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BEER NEWS - JUNE 2012

Cider sales falling

After the phenomenon of sparkling ciders that swept young drinkers in the UK over the past decade or so, it looks a little as though the cider bubble has burst. latest volume data released by HMRC show annual cider volumes are 5% lower than in March 2010. These results are part of a steady downward trend over the last 2 years, with cider volumes falling faster than the other major categories of alcohol. Author of the Wilson Report, a trade journal on alcohol, Tim Wilson, said "HMRC MAT volumes provide an excellent proxy for total market volume performance. This latest set of HMRC data confirms the downward trend that we have been seeing in cider for nearly 2 years. Perhaps new products like Stella Artois Cidre Pear will lift the cider category."

Scrum Down for Greene King

rugby players Dozens of England rugby fans enjoyed a once in a lifetime sporting moment in May when they trained with members of the national team after winning a competition organised by the official beer of England Rugby, Greene King IPA. The 30 winners and their friends were put through their paces by England players including Chris Ashton, Tom Palmer and Ben Foden, as part of the 'money can't buy' prize, which also included a tour of Twickenham. Greene King arranged the event to coincide with final preparations for the squad's forthcoming tour of South Africa. Dom South, Marketing Director Greene King Brewing and Brands, said: "The great thing about being the official beer of England Rugby is that you get the chance to create unique moments like this for your customers. It was great to see the players being such great sports and taking time out of their busy schedules to make it a day to remember."

New beery awards

logo The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has announced a new series of industry awards that recognise company and individual contributions to the sector, with the first awards being announced in October. Judged by leading experts from the industry, media and political arena, entries are due by 30th June for the three awards that will be granted to BBPA member companies: 'Beer Champion 2012' for companies which have successfully sought to promote, improve and celebrate beer as a category; 'Pub Champion 2012' for pubs showing a range of quality and promotional initiatives and 'Heart of the Community Award' for companies that have demonstrated a proven commitment to their local community.

Malty Member of Parliament

Norman Lamb (right of picture), MP and Under-Secretary of State at the department for Business, Innovation and Skills, recently visited Crisp Maltings to learn about malt and the contribution made by the maltings industry to the British economy. "Malting must be one of Britain's best kept success secrets," he said after his trip to the company's headquarters at Great Ryburgh in the heart of rural Norfolk. His aim was to learn more about the malting industry; to show his support for the food and drink production sector; and to encourage businesses to increase their export activities. Euan Macpherson, managing director of the Crisp Malting Group and chairman of the Maltsters Association of Great Britain, told him, "This is an industry that shapes over 350,000 hectares of agricultural landscape; gives nearly 450 million pounds worth of business to British farmers; provides malt for over 500 million bottles of whisky and 4.5 billion pints of beer a year - and yet surprisingly little is known about it. In fact, people are more likely to know that there are hops in beer than to know that malted barley is its main ingredient!"

Rigg, Rum & Raisin

cow The Black Sheep Brewery has teamed up with Brymor to create a brand new Rigg, Rum and Raisin flavour ice-cream. The flavour, which infuses Black Sheep's Riggwelter beer with Brymor's Rum and Raisin ice-cream, has been extremely well received by customers from both the brewery's visitor centre and Brymor's ice-cream parlour. Riggwelter is one of the brewery's strongest beers with strong, rich espresso aromas, dark fruit and roasted malt flavours. Robert Moore, Managing Director of Brymor, said: "The new flavour has made a great addition to our range. We have 35 flavours of ice-cream and sorbets and are always looking for new and inventive ones for our customers to try."

Wye Valley Thinks Big

Yorkshire companies Microdat and Watergate (Construction), the successful team behind the new Moorhouse brewery, have once again joined forces to secure the contract to build a new fermenting room extension followed by a new 80 barrel brewhouse at Wye Valley brewery in Herefordshire. Microdat launched in the late 80's and quickly developed a reputation for innovation within the specialist sector of keg and cask packaging in the UK brewing industry. The 2 million pound project incorporates extensive energy saving modifications, and is forecast to save Wye Valley thousands of pounds a year in both energy and water. Jimmy Swan, Head Brewer at Wye Valley say's "Our approach was to design the brewing plant and then design the building around it - the most cost effective method but also delivers a highly effective 'brewing machine'."
  

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