Inn Express January 2023

Online Ordering?

Whether you use our answerphone system, emails or call our customers service team, transitioning from your existing way of ordering will always be a scary thought. So, give one of our team a call so we can help navigate your way through the process of logging on for the first time, through to placing your order and viewing previous orders.

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HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR COFFEE?

INN EXPRESS ARE ABLE TO OFFER AWARD WINNING COFFEE AT COMPETETIVE PRICING. BUT BY PARTNERING WITH TRUE INDUSTRY EXPERTS WE CAN NOW HELP MAKE YOUR HOT DRINKS SELECTION IS WORKING AS HARD FOR YOUR BUSINESS AS YOU DO!

Option 2 Option 1

I’LL TAKE MINE WITH A FREE MACHINE & GRINDER PLEASE

Inn Express have partnered with the Coffee Collaborative team to offer a completely free of charge equipment solution. Up for grabs is one Grigia Compact ME 2 group traditional coffee machine and two world class Macap on demand grinders. The kit has been refurbed and professionally serviced by market leader Mulmar.

To secure the 2-group traditional machine – Simply commit to purchase a minimum of 1000 kilo of coffee pa.

To secure one of the grinders - Commit to a minimum of 500 kilo of coffee pa.

You are responsible for install and servicing fees, but the deal is simplePurchase wonderful Coffee Collab coffee via Inn Express and the kit is yours.

No strings – no marks ups, just superb coffee and an amazing new revenue opportunity …but hurry- as when the deal is gone its gone!

I WILL TAKE MINE AS IT COMES. I’VE BROUGHT MY OWN CUP!

For those of you who are rocking the coffee opportunity but feeling the economic pinch…

Coffee Collaborative guarantee not only award-winning coffees at the best commercial terms, but with our partners at Inn Express we also have a super deal to turbo charge your revenues.

Again, it’s simple – Buy 10 cases of superb coffee (you don’t have to purchase all in one go – just carry on ordering as normal) but when you get to the magic 10 cases ‘hey presto’ we will happily pop a free case in with your next order!

At typical retail and assuming a double shot that’s £1250 free revenue!

An offer so good it must be true!

Want to know more?

CALL 01789 488008 TO ARRANGE A VISIT BY ONE OF OUR EXPERTS

WHO ARE COFFEE COLABORATIVE?

The coffee collaborative team are on a mission to democratize great coffee. We supply award winning blends. We are guild of fine foods winners and great british food awards finalists. Our 100 years trade knowledge and unrivalled network means we supply only the finest, socially and environmentally ethical coffees plus support the nordoff robbins charity and more trees initiative

These are now proudly available through inn express to offer their customers an even larger selection of ethical and artisicnal products

thecoffeecollaborative.com

the wine collection 22/23

The brand new Inn Express wine collection has been released. The new portfolio is released just in time for those looking to futureproof their menu and or upgrade to stay in line with modern consumer trends and habits.

In addition to fine-tuning the range, we’ve added more insightful and educational material that we hope you will find beneficial and will help provide some useful pointers when you come to review your wine lists. With the worst of the pandemic hopefully behind us and now the prospect of another economic downturn, offering consumers even greater value needs to be a priority. We’ve written a lot recently about alternative grape varieties and better-value lookalikes to some of the most popular wines, so this would be a great place to start exploring. We’ve highlighted our growing range of biodynamic, natural, organic and sustainable wines throughout our portfolio. visit inn-express.com or call our team on 01789 488008 for your printed portfolio

JANUARYTry

Decades of experience in the wholesale drinks trade have taught us many things. One of them is that instead of embarking into January ready for a month of self-improvement via limitations, have a go at some minor changes to your operating style and products. We asked some of our best customers what they find works for them in January, there are some really smart ideas in here alongside some great products for you to try this January and heading into 2023

These tips aren’t January exclusive, so why not use these tips during quieter periods

Not exclusively reserved for January, more and more venues are seeing the benefits of experiencedbased events. We have a vast range of trusted suppliers that can offer you and your customers inventive and lucrative events. Events such as meet the maker talks, food and beer matching, tutored wine tastings or tap takeovers are events our team can help you organise and maximise your quiet periods.

It’s a well known fact that our beloved trade is being squeezed from all directions and rising costs are a real cause for concern. But at Inn Express we have seen a huge upturn in demand for high quality products that not only offer a jump in quality vs national brands but demand a higher price per serving. Recent surveys have shown that the UK public have become happier spending more money on better quality products in 2023. Contact your account manager and discuss a range of products that can offer you a point of difference vs your competitors and give your customers a reason to come back.

At a time when every £ counts, challenge your team to offer only table service during key trading times. Table service not only increases interaction with your team and customers but will increase your sales and encourage repeat custom.

Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind Oil, yet many venues have a substandard coffee offering that makes customers unwilling to make repeat purchases. When was the last time you looked at your coffee range? Could you cut down your carbon footprint and get your coffee delivered on the same delivery as your drinks? We have a range of Great Taste Award-winning coffee that is ethically sourced and offers you a high price per serve vs many of the industry’s bestknown brands.

Sustainable and ethical are buzzwords for 2023. As more and more consumers start to realise the individual impact we all have, they are looking for venues with which they can align themselves. Sometimes this isnt always about just how the product is made, it could be how they treat their staff or how they deliver their products. In our portfolio we stock a growing range of products from B-Corp, carbon negative and living wage acreddited producers, A perfect way to reduce your carbon footprint is to ask your account manager for a bespoke price on items you don’t currently stock. The Inn Express vast range of products are all delivered on well-maintained and fully liveried vehicles and driven by a team of long serving staff. These vehicles are Euro 6 accredited to reduce emissions. We also use state-of-the-art routing software to keep our delivery miles consolidated to a minimum. Our HGV drivers have undergone specific training to reduce emissions and fuel consumption further. We also use telemetrics to ensure their driving style is aligned to our sustainability goals.

The drinks menu is one of the most underused sales tools in any venue. Often an afterthought, many drinks menus get only a fraction of the food menu’s attention. Many drinks menus are in price order and lead customers to choose by price rather than what they want to try. They also offer the customer very little in the way of experiential products or suggested serves. The structure of a drinks menu can drastically change the way a customer reads your menu and how they choose their drink (or second drinks if you get anyone to serve them at the table)

When was the last time you looked at the effectiveness your drinks menu?

Inn Express offer a FREE DESIGN & PRINT SERVICE for all customers. Contact your account manager and discuss how best to structure your drinks menu to maximise the impact and reduce the amount of slow-moving products in your fridges.

“Offering wines by the glass is a proven method of maximising your wine sales. With better cash margins vs bottle sales it seems like a perfect time to get the vino flowing.”

MAXIMISE YOUR WINE SALES

Now that we’re approaching the season where most of us look to change our menus, it’s a good time to consider whether your ‘Wine by the Glass’ (WBTG) offering is adequate and exciting enough to give you the best possible return.

You may well ask “why bother offering wines by the glass at all?”, “if I do, how many wines do I need to offer and at what price points?” and “how can I prevent wasting a load of wine once the bottles are open?”. I’ll cover all these questions below and show you some emerging trends that should help to guide your decision-making. So, here we explain the clear benefits of offering wines by the glass.

In a nutshell, selling wines by the glass does one of two crucial things. Firstly, it’s proven to increase wine sales and yields stronger cash margins than bottle sales, YES PLEASE. And secondly, perhaps most importantly of all, it helps enhance your customers’ overall experience. Happy customers leave good reviews, return if they’re relatively local and will probably spend more on future visits, but then you already knew that.

With consumers currently drinking less but drinking better, not only is this the perfect justification for offering wines by the glass in the first instance, it’s also an opportunity to put on a couple of more premium wines too. You’ll find that lunchtime

customers in particular will take advantage of this. It’s worth talking to your best regulars to see what they would be prepared to spend up to and perhaps use this as a guide.

Another benefit is that it’s a great way to introduce customers to lesser known and quirkier wines as well as getting through slower-moving stock as it takes away the risk of being stuck with a bottle they might not like.

Keep reading for more tips & advice...

Ok then, how many wines & at what prices?

This is going to depend on various factors like what kind of establishment you are, how many wines you currently offer by the bottle, do you sell food or are you solely wet led, how much footfall do you get & what kind of preservation or dispense system can you afford to invest in.

This latter point is very important because a good preservation/dispense system will remove the risk of excessive wastage, meaning you can offer a broader WBTG choice. We’ll come back to this shortly.

Without any form of preservation, you’ve probably

got 2 days to turn over your bottles of sparkling, 2-3 days to turn over your white & rosé wines & 3-4 days to turn over your reds. This may mean you can realistically offer 1 sparkling, 1-2 whites & reds & 1 rosé.

In terms of pricing, the general rule of thumb is that a standard glass (175ml) equates to 85-100% of the wholesale cost of the bottle so if you only sell one glass, the loss is negligible but obviously the incentive is to turn that bottle over which shouldn’t be difficult. Don’t be afraid to try a more premium white like a Chablis & a red like a Reserva Rioja towards the £10/glass price & you may be surprised by the take up.

Ok, then What about wastage?

Ultimately the best way to reduce waste is to sell more! Simple right?

But all joking aside, starting or extending your Wine By The Glass range can seem daunting, & a concern about wastage is perfectly understandable. However, with the right menu design, team training & the right wines, you will never look back.

