Real Ale for Real Men
According to CAMRA, the campaign for real ale, there are more real ales being brewed that at any time since 1971 – about 2,000.
In the last year alone, 80 new breweries began to brew real ale, twice as much as the previous year. There are 500 microbreweries across the UK, each producing about 30,000 barrels per year.
Lager and draught beers are pasteurised, real ale contains live yeast and the flavours go onto develop in the cask or bottle.
So what’s behind this resurgence in consumer thirst for real ale?
Good Beer Guide 2006 editor Roger Protz said: "The giant national breweries will tell you people only want to drink lager but we know there are people who do not want to drink heavily hyped, over-promoted lager brands."
"Volumes and profits, rather than consumer choice and quality, are their watchwords.
"Beer lovers are tired of over-hyped national brands and avoid like the plague the bland apologies for lager and the cold tasteless keg beers produced by the national giants.”
Beer advertising in recent times, has been geared towards the insatiable male consumer who we have come to know as the “metrosexual”, head of that church being the David Beckham’s of this world. With the emergence of a male backlash against over-feminised role models, we see a man who wants to be man, but with a sensitive side – and hence the “ubersexual” is born. According to the international trendspotter, Maria Salzman, the ubersexual is most attractive (not just physically), most dynamic and most compelling men of their generations. They are supremely confident (without being obnoxious), masculine, stylish and committed to uncompromising quality in all areas of life."
Can this explain the resurgence of real ale? Is the ubersexual male looking for a pint that reflects his sense of style, quality and masculinity – the Chateau-neuf de Pape of the beer world?
There is some evidence to suggest that some of the real ale Brand Marketing People are using this new platform to target traditional lager drinkers and Hobgoblin have used this mechanism to challenge perceptions:
The questions are can the real ale market move with the times, grasp this consumer need for quality and beer integrity and develop it’s position to broaden it’s appeal. Surely in the twenty first century, the hobbit, vicar’s nose and all things wizard-like positioning of the majority of real ales, alienates a lot of consumers, who perceive the drink to have “geek-appeal” for people with long beards, who watch Time Team.
Young’s brewery have tried to break the mould in real ale positioning with http://www.ramsworld.co.uk, linking the beers with luxury cars, the must-have electronic as and gadgets.
Is it brave enough? There appears to be a hole for a great real ale, without the wizards, that can talk to the real men out there who want a good, honest, pint with a modern sex appeal, dare we say it the George Clooney of the beer world
acemoola
