SHIELPORTER

What is it?

A celebration of cask ale, involving around 10,000 pubs, bars and brewery taps across the country. Think extra cask ales on bars, free tasters of ale, brewery tours – even a pub quiz to test cask trivia knowledge. The Cask Ale Week events map lists events by region and type and will continue to be updated towards the start of the week.

What’s special about cask ale?

• Cask ale is a uniquely British drink that can only be enjoyed in pubs and bars – so support for cask is also support for your local!
• It’s an artisan, flavoursome product that comes in all colours and flavours from pale ales to dark stouts.
• Cask ale is a living drink that continues to ferment in the cask in the pub cellar. Served in top condition, nothing beats a pint of cask ale.

The Cask Ale Market in 2026

• The average price of a pint of cask beer is £4.54, compared to an overall average of £4.97 a pint.
• Cask ale is often the best value for money on the bar – cask ale accounts for 8.1% of draught beer sales by volume but just 7.4 % by value.
• Food pubs tend to sell more cask ale, with cask accounting for 12.5%, or £1 in every £8, of spending on beer in food pubs. This compares to £1 in every £13 spent on beer in all pubs.

(Source: CGA by NIQ OPMS P05 (16/05/26))

What are the news stories about cask?

• Gen Z embracing nostalgia brands: younger drinkers are increasingly enjoying the cask beer brands and styles that their dads (and even their grandads) drank, along with well-established regional favourites.
• ‘Try before you buy’: brewers and pubs are set to give away a million free tasters of cask ale during Cask Ale Week, to encourage more drinkers to try it.
• Local Heroes: Britain’s independent brewers are back to brewing the same volumes of cask ale as they did before the covid lockdown, as beer drinkers return to pubs and embrace local beers.

What content is available to build a story?

We have: 

• Statistics: we have access to data about cask ale, split by consumer demographics. Tell us what you need for your story, and we’ll see what we can find.
• Spokespeople: we have a list of people who are happy to provide comment or be interviewed about cask ale. These include brewers, licensees, beer writers, among others.
• National and regional listings: The best pubs to drink cask ale in both nationally and by region, tailored to your needs.