One of the most popular ways to prevent waste is wine preservation & dispense systems. Your choice of system will depend on how serious you want to make your WBTG program.

So, let’s look at some of the most tried & tested:

VACUUM PUMP & STOPPERS

This cheap solution has been around for decades & is generally okay for limited WBTG ranges but they generally don’t work with sparkling wine. You simply need decent stoppers for fizz.

If you can turn the bottles over fairly quickly, vacuum pumps are fine as they’re not very accurate. Under-pump the wine & it will still oxidise, as oxygen is left in the cavity between the wine & the stopper. Over-pump & you can bruise the wine’s delicate structure.

GAS PRESERVERS

You can also buy canisters of inert gas, which are comparatively inexpensive if you have a small WBTG range but will obviously become more expensive as you broaden it. These are mostly argon-based & work by squirting an amount into the opened bottle at the end of service before you reseal it with the cork or screw cap.

They’re pretty effective for still wines & give you much longer to turn the bottles over, we’re talking weeks rather than days, but it’s not advisable to use them on sparkling wines.

CORAVIN SYSTEMS

These have become really popular with Sommelier in particular & offer a decent shelf life but the systems are quite pricey & the refill canisters even more so, especially if used heavily. These work by pushing the system’s needle directly through the unopened corked bottle, allowing you to pour the required measure before a controlled amount of argon is released into the remaining cavity space. With the right accessories, you can also use the same system for screw cap wines & there’s a separate system for sparkling wines too.

Sommelier primarily use these for offering premium & fine wines as opposed to lower-priced wines due to the higher ongoing costs.

PRESERVATION SYSTEMS

Dominated by Le Verre de Vin for the past few decades, these are fairly expensive to purchase outright but the running costs are very low. They can pay for themselves within a few years but it’s obviously dependent on how strong your WBTG offering is. The systems can last for many years & are very accurate, & you can get dual systems that will do all your still & sparkling wines together. There’s no inert gas involved & you have around 21 days to turn over your opened bottles.

There are also dispense systems which, again, are very expensive initially & have a higher running cost as they use inert gas to preserve the opened wines, but they look the dogs & give you a much longer shelf life. Again, these are suited to more premium wines where the transactional return is higher.

The most successful of these is enomatic, with By The Glass & Winemotion also offering similar effective solutions.

With consumers becoming ever-more experimental when it comes to their wine choices, it’s the ideal time to review your WBTG program as small tweaks can lead to big financial returns!

Contact your account manager for more assistance on increasing your wine by the glass offer

WINE LIST DESIGN

ARE YOU MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR WINE LIST GOING INTO 2022?

This may sound stark, but unfortunately, it’s a harsh reality, a continuation of the issues felt over the past six months or so when the hospitality sector was permitted to reopen.

This may sound stark, but unfortunately, it’s a harsh reality, a continuation of the issues felt over the past six months or so when the hospitality sector was permitted to reopen.

The impact of the pandemic on the global supply chain network continues to present major challenges to all industry sectors, and none more so than hospitality (as highlighted in our recent interview with Alliance Wine’s Ned Llewellyn - Scan the code below to read this interview).

But Climate Change is the main protagonist, with extreme weather events causing everything from severe spring frosts and hail, heavy rain and flash flooding, and drought conditions and wildfires. Vineyards are particularly susceptible to all of these issues, and the past two vintages, in particular, 2020 and 2021, have made history as some of the worst affected.

So what steps can we take to make our wine lists fit for 2022 and beyond, and how can we minimise the impact of unavoidable price increases on many of the most popular wines?

Scan to read our recent interview with Alliance Wine’s Ned Llewellyn.

RATIONALISE

IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT REDUCING YOUR RANGE

Rationalising your wine list but increasing the number of wines you offer by the glass is a good way to increase the size of your offering for customers who are drinking less but drinking better, as well as minimising your exposure to out of stocks. It also ties up less money in stock too.

If you’re going to increase your ‘by the glass’ range and you haven’t already done so, consider a wine preservation system like ‘Le Verre de Vin’, or if this is too expensive, a Coravin works well for mid to higher-priced wines where a Vacuvin pump and stoppers can manage the faster turnover wines.

LAY IT OUT

IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT REDUCING YOUR RANGE

There are some useful pointers worth considering here. A poll carried out last year by digital trade magazine ‘The Drinks Business’ revealed that the most important factor on a wine list was the geographical regions represented. Food and wine pairing information and price points were also featured prominently.

Listing your wines by geographical region means that you can still offer a representation from New Zealand, for example, but it doesn’t have to be Sauvignon Blanc.

