Matthew Clark Boutique Beers Festival raises glass to 20% customer increase

Drinks distributor Matthew Clark served more than 1,000 customers at its Boutique Beers Festival at British Summertime Hyde Park last month, an increase of 20% in numbers compared with 2015.

The brand saw a surge in demand for premium beer and cider, with volume sales of premium packaged lager up 18% and premium packaged cider up 41%.

More than 200 beers and ciders from 60 different craft brewers were housed in various festival tents, trucks and bars across the park, and more than 5,000 pints of craft beers and ciders were pulled on the day along with more than 1,000 beer cocktails, or ‘hoptails'.

New beers and ciders showcased included the Stiff Upper Lip by London Wandsworth brewer By The Horns, the Jasmine rice-infused Crazy Mountain Creedence pilsner, the Rothhammer Brave Red Ale (apparently the first ever Chilean craft beer to be imported into Europe) and the Sxollie cider from South Africa, made with Golden Delicious apples.

Matthew Clark's sister company Peppermint, which specialises in festival bars, ran 26 bars serving a range of premium beers from the Heineken and Caledonian Brewery range.

Peppermint founder Alex Brooke said: "Bringing the Boutique Beers event to BST Hyde Park felt like such a perfect fit. It's a great example of how working together with Matthew Clark can create unique event experiences for both brands and customers alike. This conjoined thinking is crucial to keeping ahead of the curve in a competitive market."

Justin Wylde, category manager (beer, cider and soft drinks) at Matthew Clark, said: "It was a fantastic day and such a great turnout from the on trade. The combination of sunshine, great food, live music and not forgetting beer, cider and beer cocktails, proved a winning formula."

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