We're Still Here - Just Not Blogging...

EIGHT WEEKS! That's what I call a regular update. I know we've been busy, but frankly, 'Must Try Harder' is probably to be found in red letters somewhere round here.... Well, we'll see! To be honest, a few posts have been written, but not published (yet).

The Highwayman is behind much of our labours at the moment - it is steadily attracting a number of new, and often regular, customers. Crucially though, not at the expense of sales of our other beers. But, (isn't there always a but...) it's popularity is affecting our ability offer the usual range of beers, and at the moment we are struggling to offer a full range. So new casks are due by early July, and space has been cleared in the brewery for another fermenter. Now of course all this costs money, and wouldn't you just know it, stainless prices are rocketing. Indeed all prices seem to be rocketing these days - all that is except the ex-brewery price of beer. Thankfully the rise in sales means more money coming in, and so investment is still possible, but it won't of course always be like this.

So next time you're in a pub, moaning about the rising price of your pint, don't believe the hype about it being the brewers fault. Sadly, price is now more important than quality - especially with the new wave of gastro pubs with high food prices, and I do at times wonder if their beer purchasing policy also applies to their food. Still, I guess it's always been that the small business is expected to be cheap. Now many landlords do put quality, and customer preference, way above price - but should we then charge them more than we would charge the bargain-hunters? Of course not, so we don't. By the same token of course, we don't give ground very much, and so often lose out on a sale. Other breweries will though, and just recently one of the heaviest discounters has gone into administration.

You don't have to be a money grabbing git to run a business - but we can certainly see why for some it helps.