Having price points that are carefully staggered, even if the list is more concise, gives customers the opportunity to trade up more easily than having wider price gaps. It may sound obvious, but also try to avoid

listing the wines in price ascending order. This will encourage customers to explore the full extent of your offering.

Now I’ve never been a fan of the term ‘house wine/s’. Not only does it remind me of pub and Chinese restaurant wine lists from the 1980s and 90s, but 99 times out of 100 they represent the cheapest level on the wine list. Given it’s an easy default for your less knowledgeable customers to make…well you can see what I’m getting at, can’t you.

If you’re going to insist on using the ‘house wine’ term, why not choose a wine that you and your staff are passionate about or one that best pairs with your signature dishes. That way, you can add credibility as well as make an easy upsell for the less decisive punters.

PRICE INCREASES

WHAT IS CAUSING THEM?

I mentioned there are a number of popular wines that are facing a severe shortage and big price hikes this year. Probably the highest profile is kiwi Sauvignon Blanc which has seen a 30% reduction in vintage 2021 due to severe frost damage but France, Italy and Spain have also been widely affected too, France especially so.

Popular French appellations like Picpoul de Pinet, Champagne, Chablis and Beaujolais were badly affected although Champagne will be able to mitigate against this to some degree by using a higher proportion of reserve wines.

Additional pressure in the form of steadily growing global demand, especially now the grip of the pandemic is weakening, is further exacerbating the issue pushing prices up, even on wines like Prosecco and north Italian Pinot Grigio that didn’t suffer at the hands of nature.

So, to summarise

•

Do consider keeping your wine offering tighter this year

• Do explore alternative grape varieties and wine styles that are more readily available

•

Do think about presenting your wine menu in a more flexible and cost-effective way

• Do consider expanding the number of wines you offer by the glass, paying particular attention to more premium wines

•

We have a huge amount of experience in wine list curation and design so please do get in touch if you need a helping hand

BESPOKE DESIGN

We know that drinks lists are an essential yet often underused piece of marketing for your business. They’re great for getting your products off the shelf and in front of your customers. They are also perfect for promoting your drinks, services and products. It can, at times, increase footfall and help you give your customers the best possible experience. Our in house design team have a vast amount of industry experience and are passionate about creating the perfect list for you and your business. Alongside your account manager, we can compile your menus based on knowledge of your site and your specific

guidance on how to structure your list as well as what products we think you should promote based your individual needs and also on industry trends. Drop us a line to see how we can help.

JANUARY

THE MAKERSMeet

Back in the summer of 2019 we began our in-depth exploration of alcohol free craft beers. Struggling to find a single shop where we could get all of the AF beers we wanted, we decided to open our own. We took it upon ourselves to source all of the best alcohol free craft beers we could find from around the world and sell them to UK customers via a single website - what a novel idea!

While running this site - named Crafty AF at the time - our quest to find the perfect AF brew often left us wanting more. We felt the world was being shortchanged; there wasn’t a brewery that emanated truly craft alcohol free beer, and there were so many beer types left unexplored. It was from this realisation that Lowtide Brewing Co was born.

Combining stellar can artwork, a sense of crafty defiance and deliciously different alcohol free beer, Lowtide Brewing Co seeks to bring true craft beer to the world of alcohol free.

At Lowtide, our goal is simple: create unique beers with unique artwork and unrivalled flavour.

We think it’s pretty simple, and we aim to keep it that way.

Rob & Dave

HOW IT’S MADE

You probably stock a range of non alcoholic beers but do you know how they are made?

When we brew our beer we brew them just like any other beer with some key differences that ensure we produce a 0.5% product. We use a larger percentage of low sugar producing speciality malts in the grist to make sure there are very minimal sugars to ferment alongside using a lazy yeast that consumes a very minimal amount of sugar.

Having no alcohol in the can leaves them exposed to many microbial issues that can create off flavours this is why we add in an additional process of pasteurisation to ensure that the product is shelf stable. Pasteurising the beers also ensures the maximum amount of aroma & flavour profile is retained whilst keeping the beer safe from any spoiling.

Big Drop Brewing Co is an award-winning alcohol-free craft brewery. Our passion is brewing the finest, tastiest craft beers we possibly can. And because tomorrow is always another day, it’s alcohol free.

We make premium soft drinks.

In a world of sugary, ecounfriendly, artificial, and unadventurous drinks we believe it’s time for something better.

The proof is in the punch.

2023trends

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE LOOKING OUT FOR IN 2023

COULD

THE HARD SELTZER

FINALLY

MAKE ITS MARK IN THE ON-TRADE? IS 2023 AS THE YEAR FOR RUM (AGAIN)? MEZCAL? VERMOUTH? LOW & NO? DISCOVER OUR 2023 PICKS...

