Can Traditional Pub Games save the Great British Pub?

Issued: Friday April 30^th 2010CAMRA Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London, August 2nd – 6th 2011, www.gbbf.org.uk

New research issued today at the Great British Beer Festival by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale suggests the return of traditional pub games like Shove Ha’penny, Bar Billiards, Skittles and Darts would encourage more young adults to visit pubs at a time when 25 pubs across Britain are closing every week. The revival of Traditional Pub Games campaign has been supported by World Darts Champions Adrian Lewis and Keith Deller.

The independently commissioned research highlighted that the numbers of regular pub-going (visiting pubs once a week or more) young adults aged 18-24 years old has been on the decline over the last 5 years, seeing figures drop from 36% in 2006 to 25% in 2011.

In recent years many pubs have been dominated by Gaming Machines that customers have to pay for, leaving consumers with less disposable income to spend at the bar. But new research shows young adults are demanding the return of traditional pub games which would result in more 18-24 years olds using pubs.

49% of adults aged 18-24 who had heard of a traditional pub game* suggested they would ‘Very likely’ or ‘Quite likely’ visit pubs more often if free traditional pub games were made available.

Colin Valentine, CAMRA National Chairman, said:

‘Pubs have had it tough in recent years with high increases in beer tax, below cost pricing in supermarkets, introduction of the smoking ban, and of course Britain’s economic problems all playing a part in a disturbing 25 pubs closing every week.

‘Our new research shows there is a worrying trend in younger adults visiting pubs less often. The pub industry needs to be working together on a plan to attract these groups back into pubs. Drinking in pubs gets young adults off the streets, and providing safe environments for people to enjoy alcohol is good for society.’

‘The research highlighted that one fun way of attracting 18-24 year olds back into pubs could be to offer free Traditional Pub Games. These games are part of our heritage and can be enjoyed by large numbers of people at no cost. This means more money can be spent at the bar which helps pubs and breweries.’

‘Of course pubs get a cut from Gaming Machines, but I am sure more profits can be made through a variety of food and drink.’

Current World Darts Champion Adrian Lewis and legendary 1983 winner Keith Deller have thrown their support behind this campaign.

Adrian Lewis said:

‘I am 100% behind CAMRA’s campaign to bring back great traditional games in to the pub like my sport darts. I started off playing darts with my family in my local pub in Stoke on Trent and through this met a lot of friends playing in the pub team. This has helped me fulfil my dream to become World Champion. I urge everyone to get behind CAMRA’s campaign to help keep our traditional games alive in the Great British pub.’

Keith Deller commented:

‘I have been a Professional darts player for 30 years. When I started playing darts there was a dartboard in every pub. The great thing about pub games is it gives people who are on their own the chance to get out and make new friends in pubs. We should all get behind CAMRA on this campaign and support what is great about being British and keep the pubs alive.’

Great British Beer Festival offers Traditional Pub Games to visitors

The Great British Beer Festival, 2-6 August, will host a large number of traditional pub games for pub-goers and licensees to try including Long Alley Skittles, Roll the Barrel, Shuffle Board, Shut the Box, Northamptonshire Skittles and Table Skittles.

John Cryne of the Festival Games stand, said:

‘Traditional Pub Games are very popular at the Great British Beer Festival. They look simple to play but are challenging and very addictive once you get started. We would encourage everyone who visits the festival to have a go and if they enjoy them return to their local pub and encourage the licensee to try them out on the local customers. If people are not sure where to start, they can contact CAMRA and we can offer advice.’

WITH ONE OF THE CITY’S LARGEST SELECTION OF CANNED BEERS, PERCY STREET BARBECUE WILL OFFER SPECIAL “CAN OF WHEAT” MENU

PHILADELPHIA, PA – On Tuesday, August 23, Chef Erin O’Shea will offer a special “Can of Wheat” beer pairing menu at Percy Street Barbecue (900 South Street, 215-625-8510). Percy Street boasts one of the city’s largest canned beers list, with over 60 selections of craft and domestic beers. For “Can of Wheat” Chef O’Shea will focus on wheat beers, perfect for summer sipping, and pair them with four courses of her Southern-inspired cuisine. The menu will be served beginning at 5 p.m., and throughout the evening, for $50 per person, not including tax and gratuity. Reservations are recommended.

“Canned beers are no longer just “lawn mower” beers, many craft brewers are offering complex and interesting beers in a can. For this special menu, we wanted to take the best, hot weather beers from our list and pair them with down-home, southern cooking,” says Chef O’Shea.

