Out of sight, out of mind

The Morning Advertiser reports on research carried out on behalf of Ossett Brewery showing that cask suffers from a visibility problem in the pub. Apparently a mere 10% of drinkers could recall seeing the available cask beers, and only 19% can identify cask from the signature handpull. “Handpulls often sit too low or are hidden, while lager and craft keg dominate at eye level.”

There’s a certain amount of truth in this. Pumpclips aren’t illuminated, and are sometimes fussily designed and difficult to read. Plus they are located at a lower level than the tall fonts and T-bar dispensers that often dominate bars, so don’t stand out. While it often used to be the case that the bank of handpumps dominated the centre of the bar, I can think of two local examples where recent refurbishments have led to them being moved to a less prominent location.

However, I’d expect that the majority of beer drinkers in a pub are at least aware of the presence of handpumps on the bar, even if it’s not their preferred drink. The report says that 49% of drinkers “are not really sure what cask is”, but they probably have an approximate idea, even if it’s just perceived as something warm, flat and old-fashioned that isn’t for them.

In the early days of CAMRA, a substantial proportion of cask beer in the North and Midlands, maybe getting on for a half, was dispensed through various form of electric pumps that were difficult to distinguish from keg or tank beer taps. Most drinkers simply referred to “Mild” or “Bitter” rather than specifically identifying the beer as “real ale”. This obviously posed a problem in making it difficult to determine which beer was real and which wasn’t, especially for the casual customer, and so over the years the use of handpumps was encouraged as providing a clear and unmistakeable symbol of real ale. By the turn of the century, electric cask beer dispense had largely disappeared, and it now lingers on in only a tiny handful of pubs.

However, this is a double-edged sword. What allows you to clearly identify something also allows people to instantly dismiss it as something not for them. Many drinkers will see a beer on a handpump and immediately reject it out of hand. It’s something “other” than the general run of beers on keg taps.

A few years ago, I reported on an experiment by Sharp’s Brewery to get over this issue by dispensing cask Doom Bar through bar mountings of the same form as keg taps, although clearly identifying it as “Cask” on the cowl, so nobody is being deceived. There is no technical issue with doing this, and indeed free-flow electric dispense of cask beers was once commonplace. The argument in favour is that it does not confine cask to a kind of psychological ghetto, but on the other hand it could be seen as being somewhat ashamed of cask and trying to pass it off, at least at a subliminal level, as being like keg. In any case, nothing much ever seems to have come of it, and I never encountered it in action in a pub.

The report suggests that drinkers need more education about what cask, but in reality if you feel that customers need to be educated about your product you’ve lost the battle. People might do research and consult brochures if they’re buying a consumer durable that will last for years, but for an ephemeral product consumed at point of sale and costing a few pounds they will largely look to advertising, social cues and the simple fact of what is placed before them. And, while surveys show people want locally-brewed beer (who would say they didn’t?), revealed preference tends to show that in real-world purchasing decisions this isn’t a high priority.

While cask may to some extent suffer from a low profile in pubs, in practice the main reasons deterring people from choosing it are that it is too often offered in the form of obscure brands that they have never heard of, and there is a small but certainly non-negligible chance of getting one that is seriously sub-standard, especially in the general run of pubs as opposed to specialist outlets. I don’t really think brightly-coloured handpumps and mounting pumpclips higher is going to make that much difference.

Cask continues to enjoy a loyal following amongst enthusiasts, and is in no danger of disappearing entirely. However, enthusiasts tend to value a wide choice and positively welcome unfamiliar beers, while often regarding the possibility of getting the occasional sub-standard as an occupational hazard. This goes directly against what is needed to develop it in more generalist pubs.

There has to be a laser-like focus on quality at the point of dispense and a ruthless attack on over-ranging, which is too often meekly accepted as the price that has to be paid for providing “a good range of beers”. And, to be effective, promotion needs to focus on individual, recognisable brands, not on cask as a generic category.