More pubs than ever are taking part in Cask Ale Week, the annual celebration of Britain’s national drink, as which starts this Thursday, 17th September and runs through to Sunday 27th.
Over 10,000 pubs and hundreds of breweries up and down the country will be putting the spotlight on cask ale. With new figures showing that 16% of Cask Ale Drinkers are now aged 18-34*, there are high hopes that this new generation of beer lovers will pay their part in keeping Britain’s hard-pressed pubs busy. Cask ale is only served in pubs and clubs, so enjoying a pint is a great way to support your local.
Cask Ale Week 2026 is a great time to discover cask ale, with brewers launching new beers to mark the occasion, and breweries and pubs running special promotions, ale trails and beer festivals. There are full details on the website, with activity including:
- CaskFinder Ale Trail: download the Caskfinder app, buy a pint of cask ale in 12 pubs and claim your limited edition Cask Ale Week T-shirt. Follow a trail recommended by the app, or curate your own ale trail.
- Free tasters of cask ale: between them, the 10,000 pubs taking part in Cask Ale Week are set to offer a whopping one million free ‘try before you buy’ tasters of cask. It’s a great way to find out what a cask ale tastes like before committing to a whole pint!
- Pub Quizzes: hundreds of pubs across the country will be running the Cask Ale Week Pub Quiz. The question are a mix of beer facts and general knowledge, so why not try your hand?
- Rate your ale to win a bar tab: Simply submit 12 cask ale ratings on the Caskfinder app between 17th–27th September, whether a pint or a half, to be entered into a prize draw for the chance to win a bar tab.
The website will also promote a Beer of the Day and Brewery of the Day each day. While the exact line-up is secret, expect to see familiar beers such as Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, which has recently had a makeover, and Wadworth 6X, alongside new beers from local and independent brewers.
New data has also revealed the UK’s top destinations for cask beer quality. Based on the reports of Cask Marque assessors, as well as ale drinkers using the Caskfinder app, Nottingham heads the list, followed by Swindon and Oxford. Manchester, Birmingham, Lancaster, and Dorchester are also contenders. https://britishbeerbreaks.substack.com/p/nottingham-is-the-cask-beer-champ
The figures showing higher take-up of cask ale amongst younger drinkers come from pub trade analyst CGA. The stats show that 16% of Cask Ale Drinkers are now aged 18-34*, with growth seen in cask ale occasions, frequency and spend amongst the GenZ and Millennial drinkers. *Source: CGA by NIQ, OPUS June 2026.
With Timothy Taylor’s Landlord the UK’s best-selling cask ale brand by both value and volume, Andy Leman, head brewer at the Yorkshire-based independent family brewery, says: “Cask Ale Week is an excellent springboard to get drinkers talking about what makes cask beer so special, and why it remains vital to British pub culture.
“We know that there’s plenty of interest amongst younger drinkers in trying cask beer brands that are familiar fixtures on the bar, but which they may want to know more about flavour-wise. Giving these so-called cask-curious, and price-conscious, consumers a chance to try-before-they-buy could help increase the reach to a new generation of cask converts.”
Adam Russell, commercial director of Wiltshire-based brewer Wadworth, whose 6X ale is also seeing strong growth, says: “There’s definitely a trend amongst younger drinkers to look for cask ales with provenance and heritage. They know Wadworth 6X as a brand their dad – or maybe even their granddad – drank, and they want to revive and continue that family tradition.”
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))