The “Can of Wheat” four-course menu will include:

1st - Open faced Country Ham Sandwich with heirloom tomatoes and Parmesan cheese, paired with Sly Fox Royal Weiss, a fruity, Bavarian style wheat beer;

2nd- Rock Shrimp with Butter Beans, cantaloupe salad and crispy chicken skin, paired with 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon, a crisp, dry and refreshing American wheat beer brewed with real watermelon;

3rd - Mushroom stuffed Turkey Breast with creamed collards, sweet corn and field peas, paired with Wild Onion Summer Wit, a Belgian-style wheat beer spiced with orange and coriander;

4th - Kentucky Fried Peaches with black pepper ice cream and a sugar wafer, paired with Avery White Rascal, an unfiltered Belgian White Ale.

Co-owned by Steven Cook and Michael Solomonov, Percy Street Barbecue is the city’s premier restaurant for smoked meats and down-home sides, all served in an austere, Texas-inspired location on the city’s lively, eclectic South Street corridor. The Philadelphia Inquirer called Percy Street “an A,” praising the flavorful smoked meats and simple, straightforward presentations that the team developed with a barbecue tour of Texas prior to opening. Chef Erin O’Shea is one of the country’s best – and only – female barbecue pit mistresses, and has been featured in Bon Appetit magazine.

Percy Street Barbecue serves dinner seven days a week and is open for all-day dining on Saturday and Sunday beginning at 11:30 am. For more information, or to reserve a spot for “Can of Wheat”, please call (215) 625-8510 or visit www.percystreet.com and follow them on twitter @percystreet.

Great British Beer Festival celebrates 5 year real ale revolution

CAMRA Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London, August 2nd – 6th 2011, www.gbbf.org.uk

On the day Britain’s biggest beer festival opens its doors to an anticipated 65,000 people over 5 days, CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is delighted to report new research showing how the real ale industry has grown exponentially over 5 years.

New consumer research out today has shown how in just 5 years, the number of drinkers trying real ale, Britain’s National Drink, for the first time, has risen by a staggering 40%, creating a whole new market for good beer to thrive, in stark comparison to when CAMRA was formed in 1971 and a handful of global brewers dominated the market.

Such an increase comes at a time when the real ale brewing sector has welcomed over 200 new breweries into the market place, with the market growing by over 25% in the process. There are now over 800 breweries operational across the UK.

CAMRA’s research is released at a time when its flagship event, the Great British Beer Festival, bids farewell to Earls Court after a 5-year stint at the exhibition centre. At the Festival this week, CAMRA is showcasing over 300 brewers from across Britain, which in 2006 would’ve constituted half the brewers in the country!

Colin Valentine, CAMRA National Chairman, said:

‘It’s strange to think that at the turn of the 21st century, the real ale market was in decline, and many predicted a further downturn in fortunes. Yet in the present day, real ale brewing is recognised as one of the most vibrant areas of the small business sector, and we now enjoy more brewers than at any time since the end of the Second World War.

‘There are promising times ahead for the industry when a new era of discerning consumers are demanding quality products that are locally produced and represent good value for money. The fact many brewers in the current climate are reporting record like for like sales increases shows this renewed interest is not about to end, and the Great British Beer Festival is the showcase for the present growth of the industry.’

London leads charge as one of UK’s fastest growing brewing scenes

CAMRA Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London, August 2nd – 6th 2011, www.gbbf.org.uk

On the same day the world’s biggest pub comes to London’s Earls Court, CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is delighted to report that London’s historic brewing scene has been revived with findings showing the number of commercial breweries operating in the capital has doubled since the end of 2006.

New findings come at a time when CAMRA has released a comprehensive guide to the capital’s licensed outlets and brewers entitled London’s Best Beer, Pubs & Bars, by London beer writer Des de Moor. To celebrate this launch, CAMRA polled Londoners on where they thought was the best area for quality pubs, with the South East of the city coming out on top.

While 150 years ago London was the brewing capital of the world - with the city’s brewers pioneering industrial brewing, inventing the first two global beer styles and sending their products to every inhabited continent on the planet - the city was anything but a brewing superpower in October 2006 when Young’s (then of Battersea) merged with Wells of Bedford, leaving a record low 7 commercial breweries, with only two of any significant size.

Fast forward 5 years to the present day, and with 14 commercial breweries and at least 5 breweries reported to be in development, London is once again awash with exciting new local brews filling the capital’s 6,000 pubs. Such growth comes at a time when there are now over 800 brewers operating in total across the UK.

