Richard's On Trade Update

Ladies and gents of the Blog, for those who have not yet had the pleasure, my name is Richard McLelland and I handle the Sales & Trade Marketing for the Brewery.  While James is off spreading the good word in the US, I will be filling in on blogging duties and taking the opportunity to update you on our expansion into the On Trade.

The most commonly asked question that I receive goes something along the lines of "I bloody love your beer but where can I get a hold of it?"  - So without further ado let me break it down for you.

It is my personal mission to make sure that every bar that wants good beer and can indeed prove that they are worthy shall be able to acquire good beer.

We have always had some early adopters and solid trade partners who just "got it" from the start and it wouldn't be right and proper to continue this blog without first acknowledging the huge part they continue to play in spreading the word and giving the best possible showcase to our brews.

Starting from the bottom (of the country) and working our way up - our early adopter niche suppliers have been pivotal in giving a platform for our groundbreaking Ales.   Whether it is the legends of Utobeer who control the London Manner or their partners in crime Vertical drinks,  we have seen our beer positioned in the best possible bars that we could have hoped for and they continue to help us grow our business by seeding the brands in only the most choice locations.

Up North (or down South as the boys in the Broch say) Boggart's of Manchester www.boggart-brewery.co.uk  have been servicing Pubs from Bristol up to Carlisle with our finest cask and Keg offerings and continue to be great purveyors of Martins Special batches.

Scotland has historically been handled by direct supply, straight into the bars from the brewery and we continue to offer this service for the time being, so if you have a local that you want to turn onto the delights of the Dog then you know what to do - my details are on the webpage.

So, I hear you ask - what the hell have I been doing since coming on board? Well let me tell you it has not all been Zeitgeist launches down Brick Lane and hanging around waiting for the Zephyr to be bottled.  Oh no we are firmly entrenched in phase two of the expansion into the On Trade and here are the success stories so far: -

I have been working closely with our partners in Nottingham, Libra Drinks www.libradrinks.co.uk  and secured Brewer of the month activity with the Castle Rock group where Martin did a "Meet the Brewer" event over the weekend to a rapturous reception.

 Since joining I have seen bars and indeed large groups of people embrace The Way of the Dog but never has there been such a collective insurrection of people embracing the revolution as there is the fair city of Nottingham.   If you are in that neck of the woods then Castle Rock pubs are the place to be for some of the best conditioned cask ale available.

Moving North again we will be launching our Cask and Bottle offerings into LWC wholesale www.lwc-drinks.co.uk  who have depots everywhere from Cornwall to Teeside but will be mainly facilitating their existing customers in the North of England. - So if your venue or your local is supplied by them, then look out for their brochure activity in April.

Back home in Scotland and with the phone ringing off the hook with requests for direct deliveries I  went in search of a wholesaler that could distribute to the far, wide and wild lands of Caledonia and as a result we will be launching our core bottle range through Wallace's Express from April.  Again if you are a pub in Scotland then check out their April brochure for pricing and range.

As an Umbrella to all this activity and to make sure that there is not one inch of the country that you cannot find a pub that you can get a hold of our beer, we are currently conducting a Guest Ale listing with Waverley TBS who facilitate the M+B's pub group and they will be showcasing our Trashy Blonde Ale through to May.

This is just the tip of the Iceberg and there is much more up my sleeve for the coming months but as with everything at Brewdog we want to put the power in your hands, so feel free to get onto your local bar or supplier and let them know what they are missing out on.

"The revolution will not be televised" Gil Scott Heron