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Small brewers have reason to celebrate as cask ale sales buck the industry trend, with an increase of eight per cent, reports the Small Independent Brewers Association (SIBA).

Keith Bott, managing director of Titanic Brewery, has seen sales increase over the past year, which he attributes to SIBA’s direct delivery scheme.

He says: ‘It has meant that small brewers are now in a position where they can deal directly with the larger pub chains, something they were unable to do before.’

The figures for the first half of the year are in contrast to the rest of the industry, as the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) reports a drain in beer sales in pubs of over eight per cent for the last quarter, with total beer sales down by over seven per cent.

A spokesperson for the BBPA says that small, family-owned pubs are being hit by a decrease in trade, with an average of five shutting a day.

Julian Grocock, chief executive of SIBA, says: ‘The pub trade has been depressed because more people are staying in and drinking supermarket beer to save money.

‘But we are in a position where we have a product that is generally only available in the pubs. So, people who appreciate ale are still going out and buying the products.

The SIBA figures are based on sales from the organisation’s direct delivery scheme, which supplies ales from 352 brewers to 3,000 pubs.

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