Des de Moor, London resident and author of London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars, said:

‘Although London’s groundswell of exciting new brewers may not yet reach the production levels of the post-Victorian era when in 1905 the capital’s brewers produced almost a billion pints, the city’s brewing industry is once again revered for its innovation and craft.

‘For too long many Londoners haven’t had a brewery in their locality, and yet in the space of 5 years, each area of the great city now has a brewer to call its own.

‘With the growth of brewing in the capital, a new breed of discerning, savvy consumers have emerged, with beer drinkers who appreciate quality, provenance, craftsmanship, natural ingredients, flavour and character above the bland, processed conformity of international brands.’

Some of the new success stories of London’s brewing scene include small, artisanal brewers such as Kernel, based under a busy railway arch in Bermondsey. After a first commercial brew in late 2009, the producer has gone from strength to strength, now looking to produce over 14 different beers and 950hl (167,169 pints) by the end of the year.

In contrast, the loss of Young’s brewery in Wandsworth is now a distant memory after ex-City accountant Duncan Sambrook came to the area, setting up Sambrook’s brewery in 2008. Today, 2 core beers and 2 seasonals make up the Sambrook’s range, with 250 pubs supplied and 8000hl (1,407,744 pints) produced each year.

Duncan Sambrook, co-owner of Sambrook’s, and one of the founding members of the London Brewers Alliance (LBA), a body comprising brewers in the capital, said:

‘It was at the Great British Beer Festival at Earls Court back in 2006 myself and friends hatched a plan to bring brewing back to the centre of London, and when we first started up, there were more outlets crying out for quality local beer than we originally thought. In fact, the London pub market’s so big it has the potential to support another boom in the next 5 years, so long as London’s beers retain a high quality and continue to push the boundaries.’

U.P. Fall Beer Fest Returns to Marquette’s Mattson Lower Harbor Park

Michigan Brewers Guild Hosts 3rd Annual Event – Saturday, September 10

(Lansing, Mich) – Nearly 30 Michigan craft breweries will gather at Mattson Lower Harbor Park on Saturday, September 10 for the 3rd Annual U.P. Fall Beer Festival where attendees will be able to sample from more than 200 different locally-crafted beers – along with food prepared by area restaurants and live, local entertainment.

This is one of four annual festivals presented by the Michigan Brewers Guild. Festival hours run from 1-6pm; Guild Enthusiast members are admitted one hour early – at Noon.

MBG Enthusiast membership is $35 per person, per year and may be purchased in advance online at www.michiganbrewersguild.businesscatalyst.com/membership.html or on site prior to the opening of the festival. Benefits include discounts at participating member breweries, a free t-shirt proclaiming your enthusiasm for Michigan Beer and VIP status at the four official festivals, with one hour early admission.

The Michigan Brewers Guild festivals are eco-friendly events, with cups, plates, cutlery and napkins all made of biodegradable materials. Festival attendees are asked to aid in the proper disposal of all refuse throughout the festival at one of the many recycling stations placed around the grounds, helping to reduce the overall waste sent to landfills to less than 10%. Volunteers will be on hand to assist at the recycling stations, making sure all the recyclables are properly sorted from the food items.

Tickets for the U.P. Fall Beer Fest are $30 in advance ($35 at the gate, if tickets are still available) and are available online at www.michiganbrewersguild.org, at participating member breweries and at select retail outlets. For a list of ticket outlets and other festival updates visit www.mbgmash.org. Each ticket includes 15 drink tokens, each redeemable for a 3-ounce sample of beer. Additional tokens are available inside the festival grounds, for 50 cents each.

The festival is held, rain or shine. Festival attendees must be 21 years of age or older and have valid ID to enter. Designated Drivers are encouraged and DD tickets will be available on line and at the gate for $5 each. Designated Drivers are not permitted to drink beer.

Michigan’s thriving brewing industry contributes over $24 million in wages with a total economic contribution of more than $133 million. In terms of overall number breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs, Michigan ranks #5 in the nation – thus supporting its claim as “The Great Beer State.”

The Michigan Brewers Guild exists to unify the Michigan brewing community; to increase sales of Michigan-brewed beer through promotions, marketing, public awareness and consumer education; and to monitor and assure a healthy beer industry within the state. For more information, including a list of Michigan microbreweries, log on to www.michiganbrewersguild.org.

Pilsner Urquell Unveils Master Home Brewer Competition

Competitions in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Chicago to award trips to Prague

CHICAGO (April 7, 2011) – In 1842, Josef Groll brewed the world’s first golden beer and revolutionized an entire industry. Pilsner Urquell, translated as “original source,” remains a revered beer, both for its importance in beer history, as well as its intricate brewing process, including use of soft water, Saaz hops, pale malts and triple decoction.

