Ale champion advice

[u/Present-Ad-5353]

So from next week I’m gonna be ales champion, but I hate them and don’t know a lot about them (honestly could be one of the latest items I would advice to the customers).

To get better on sales and to make sure I’m rotating in the right way, what should I do??

We have space for 2 guests
We have 3 main: abbot, doom bar, ghost ship

[u/H4ychy]

Seen as you have two bitters and a pale on permanently I’d have your two guests as a dark beer (stout/porter) and a golden ale to keep your range good. Make note of the beers that do and don’t sell well so you don’t reorder stuff that doesn’t appeal to your clientele.
Create a cellar ale plan so the rest of your team are aware of what you currently have on sale and what’s on next, I updated mine every week. Ensure everything is being conditioned properly, temperatures are correct in cellar and lines and most importantly talk to your ale customers so they know that you’re in charge. They can be a bit moany, but they know what they like and without them you won’t sell any ale! Good luck!

[u/Accomplished-Run-375]

If you hate them why take on the responsibility? It really is something that someone with a passion for real ale should be doing.

[u/GrandVizierofAgrabar]

we do abbot, ruddles, doom bar as perm. and then always min three guests: one dark, one <5% pale and a >5% pale.

[u/Ok_Importance_5595]

I would talk to customers. I only work very part time but I always chat to the ale customers about what they like, and why, and I know from past experience what is popular and sells quickly. Maybe talk to some of your chattier bar staff if you don’t spend enough time with customers.

[u/Old-Growth-6233]

Well luckily you must be in the worst 'Spoons for selection anyway with only 5 hand-pumps.

Abbot and Doom Bar are quite similar but Abbot is slightly darker and stronger, and Ghost Ship is a paler hoppier ale.

With room for 2 guests...

In Summer I would have another pale/golden hoppy ale such as Westerham Summer Perle, Oakham Citra or Kelham Island Pale Rider, and another amber ale such as Otter Brewery Otter Ale.

In Autumn I'd swap the guest pale/golden for something similar to Abbot

In Winter I'd swap the guest amber for a stout or porter.

Can you say which part of the country you are in? It would be good to support your local small breweries if you can and the product and the sales might be better too.

[u/roro80uk]

Don't know if this is any help but I know that if a 6% guest ales comes on at my local Spoons, it doesn't last very long. Wobbly Bob appears semi frequently, along with something by Peerless around the same kind of percentage. Not sure if these would be available nationally or if it's region dependent.

Thornbridge Jaipur (5.9%) seems to be a semi permanent offering at many branches, it's a well respected ale and absolutely amazing value at Spoons pricing, so that might be an easy win.

As a customer I'd be looking for variety. Variety in terms of the breweries represented and also the beer styles on offer. I don't want to walk in and see four bitters and pale ales. If that's all that's available I'd try them anyway but it would get me much more interested to see a dark ale (mild, porter, stout, dark ale) and an IPA available. Some people think stouts and porters are more winter ales, personally I'd drink them all year round, but depending on your customers you may find they don't sell so well in the summer

Part of it is knowing your customers if you have regulars, and working out what will sell. If you are at a location with mainly transient customers (train station, airport, etc) then that's a harder task and what's popular may change from day to day. Some pubs have an 'ale corner' where customers can vote for what ales they want to see up next.

I don't know how Spoons decide which pubs get what quantity of cask lines, but if you only have two guest lines available, I'm assuming you're at a small branch or one where the ale turnover is quite low. So perhaps don't expect miracles right away.

[u/GmanF88]

Step 1:

Its fine if ales aren't your cup of tea, but you need to know what a good/well kept ale looks and tastes like. If your stocking and selling old/over conditioned beers, you won't get anywhere

Step 2:

Discuss with your PM, AM, and Auditor about rotating Doom Bar and Abbot i.e. having just one of them on at a time. Many low ale volume pubs can't justify having loads of lines on, so wasting lines on two similar style and abv beers reduces the number of guests you can serve. Rotating Abbot and Doombar is done in many places (my pub included)

Step 3:

Mix it up. Blonde/pale ales at around 3-4.5% are the most popular type by far, but you don't want just that, make sure your ordering different styles and strengths occasionally.

