries in 2010 stretching from Newcastle to Cornwall.

As well as the obvious benefits it brings, such as increasing the presence of Springhead’s beers, and those of the other participating breweries’, in real ale pubs around the country, this co-operative effect leads to efficiencies in haulage, reduced costs for both parties and casks are returned quicker than average. In addition, Springhead is able to support the pub groups by supplying its newly rebranded point of sale materials as well as, for instance, regular “meet the brewery” nights held in their pubs.

Springhead’s Managing Director, Helen Teasdale has said: “The beginning of 2010 has been quite tough for the pub trade, with the poor weather affecting sales, so I am delighted that things seem to be looking up. The team at Springhead has really got behind the beer swapping and I hope that the new drinkers who are being introduced to the brand up and down the country enjoy it as much as our regulars.”

Springhead bottled beers are available in Morrison’s nationally and regionally in Waitrose, The Co-op, Asda, Majestic, and Tesco’s supermarkets.

For further stockist details please call 01636 821 000. Springhead Brewery encourages you to enjoy its products in moderation.

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David & Keith Bott

Stoke-on-Trent based Titanic Brewery has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award in recognition of its growing fleet of community pubs.

The brewery has invested heavily in reviving “the local” by buying and refurbishing dilapidated pubs across North Staffordshire.

Now its determination to buck the trend of pub closures has led to a position on the four-strong shortlist for the Publican newspaper’s Multiple Operator of the Year award.

The winner will be announced at a gala evening at London’s famous Grosvenor Hotel on April 21.

The prestigious nomination comes as the brewery, based at Lingard Street, Burslem, celebrates its 25th anniversary.

During that time Titanic has grown from small beginnings to produce around two million pints of fine ale a year with the brewery’s beer sold in pubs and supermarkets across the UK.

However, the award nomination is for its work in its home area of North Staffordshire where Titanic has established a popular chain of four pubs.

“In the early years we probably sold more beer in Newcastle-on-Tyne than Stoke-on-Trent, but we recognised that there would be benefits in selling our product ourselves through local outlets,” explained Managing Director Keith Bott.

“The pub estate provides our shop ‘port-hole’ in the local area and allows beer drinkers to connect directly with the brewery and to feel part of a growing local company. The involvement of customers and the ability to interact and feel part of the Titanic family is exceptionally important to us.”

Titanic bought its first pub, the Bulls Head, Burslem, in 1992, but only began to expand its fleet in 2007 when the brewery forged an innovative partnership with a larger company Everard’s.

The joint venture, combining Titanic’s local knowledge and consumer loyalty with Everards pub purchasing and operating skills has resulted in three new pubs – the Greyhound, Newcastle-under-Lyme,the White Star, Stoke, and the Royal Exchange, Stone.

Titanic Brewery now employs more than 100 people in North Staffordshire and has invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in its four pubs.

Keith added: “Despite the current trend of closures and the global recession we believe there is still a place for traditional style community pubs.

“Titanic’s success comes through giving people what they want – a traditional local pub where people can enjoy good quality products in comfortable surroundings.

“Our pubs are firmly part of the communities they serve. There are no flashy gimmicks or large screen televisions.”

Titanic Pubs are renowned for their community work, each pub raises funds for local and national charities, the Greyhound hosts a popular carol service complete with brass band and the White Star provides a much needed venue for local musicians and poets.

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the bitterness hop grown in trial by the National Hop Association

The first hop to come out of the National Hop Association’s breeding programme will be tasted for the first time by delegates at the SIBA Conference in Stratford-on-Avon on 4th + 5th March.

SIBA contributed £10,000 to save the hop breeding programme from Wye College when it was closed following the removal of Government funding in 2007. With support from the industry, including SIBA, the programme was restarted on land near Canterbury under the continued direction of Dr Peter Darby.

The hop to be tasted next month has been in trial for the last two years and is a bitter dwarf variety. Dr Darby explains, “Currently, many bitter hops are imported, particularly by the larger breweries. A domestic alternative will appeal to brewers who are interested in the provenance of their ingredients, as well as reducing their food miles. So we’re keen to get an early response from SIBA members.” The new hop, being a dwarf type, also requires fewer pesticides than traditional varieties.