Pilsner Urquell is inviting home brewers throughout the U.S. to take their shot at brewing a Czech-style pilsner, aiming for the standard Groll first brewed nearly 170 years ago. Three winners have the chance to earn trips for two to Plzen, Czech Republic this fall to tour the historic brewery, as well as attend the International Master Bartender Competition in Prague.

The Pilsner Urquell Master Home Brewer competitions will take place in New York, Washington, D.C. and Chicago this August, inviting home brewers from across the country to take on this challenging beer style.

Each competition will feature a panel of experienced judges, including Vaclav Berka, the Pilsner Urquell Brew Master in Plzen. Contestants will need to bring along three 10 to 14-ounce bottles of their home brew. The judges will sample each beer and select winners based on the following criteria:

· 70% -- Accuracy to style (Czech-style pilsner)
· 15% -- Cleanliness (absence of off flavors)
· 15% -- Artistic impression

“Home brewing is becoming more and more popular, and these brewers keep getting more talented, so we’re excited to offer this challenging opportunity,” said Berka, who is only the sixth Pilsner Urquell Brew Master since 1842. “The competitors will need to brew carefully, but the potential prize, including their wonderful batch of beer, should be a strong incentive.”

The dates for the Pilsner Urquell Master Home Brewer competition are:

· New York, NY -- August 8, 2011
· Washington, D.C. -- August 10, 2011
· Chicago, IL -- August 12, 2011

Pilsner Urquell is limiting the competition in each city to the first 50 home brewers who reserve a spot by emailing their name, phone number and competition city to PilsnerUrquellUSA@gmail.com. Pilsner Urquell will follow up directly with contestants to share the exact time and location of the competitions. More information and official rules are available at Facebook.com/PilsnerUrquellUSA .

No purchase necessary. Contestants must be 21 or older, and a legal resident of the United States (except CA). Void in CA and where prohibited by law. Begins at or about on 04/04/11 and ends on 08/012/11. Log on to Facebook.com/PilsnerUrquellUSA for entry details and for official rules.

About Pilsner Urquell

Created in Plzen, Czech Republic in 1842, Pilsner Urquell revolutionized the brewing industry as the world’s first golden beer, creating a new style of beer that became known as pilsner, named after its city of origin. For more than a century and a half, Pilsner Urquell has been offering discerning beer drinkers a balanced and refreshing beer that has become the standard against which all others are compared. Nearly 90 percent of the world’s beer is a variation of the original golden beer, making pilsner the most popular beer style in the world and further establishing Pilsner Urquell as a true original. For more information visit www.pilsnerurquell.com.

For more information, contact:
Thomas Ryan 312-496-2970 Thomas.Ryan2@TenthAndBlake.com

Get the beers in Stephen Fry!

Stephen Fry named ‘Person I would most like to have a pint with at the Great British Beer Festival’

Stephen Fry has been voted the most popular person to have a pint of real ale with at the Great British Beer Festival, which starts on Tuesday August 2nd.

Over 600 people voted for the person they would most like to enjoy a pint with at the beer festival and Mr Fry stood head and shoulders over other TV celebrities, politicians, royalty, sportsman and other illustrious figures.

Some of the reasons for why beer lovers chose the well educated TV legend included:

“The quipping would be as good as the quaffing.”

“He's a very knowledgeable man who would appreciate the delights of Real Ale”

“His wit and humour would make it a perfect accompaniment to a perfect pint of Ale!”

“Because he would give an anecdote whilst supping a good pint.”

Unsurprisingly, the charismatic Oliver Reed was voted 2nd. Top Gear presenter James May was voted 3rd, with Winston Churchill and Brian Blessed making up the top 5.

Tony Jerome, CAMRA Head of Marketing, said:

‘We thought we would have some fun to find out who real ale lovers would like to have a pint with at the showcase for British real ale. It was not a surprise to see such an interesting man like Stephen Fry coming out on top.

‘I am sure there would be some fascinating debate between Messrs Fry, Reed, May, Churchill and Blessed over a few British ales!’

The women with the highest votes were Kate Middleton and Lady Gaga, who shared 11th spot with David Cameron.

The 600 people who voted were entered into a prize draw to win pairs of tickets to the Great British Beer Festival. To view some of the other suggestions from the lucky winners visit - gbbf.camra.org.uk/blogpost606