Step 4:

Mix it up. Make sure your ordering from a number of local breweries AND occasionally from the national list from EWA, your customers will like the variety

Step 5:

Engage with your local breweries. Call one of them and offer to do a mini festival /tap takeover- you buy and stock a larger than normal selection in exchange for, bottles, glasses, beer mats, tshirts, whatever promo materials they have and you raffle those off to customers.

Step 6:

Engage with CAMRA. Email your local branch, just flat ask them - how are we doing on GBG votes, can we offer asection of the pub for meetings, what would you like us to do?

Step 7:

Craft Cans. Ordering a LARGE selectionof craft cans from EWA is a low risk way to get extra styles, strengths and flavours you wouldn't be able to do with just two guest lines. Get two rows minimim of a craft fridge going and get 20 different ones in, when one sells through get a different one in. Update your tills everytime they arrive so customers can order them on the app, keep one on 'craft of the week' bottle special 1.99 at all times (the ones that are going out of date soonest) to make sure they move amd dont go OOD

[u/just-vibing-bitches]

Like someone else said talk to your am about rotating abbot and doom bar, then that free’s up space for another ale. (we even do it in my pub and we’re top for ale sales in our area) Then i would say try to have a stout/ darker ale, a over 5% and under 5% lighter one on to give better variety. A big thing is talking to the ale drinkers in your pub, see what they like and don’t like best and what recs they have! It will take some time but you’ll get to see in the next couple months what sells fast and what doesn’t! Good luck! xx

[u/CAMRAGlasgow]

Reading this post makes my heart sink because for a good pub to be in the Good Beer Guide that your area manager will want your pub to be in there has to be a genuine interest in the beer and what you are selling to the customers.

You've been given some great advice in the comments.

Commenting as a branch representative in Glasgow and West Of Scotland please make sure you have your full cellar training to make sure you know how to condition the beer correctly.

Understand when the beer is due to come on.

Understand the customers in the bar in what they like.

Engage with them. Offer to get an ale or two in from the quarterly leaflet.

Make it so you have a quick 5 mins chat with the local camra branch once every couple of months to touch base.

Good pubs like The Kirky Puffer in Kirkintilloch win Dunbartonshire Pub of the year as their pub manager used to be the branch chair for us. Has a genuine interest in the ales and connects well with the customer base and also additionally has the pub listed on Real Ale Finder App.

Our current branch chair is an ex Wetherspoons shift manager and won The Last Post in Paisley as Renfrewshire CAMRA Pub Of The Year.

If you want some external feedback then feel free to send me a message. I'm happy for the branch chair to message you.

Please try the ales that come in. You might find that you like dark beers over pale ales. This might set you off on an ale discovery journey.

[u/dopexvii]

Don't try to reinvent the wheel, keep it simple Feel out what your customers like for guests I'd probs pop on 1 light then 1 stout or porter

Once a month have a tap takeover or face off. For that week it's beer from only one guest brewery or two guest breweries (1 each tap) Pop out some posters for it

It's gunna make it look like your doing a lot of work but all your really doing is selling beer.

[u/Wabbit-Wabbit]

Please please please get some Rebellion ale in! You will thank me later. "Smuggler" by Rebellion Beer Co. in Marlow, Buckinghamshire is a highly popular option. The Beer: A traditional copper-coloured ale with a 4.2% ABV. Brewed using Pale, Crystal, and Chocolate malts, combined with Fuggle, Goldings, and Amarillo hops. 🍻🍺

[u/roro80uk → u/Wabbit-Wabbit]

It may be a great beer (can't confirm as I've never had it) but bear in mind it's a bitter, and there are already two bitters on the permanent lines. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather try the beer you've suggested than Abbot or Doom Bar, but I'd rather see a bit more variety of beer style across the pumps, especially if there are only two guest lines to play with.

[u/pixelsweeet]

Ales are my biggest opp i could NEVER

[u/CigsAndAlcohol13]

Suggest that ruddles, doom bar, worthingtons, and ghost ship get removed and replace all taps with Old Speckled Hen and Abbots Reserve