Grasshopper springs into action as new brewery launches first beer
EXCITING news for local beer drinkers: a new brewery in Southport will be launched at a popular local pub next month.
Tom Anderson, from Tyton Brewery, in Ainsdale, will present his first beer at The Grasshopper, Sandon Road, Hillside, on Monday, December 3, at the start of a meeting of CoLAPS (the Coast of Lancashire Ale Preservation Society). The meeting opens at7.30pm.
This group is a branch of the Society for Preservation of Beers from the Wood (SPBW), Camra’s older sibling.
The SPBW has similar aims to Camra, but tends to have a more social focus; quite a few people belong to both, and, if you wish to join CoLAPS, why not apply on the night?
As well as presenting Tyton’s first beer, this meeting will double up as a Christmas social, and attendees are encouraged to bring partners, friends and family (over-18s only).
There will be a buffet with a £2 per head contribution towards costs, and, for planning purposes, The Grasshopper requests that you give them an indication of how many will be coming along, call 01704 569 794.
THE Morning Advertiser, the UK pub trade’s newspaper, has published its 2019 Drinks List, which gives the top-selling on-trade drinks in the UK (“on-trade” drinks are the ones sold to be consumed on the premises).
The UK’s best-selling ontrade cask (aka real) ale is Sharp’s Doom Bar.
Sharp’s was founded at Rock, in Cornwall, in 1994, and has been owned since 2011 by global brewing corporation Molson Coors, who expanded production of Doom Bar so it has become widely available nationally.
The top five on-trade cask beers are: Sharp’s Doom Bar, Greene King IPA, Fuller’s London Pride, Greene King Abbott Ale and Caledonian Deuchars IPA – all regularly available locally.
Overall, cask ale accounts for 55% of all on-trade sales of ale, and a quarter of ontrade sales of beer of any type.
The best-selling on-trade craft beer is Punk IPA, from independent Scottish brewers BrewDog, whose yearon-year revenue increased this year by 55%.
The best-selling on-trade lager is Carling, also owned by Molson Coors, and the most popular on-trade cider is keg Strongbow.
Visit the Southport and West Lancs Camra website at: www.southport.camra. org.uk