It seems that since the dawn of time, many of the trends seen across the pond in the USA have been used to gauge the drinks trends on these shores. But as a nation, we know what we like, we have some of the best hospitality in the world, and we are lucky to have some of these as our customers. Due to this considerable variation in the style of venue within the customer base, we have a unique perspective on what the movers and shakers are in the industry, so read more to see what we think are the key trends for 2023

Premiumisation

Bacardi found that 50% of venues reported customers were opting for premium options when ordering drinks. This is a drinks trend we’re sure many businesses can get behind as there’s more profit to be made from premium drinks. However, we have to ask, why now? Consumers are looking to improve their experience in any way they can. One way of doing this is ordering ‘nicer drinks’ or theatrical drinks. People do this for the same reason people drive a nicer or faster car than they probably need, for the image. Get those smoke guns and flame throwers out! It’s cocktail time!

Health Conscious Drinks

There’s no time like the present to take care of your health, & with new legislation on HFSS products as well as a widely-shared Government strategy to reduce obesity, there is pressure on operators to provide healthier options. For this reason (and the growth of superconscious health influencers on social media), more & more drinks are displaying health benefits. The reason hard seltzers do well (with direct-to-consumer sales) is that they’re lowcalorie. They’re essentially alcoholic sparkling waters. Additionally, non-alcoholic beer has skyrocketed because of its health benefits & reduced number of calories, less people want to wake up dehydrated with a banging headache & unable to function properly for days. Hence the rise of their healthier counterpart. One product

that has only begun to rise (in our opinion) is kombucha. This is quite possibly the healthiest option within the soft drinks market currently. Kombucha is a fermented tea that has plenty of health benefits. It contains probiotics & antioxidants, it also kills bacteria with its acetic acid. Drinking Kombucha regularly improves gut health, which ironically is a growing trend within the health & fitness industry, so you can see how the growth of both things lend themselves to each other nicely. I’m sure you’ve seen the rise of turmeric & ginger drinks, we think they’re probably all marketing with a lack of real improvement to your health. However, the fact the sales of these drinks sky rocketed shows you that health-focused products are a rising drinks trend in the industry.

This format will have huge growth potential in 2023. Planet-friendly & convenient. Despite the growing demand for cocktails in the on-trade, many venues still struggle to find trained staff, so a quality pre-mixed drink ticks all the right boxes. We have an extensive range of alcoholic & non-alcoholic pre-mixed RTDs, including MOTH cocktails, which are full-strength classics made with the best of the best craft spirits. Perfect every time. We also have excellent non-alcoholic options from PUNCHY, which offer low-sugar, low-calorie

soft drinks that are all grown up, leading the pack with a little extra to support your immune system. They charge every plastic-free can of Punchy with 50% of your daily vitamin D, so their flavours pair perfectly with a balanced diet.

Top Tip: drop in a shot of your favourite spirit, & these make excellent & very premium cocktails. Our favourite is a drop of spiced rum over ice & top up with Punchy Golden Hour. The zesty blood orange & aromatic bitters pair perfectly with thewarmingspicesintherum.

Taking on the Big G!

With prices due to surge again in 2023 (see what we did there?) Guinness will be facing some serious challenges for its spaces on bars. It is easily the most iconic example of a drink defining a nation. It’s always a lovely sight watching a pint getting poured. The way the white, creamy head mixes with the dark stout beneath, watching the bubbles rise to the top. But even with global dominance & all that

Cask Ale

2022 saw an enormous surge in quality craft sales. The craft of excellent cellar management is an art form. Those who do it right are reaping the rewards & seeing customers return again & again, looking for that unbeatable cask experience. This opinion is concreted further by the numerous amount of modern craft brewers such as Deya, Glasshouse, Full Circle, Wylam

Sustainability

In today’s world, sustainable practices are encouraged. The majority of people are conscious about where their products come from, how they were made, & the effect they will have on the planet. There are plenty of methods drinks companies use to qualify for a ‘sustainable’ label on their marketing & brand. One of these methods is reusable containers. EcoSpirits are a company that distributes spirits in 4.5-litre containers that are returned & washed so that they can be reused. They take an approach to spirits similar to kegged beer. Glass bottles for spirits create 22,000,000 tonnes of emissions yearly. EcoSpirits combat this figure by saving 550 grams of emissions per bottle by using their reusable containers. With nearly no

theatre surrounding Guinness, the stout & porter category is enormous. There are some damn tasty & great value alternatives to this “king of stout”, or the locals like to call it, the “black stuff”. Please have a look at our stout section on our website and give a new beer a whirl and make some much-needed margin

& many more that were historically brewing beers in kegs are now moving into the cask arena. This swing in format is for the reasons we mentioned above, but also, from a sustainable & environmental point of view, cask beer requires less chilling & can be dispensed without any gas pressure. Head to our website for our ever changing range of craft cask ales.

packaging & a reduced carbon footprint, you can see how this business has taken advantage of this growing drinks trend - with no sign of slowing down in 2023. Purity Brewing Co is an example of a brewery that has immersed itself in this trend. For example, they use labelling that is entirely renewable, & they have a 95% efficient heating system for their brewing process. But it doesn’t stop there, they give their spent yeast & hops to farmers so that the bare minimum goes to waste. If you compare their beer to any others in the industry, they use 2.8 pints of water to craft one beer, this is a significant improvement compared to the industry average of 8 pints of water per beer produced.

WITH PRICES OF THE ‘BIG G’ SET TO ROCKET IN 2023 IS NOW THE TIME TO LOOK AT ALTERNATIVES?

We have selected a handfull of alternatives that offer you a broad mix of styles. They can also offer a better value per pint or even enable you to charge more per pint.

THE KING OF STOUT!

Guinness is the reigning the king of stout in the UK. It is easily the most iconic example of a drink defining a nation. It’s always a lovely sight watching a pint getting poured. The way the white, creamy head mixes with the dark stout beneath, watching the bubbles rise to the top. Ahh, perfect.

But even with global dominance & all that theatre surrounding Guinness, the stout category is huge. There are some damn tasty & great value alternatives to this “king of stout”, or as the locals like to call it the “black stuff”. Not only will these alternative stand to make you more money but they give your customers a great tasting option.

STOUTS & PORTERS

What’s the difference?

Stouts & porters are ultimately the same. They are top-fermented beers. The name porter was first used in 1721 to describe a dark brown beer that had been made with roasted malts. Because of the huge popularity of porters, brewers made them in a variety of strengths. The stronger beers, typically 7% or 8% alcohol by volume (ABV), were called “stout porters”, so the history & development of stout & porter are intertwined, & the term stout has become firmly associated with dark beer, rather than just strong beer.

What are milk stouts? The origin of the milk stout can be traced back to early 20th century England, an outgrowth of the increased popularity of dark ales like a porter, & later strong (or “stout”) porters. Milk, “sweet,” or “cream” stouts were generally beers with low amounts of alcohol but high amounts of residual sugar, Residual sugars are those left in a beer after the yeast has completed its fermentation. Because lactose is unfermentable by brewer’s yeast, lactose added to a beer makes the final product sweeter, fuller, & creamier.

But is it time for a change? CLICK

30ltr

Maule Brewing Co.

DARK MAULE

Rich, black pour, aromas of dark espresso, roasted malts & chocolate nibs. Sweet cocao & caramel, with a medium body, dry finish. Oats deliver a lovely smooth mouthfeel.

4.8% | Oatmeal Stout | £89.49

30ltr Sankey

Brennan’s Brewery

IRISH STOUT

A velvety dark ruby stout poured with a smooth creamy white head. It greets you with a cocoa aroma distinguished by earthy undertones yielding to a sweet caramel taste from the very first sip.

4.2% | Irish Stout | £97.99

30ltr Sankey

Brew York

TONKOKO

Tonka beans, hand-toasted coconut, Madagascan vanilla and Belgian sourced cacao nibs combine to make this one silky smooth and indulgent milk stout. Many have called it liquid Bounty!

4.3% | Milk Stout | £89.99

30ltr Sankey

Four Pure

BERMONDSEY STOUT

Fourpure Oatmeal Stout is full-bodied and creamy with a rich dark chocolate and roasted coffee flavour. A modern London beer, steeped in tradition.

5.1% | Oatmeal Stout | £96.99

30ltr A-Type

Whitstable Bay Brewing.

BLACK STOUT

A silky keg stout brewed using a unique blend of four coloured malts which impart a rich, complex flavour, balanced by the finest Admiral hops, & finished with a smooth, creamy head.

4.2% | Stout | £85.69

30ltr Sankey

Wye Valley Brewery.

NIGHTJAR STOUT

A delightfully dark British stout with rich coffee notes, intense roasted barley flavours and a dry, bitter finish. deliciously creamy texture, it’s superbly smooth and beautifully refreshing.

4.6% | British Stout | £76.99

SMOOTH, DARK AND DELECTABLY INDULGENT

Introducing Nightjar. With its roasted coffee notes and dry, bitter finish, this smooth and creamy British stout is something to behold.

SustainableTHE WAY

THE

TERM SUSTAINABILITY IS A BROAD AND COMPLEX CONCEPT THAT INCORPORATES NOT ONLY ENVIRONMENTAL, BUT ALSO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES.

At its heart, being sustainable is about durability... But in the long term the execution of sustainability should be seen the path to follow to generate positive impact while taking into consideration the triple balance between people, planet, and profit.

Historically, the production of alcohol has been pretty demanding on mother earth. Snazzy & eye-catching packaging is often used, and the process tends to involve lots of water, heat and energy.

But, thankfully there are an ever-increasing amount of forward-thinking producers who are taking steps in the right direction. So, the next time you’re spoilt for options choosing what to add to your menu, why not choose good for palate and planet? Here, we list our top picks of producers paving the way in the modern world.

PURITY BREWING CO NAVAS DRINKS

PURE ECO. SUSTAINABILITY AND BREWING WITH A CONSCIENCE IS AT THE HEART OF OUR BUSINESS.

At Purity we take our responsibility to our environment and local community very seriously. We’ve made some huge strides for a small company but we are determined to continue to make a difference.

Our brewery uses the latest heat exchange and steam recapture technology to reduce our energy consumption. Our spent grain goes to the Longhorn Cattle on the farm as well as going to Brewers Goose. The spent yeast goes to the local pigs and the used hops are used as fertiliser on the farm. We recycle our waste water by using a natural wetland system. Creating a unique and thriving ecosystem ensuring pure water is going back into the water system.

Navas is partnered with the Eden Project and 1% for the Planet to support their aims and ensure we are doing the best we can.

Navas mixers are focused on balancing ingredients, not overpowering with fad flavours.

We also want to match our love of craft drinks with the best modern business practices to be more sustainable, mixing with the best and shouting about the quality of ingredients and drinks found in Cornwall.

WE ALL HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR PLANET, AND WE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY AT EVERY STAGE.

DISCARDED SPIRITS

ONCE WASTED. NOW TREASURED.

At Discarded Spirits Co. we are on a simple mission: to reverse needless waste. 70% of Food and Drink waste is avoidable. We’re adopting a new philosophy to understand how what is wasted today, can be treasured tomorrow.

ECO SPIRITS SAPLING SPIRITS

THERE ARE TWO THINGS SAPLING LOVES: GREAT SPIRITS AND THE NATURAL WORLD.

When you choose Sapling you will enjoy both delicious homegrown spirits and making the world a better place. We exist to tackle climate change through regenerative farming and reforestation.

THE WORLD’S FIRST LOW CARBON, LOW WASTE SPIRITS DISTRIBUTION TECHNOLOGY

ecoSPIRITS is an innovative closed-loop distribution system that nearly eliminates packaging waste in the premium spirits supply chain.

By dramatically reducing packaging and transport costs, ecoSPIRITS provides both a powerful cost advantage and a transformative carbon footprint reduction.

BUY ONE GET ONE TREE

For every bottle you buy, a tree is planted. On each bottle a unique code tells you what tree was planted where and a little about the planting project

CHATEAU DE L’ESCARELLE

SUSTAINABILITY AND ORGANIC VITICULTURE WAS IS ACTUALLY AN OBLIGATION TOWARDS MOTHER NATURE

The estate’s biodiversity (demonstrated by the presence of hedgerows, trees, flowers, insect life...) and the use of very low- intensity farming practices, means that the impact on the environment (air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, water, soil, flora and fauna, landscape) is kept to a minimum. For example, the winery’s roof had solar panels installed in 2016, they currently generate 50% of the electricity they use each year, winery sewage and waste water is treated on site and re- used.

BEING CARBON NEUTRAL IS JUST THE BEGINNING

Sustainability in the wine trade doesn’t start and end in the winery. Indeed there are many aspects of the wine trade which are located in the UK such as importer Lanchester Wines and its sister business, Greencroft Bottling, which is a contract wine bottler. Both are based in County Durham.

Their philosophy is that every business has a duty of care to minimise its impact on the environment, but there is, unfortunately, no ‘one size fits all’ solution when it comes to sustainability. Lanchester Wines identified that it’s greatest opportunity to make a change is through minimising reliance on fossil fuels. And, as such, has invested around £10million in renewable heat and energy generation at its sites across the North East of England. Today the business is powered almost completely by renewable wind and solar energy.

• The business’ four wind turbines produce around 5.5million kWh (kilowatt hours) of clean, renewable electricity per year. Around 42% of this electricity is used to run operations onsite with the remaining electricity – enough to power 800 three bedroom homes - feeding into the National Grid for use within the local community

• Installing 2 Megawatts of solar panels on the roof of Greencroft Two which will create around 1.7m kilowatt hours of electricity per year

• A 41 kilowatt solar array on the roof of Lanchester Wines’ office complex produces enough clean electricity to cover day-to-day use.

• Pioneers of world-changing heat pump technology which uses water from disused mines beneath our warehouses in Gateshead.

