The latest 'Iechyd Da' beer column from brewer Simon Buckley


The latest Iechyd Da beer column written by Simon Buckley, chief executive of the Llandeilo-based Evan-Evans brewery, for the Carmarthen Journal . . .
It’s Easter and it’s time to look forward, but to what?
Predictably, perhaps, Budget Week was yet another bad week to be a brewer.
I have always believed in the great Liberal tradition of fair play, and giving everyone opportunity, but hey-ho, the answer seems to be that the further you are from Westminster the less your shouts are heard.
The Lib-Dems feed on the belief that it is wrong to be wealthy and to create wealth and the Tories lurch from one ‘idea of the moment’ to the next ‘idea of the moment’.
Between them, they attack the very thing that we in small business are here to create - jobs and personal wealth opportunities.
The Budget will impact on the social drinking of many thousands of people in Wales.
We are being punished by Government for the actions of a small minority of binge drinkers, who do not represent the thousands of people who enjoy a drink with their friends in the security of our great Welsh pubs.
This duty increase is one too far, with the combined impact of additional fuel prices, and the ever-present increase in utility costs.
You wonder, why, oh why, are we still persevering trying to make the great Welsh Brewing industry work when Government is more determined than ever to drive us out of business?
There is a simple reason: we believe in the good things in life and the great Welsh Pub industry is just that, a great treasure, and something we are not going to let some far distant Government drive out of business.
So, we at Evan-Evans have decided to hold our prices to a modest price increase of less than 1.3 p per pint, to rely on greater volumes, and thereby drive the economy of scale.
Sanity or madness?
Only time will tell, but I suspect that the great Welsh drinking public will look for beer that is not only Welsh but competitively priced.
Easter is the time of year when we launch off for the season and welcome the many thousands of tourists to Wales.
This year will be one of those years when we will see a lot of tourists who will be looking for great Welsh Ale and, guess what, we have some super beers for them to try.
One thing is for sure they are not coming looking for beers brewed in Cornwall; they are coming to look for something good and local.
So, landlords, now is the time to get some Welsh ale on the bars.
That and good food and the tourists will go away thinking that they have been to heaven and back again!
Lighter amber coloured beers, with a nice hint of spring bitterness, some darker stronger beers with the last hints of winter and alcohol and, inevitably, the first of the season’s Golden beers.
We in Wales have it all, and yes, Mr Cameron, I am going to do my bit for the Welsh economy and drink a good few pints of great Welsh Ale. You ought to try it!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Simon, pubs are going out of business at an alarming rate. I believe the rise of plastic pubs ( All Bar One etc.) displacing local pubs has had a big impact, as they sell high priced 'designer' beers at high prices rather than be a part of the community. Why not enourage community minded pubs, for example where I live, many people are at work and not able sign for parcels, why dont some of the pubs say have us as a delivery address, we will charge you a small fee for taking your parcel in, and most people will probably stay for a beer when collectingthe parcel anyway. I know I`d go for such a service as its a real pain going to the Post Office to pick up the parcels. Also where councils are shutting things like public toilets, why not let pubs have a discount on their rates if they allow people to use their loos ? I last went to Ireland about a decade ago, it was quite common then to find that the pub doubled up with some other function,I particularly remember a pub and shoe repairers in County Cork, and they seemed to be doing OK then ( cant say how they are doing now as Ive not been back to that area).
29 March 2012 at 22:36
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