Shepherd Neame have used the new hop in a trial brew, samples of which will be offered to the 300+ delegates in Stratford. Everyone tasting it will be asked to complete a detailed response card, giving their views on the bitterness imparted by the hop and whether they would consider using it instead of their current variety. Their responses will help the National Hop Association to decide on whether or not to proceed to the next stage in the trial, which would be to grow the new variety on a number of hop farms.

Don Burgess, SIBA’s technical director, said, “We’re delighted to be asked to give our input to the hop breeding programme in this way. The future of domestic hop farming is a subject close to the hearts of many SIBA brewers, so I’m sure many Conference delegates will want to sample the new hop and offer feedback.”

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After a special request from The House of Commons The Waen Brewery beers are off to to London again for a special St David’s Day lunch showcasing the BEST of Welsh food and drink! Having had casks of their ale in the bars there last year, their bottled beers were in demand this time. d Brewster Sue Hayward says ‘We are thrilled to have been asked to supply beer for something that is shouting about the absolute best of Welsh food and drink. It’s great that our bottled beers are as in demand as the cask ales are, outside of Wales.

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Purity Brewing Co. has thrown its support behind the 4th Flatpack Festival by signing up to be the official drinks sponsor.

The Flatpack Festival, a celebration of eclectic films, animation and music, runs from 23rd – 28th March at various venues around Birmingham, including Ikon Eastside and The Electric Cinema.

Purity will supply its award-winning Pure UBU and Veltins Pilsner for all hospitality events, which will be attended by artists, filmmakers and the media, including stocking the green room for the flagship event, Fast Forward with Synth Eastwood, which features 20 musicians and artists from France, Berlin, Ireland and the UK.

Purity will also supply the beer in the festival bars at the Vivid and Ikon Eastside venues.

Paul Halsey, Purity’s Managing Director, said: “As a brand Purity has a very broad appeal. Our beers are equally at home in the traditional pub, as well as at cultural events, which is why I am so delighted to support the Flatpack Festival.

“Birmingham has a vibrant arts and culture scene and I’m keen to make Purity a part of it.”

Pip Mcknight, from the Flatpack Festival, added: “The Flatpack Festival aims to provide our audiences with the best in every way, from amazing films, right down to the beer we serve, so we are very excited to be working with Purity. Our two brands make a lot of sense as a package and, after sampling Purity’s award-winning ales, I’m sure they will be popular with festival-goers.”

Among the highlights of this year’s festival are a live score to FW Murnau’s classic silent film, Sunrise, at St Martin’s in the Bull Ring, a Plasticine Party celebrating the work of Frank Zappa’s animator Bruce Bickford, and the UK premier of restored Australian cult classic, Dogs in Space UK, which stars Michael Hutchence, the former lead singer of INXS.

Visit www.flatpackfestival.org.uk for further information about the Flatpack Festival.

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INDEPENDENT brewing firm Otley has expanded its site in Cilfynydd to match customer demand for its cask ales and bottled beers.

The brewery’s Real Beer Box, a pack of hand-selected ales, ciders and perries that customers can select and order online, was its best-seller through Christmas and the company saw a 500% increase in sales compared to last year.

As a result of the Real Beer Box sales and the company’s growth, Otley has invested £4,000 to increase its capacity by around 75%, creating a customer shop, offices and a meeting room at its site in Cilfynydd.

Later this year, Otley – which had a turnover of around £385,000 in its last financial year – will expand its cold store and secure a new unit for bottling its beers.

Nick Otley, managing director of Otley Brewing, said: “It’s a really exciting time for us, and despite the current economic climate, we have experienced strong growth. There’s evidently a demand for our products, both through direct customers to the brewery and those who choose to drink our brews in pubs.

“Leading up to Christmas in 2008 we sold an average of 20 Real Beer Boxes per day and this time round we sold up to 100 each day. We almost ran out of stock, so we needed to call in three extra staff to help us get the beer boxes out on time.

To read the full article go to:  walesonline

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