Lanchester Wine are Pioneers of world-changing heat pump technology.

Lanchester Wines’ office complex produces enough clean electricity to cover day-to-day use.

STROUD BREWERY

DON’T PANIC, WE’RE ORGANIC

We make outstanding organic beer without damaging the planet and bring people together to inspire positive change. We believe the only way to be truly sustainable is to invest in responsible organic farming. If we don’t look after our soils through organic farming they won’t be healthy enough to feed us in 60 years. We also work hard to lower our carbon and water footprints and implement circular economy principles.

Every decision we make, takes into account the environmental impact

For instance at Two Drifters, we have an electric distillery run on 100% renewable energy, electric vehicles, carbon neutral packaging and courier, sustainable merchandise, closed loop chilling system, our new bottle design creates significantly less CO2. They are also beautiful, so win win!

Find out more at twodriftersrum.com

TWO DRIFTERS ECOZENZE

CARBON NEGATIVE BRITISH RUM

At the core of Two Drifters is the constant desire to improve. To strive for perfection in our rums, to constantly search out and implement new or improved sustainable technologies, to inspire others to be more sustainable.

EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT & ENVIRONMENTAL

EcoZenze provides a highly effective beer line clean that out-performs caustic. It saves money, too, as it extends cleaning cycles to two weekly, is quicker to use, and can be left overnight. And not only is it environmentally friendly, but the beer also tastes better. It’s environmentally friendly, uses much less water, and means no nasties are going down the drain. Call time on caustic cleaners, and ask for EcoZenze.

LEMONAID / CHARITEA

DRINKING HELPS. We make soft drinks how they should be. Each bottle contains only the best organic ingredients and supports fair trade. So far, so delicious

DROP BEAR BEER CO

THE UK’S HIGHEST RATED ALCOHOL FREE BREWERY

Drop Bear Beer Co. is a dedicated alcohol freebrewery with a focus on quality, sustainability,and craft.Drop Bear is currently building the UK’s biggestAF brewery and once operational, this willfunction as a key element of the brand.Drop Bear is Wales’ first B Corp Brewery and is currently working towards becoming the world’sfirst carbon neutral alcohol free brewery.

ANANTO WINES KARMA DRINKS

ORGANIC SODAS

There are 2.000,000,000 Colas consumed every day. But the west african people who discovered the magical properties of the Cola nut don’t make a penny from the world’s most popular fizzy drink. So in 2010 we decided to change that.

ORGANIC, SUSTAINABLE BAG IN BOX WINES

Along with all its wines being certified organic and vegan, Sierra Norte is keenly involved in projects run by its D.O. that benefit local people and which defend the products of its region. In a wider environmental sense, Sierra Norte is developing a wastewater project by installing a treatment system plant to reuse water, as well as being involved in a photovoltaic solar panel installation project.

You could call us a sustainable and ethical, almost bcorp accredited. Plastic free, social enterprise, organic and fairtrade development organisation. But that is a bit of a mouthful. So, in short we believe that something as frivolous as a fizzy drink can be a force for good.

Hospitality Action

Behind their smiles and slick service hospitality workers can fall upon hard times just like anybody else. Ours can be a stressful industry, with long hours, high pressure environments and physically demanding work.

From hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars and cafés to schools, hospitals and event venues Hospitality Action is here to give everyone in hospitality the help, advice and support they need whenever times get tough.

Serious illness, mental health issues, financial difficulties, family problems or addiction: whatever challenges you face, Hospitality Action is always here to get you back on your feet and enjoying the job again. And, when it’s no longer possible to work, we help people prepare for the next phase of their lives.

Hospitality Action helps in a number of ways, as well as offering financial grants they offer mental health support and signposting, provided via an online advice hub and 24 hour helpline.

Meanwhile Hospitality Action’s Employee Assistance Programme provides comprehensive wrap-around support with access to counsellors and experts in areas such as law or finance. Developed specifically for the industry the scheme also features managerial advice resources and support in the event of a critical incident and currently protects over 160,000 employees.

As hospitality people face soaring energy bills, rocketing rents and inflation, coupled with the staffing crisis and rising cost of living Hospitality Action have led to mounting and heart-breaking pleas for help to our industry charity.

Over the autumn Hospitality Action experienced in applications for financial support applicants are presenting with household arrears or utilities placing many at risk of homelessness.

Meanwhile 35% of our beneficiaries are now directly referencing mental health issues in their application, reporting that this is exacerbated by financial problems.

The good news is that Hospitality Action is working harder than ever to support our industry and we continue to adapt our services to meet the demands of the industry we serve.

To learn more about Hospitality Action please visit: www.hospitalityaction.org.uk Registered Charity