For generations, a handpump on the bar has been a sign of quality. Where cask is well kept, consumers can be sure of a spotless cellar, well-trained bar staff and a commitment to offering the best of UK brewing.
Now, Carlsberg Britvic – one of the world’s largest brewery conglomerates – has resorted to misleading consumers by hijacking the handpump to serve its “Fresh Ale” product. CMBC says this is “preserving the beloved hand pull ritual that delivers the traditional theatre of serve that ale is famed for”.
CAMRA believes consumers deserve better than CMBC play acting at serving cask – a product they claim to champion while closing breweries and removing cask lines from bars. Our handpump hijack campaign calls on brewers to be proud of all their whole range of beers by serving them in a way that won’t mislead their customers.
What is ‘Fresh Ale’? One of the factors that makes cask unique is that it doesn’t leave the brewery as a finished product. Instead, the conditioning that completes the brewing process is done at the pub, and relies on the skills, timing and experience of the staff and licensee. On the other hand, most beers, including lagers, kegged beers, and ‘Fresh Ale’ are ready to drink when they leave the brewery. These beers have a longer shelf life and can be easier to serve.
Brewers often make both these types of beer, and CAMRA believes they should market them accordingly, so consumers know what they’re getting. ‘Fresh Ale’ is not a cask beer, and hijacking a handpump to sell it as if it was cask we believe is unfair and misleading to pub-goers.
As part of its Handpump Hijack campaign, CAMRA is collecting reports and evidence about where so-called ‘Fresh Ale’ is being sold and how it is being presented to consumers. Otter Brewery in Devon are also producing a so called “fresh ale” and CAMRA are especially interested to see photos and find out how Otter’s ‘Fresh Ale’ is being presented and explained to consumers.
You can report a sighting of Otter’s ‘Fresh Ale’ here:
Report an Otter ‘Fresh Ale’ sighting.
The form to report a sighting of Carlsberg’s ‘Fresh Ale’ is here:
