Cask ale is recruiting curious new drinkers in the 25-44 age group. But it could recruit many more of them with trial and sampling programmes.
These people are amenable to cask ale, with few real barriers to trial. They just don't know where to start, and need to be given a little encouragement. Try-before-you-buy sampling schemes, beer festivals and information about beers brewed locally are all ways in which curious drinkers can be successfully persuaded to give cask ale a try.
More than half of all non-cask drinkers – for the moment at least – seem uninterested in trying cask ale no matter what. But 42% would try cask ale if given the chance to try before they could buy. Many pubs are more than happy to do this currently, but ironically it’s only established cask drinkers who feel comfortable asking for a sample. Novice drinkers need much more encouragement to sample than they’re currently getting.
And who are the people who would be most willing to try cask ale through initiatives like this? Those young, affluent, curious drinkers again - 56% of 24-34's would try real ale if they could sample it first.
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