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By Matt Furnell, 10/06/2010 4:03 pm

Justin Adams, managing director of Greene King brewing company, has gone back to the floor at the Buxhall Crown pub near Stowmarket to help with the pub’s first ever beer festival.

The pub’s landlord, Barry Davis, secured Justin’s help after ‘winning’ it at a charity auction. The brewing boss was one of over 50 executives from Greene King whose time was auctioned off to licensees in order to raise money for the company’s nominated charities: Sport Relief and the Dallaglio Foundation. The total amount raised by Greene King from the auction and from a Paris to London bike ride now stands at over £65,000.

Justin’s shift consisted of working non-stop in and around the pub to help with the beer festival. He was kept busy helping to pull pints for a host of queuing customers as well as keeping an eye on the cellar and taking his turn at cooking on the barbecue.

Speaking after the event, licensee Barry Davis said: “Hats off to Justin for being such a great sport. It’s his team at Greene King who brew, market, sell and distribute the beer, so it seemed appropriate to get him doing the other most important job in the beer industry: pulling and serving the pints.

“We had number of different beers on tap for the day, from Ruddles County and St Edmunds to The Reverend James and Bomber County. The beer festival gave people a chance to sample real ale and learn all about it from the ultimate expert. Alongside the cracking barbecue for customers, we raised some much needed funds for Sport Relief.”

Justin Adams added: “The Buxhall Crown is a great example of a pub serving its community - fantastic food, excellent beer and a tremendous atmosphere. The beer festival was a good way to raise the profile of the pub and attract new customers. I’m sure that those people who came for the first time will become regulars.   

“It’s been a while since I’ve worked behind the bar – it was a good reminder of how much hard work it is and how important it is to train people properly in selling and serving real ale. Congratulations to Barry and his team for running such a great pub and raising some much needed money for two great causes.”

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For further information please contact James Cameron jamesc@consolidatedpr.com or Lottie Dutton lottied@consolidatedpr.com on 020 7781 2300

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By Matt Furnell, 19/05/2010 10:17 am

The John Barleycorn pub in Cambridge has been accredited as
members of Cask Marque, passing the test with flying colours

The John Barleycorn pub in Duxford, Cambridge has scooped yet another recognition for the quality of its beer.  The pub gained Cask Marque, an independent accreditation for serving the perfect pint of cask ale with a phenomenal 100% score. 

During a mystery visit to the John Barleycorn, the undercover judges tried a selection of beers and ales ranging from Greene King IPA, Abbot Ale and Old Speckled Hen to the more unusual tipple of Barleycorn Best Bitter.  The pub has since received a plaque, framed certificate and merchandising material to inform its customers of the award.  The news comes as cask ale sales in pubs recently increased 5.7 per cent, according to new figures .

Licensee Bernard Lee is thrilled that the pub’s hard work and attention to detail has been recognised.  He said, “We are chuffed to bits to have been recognised as a member of Cask Marque.  It is a really great achievement and is a credit to the hard work of our team.  Cask ale plays a huge part in our success and I’m ecstatic for everyone at the pub.  We concentrate on keeping our cask ales in tip-top condition, and pride ourselves on giving the locals great service in a place where they can soak up the friendly atmosphere.”

Greene King regional manager, Phil Arnold said, “This is a fantastic result for the pub and Bernard. Cask ale is the best drink there is when served in good condition, and the John Barleycorn knows a thing or two about making this happen.  Lots of pubs are taking advantage of the renewed interest in real ale and more of our licensees like Bernard are doing their bit to make sure everyone can enjoy a good pint of cask ale and first rate service.”

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For further information on the event, please contact Hew Leith hewl@consolidatedpr.com or Lottie Dutton lottied@consolidatedpr.com on 020 7781 2300

Notes to Editors:

About Greene King

Greene King Pub Partners has over 1,300 tenanted and leased pubs in the UK and is part of Greene King, the brewing and beer business responsible for Greene King IPA, the country’s best selling cask beer, and Belhaven, the Scottish brewing, beer and pub operator.

About the Cask Marque scheme
The scheme is operated by an independent body called Cask Marque Trust which is a limited company, limited by guarantee, and a non profit making organisation.

Pubs that join the scheme will be visited unannounced by an independent assessor twice a year.   The assessor will check all cask ales on sale for temperature, appearance, aroma and taste.

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By Matt Furnell, 15/03/2010 6:03 pm

The Jolly Farmer, Hurst, is expecting quite a gathering on Saturday 20^th March!   A day for the whole family, full of vintage activities, the Jolly Farmer will play host to the local annual steam rally that attracts guests from as far a field as Holland and Germany.  Customers will get the chance to see up close some exquisite vintage vehicles and steam engines as well as watch the exciting races of the mini steam engines and the mamods!  The event is a particular passion of The Incredible Dr Busker, the last Victorian Pub Pianist who will be playing into the evening.

Greene King Licensees, Nick and Jane Flatters said, “We are thrilled to offer our customers a day that is out of the ordinary. It really is something the whole family can get involved in, from having breakfast together at the pub, through to supper watching Dr Busker in the evening!  We are proud being associated with an event that promotes the preservation of our fantastic heritage”.

Speaking about the Greene King pub, regional manager for Greene King, Robin Tidd said, “Nick and Jane are really looking forward to welcoming their regulars and new customers to this fantastic day. The Jolly Farmer is a great pub for this event, offering a great welcome as well as great beer and food! ”

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Press Contact:

Elaine Beckett, Public Relations Manager, Greene King Pub Partners,

Tel: 07974 132844

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By Matt Furnell,

The Woolpack, Chelmsford, is on a winning streak! Following on from their 2009 success of being named the Morning Advertiser’s ‘Cask Ale Pub of the Year’, Greene King Licensees, Dave and Maggie Gentry have received the accolade of ‘Pub of the Year’, voted for by CAMRA members of Chelmsford and Mid-Essex.  The Woolpack was packed to the rafters on the evening of Thursday 11^th March, when the presentation was made to the popular licensees.

Dave and Maggie said, “We are thrilled to receive such a prestigious award and it means so much that our loyal regulars and CAMRA members took the time to vote for us. We always try to offer a great range of quality beers for our customers and they really seem to appreciate it”.

The celebrations continue into Spring as The Woolpack are holding their Easter Beer Festival from 1^st-4^th April – an event that is sure to bring together real beer lovers.

Speaking about the Greene King pub, regional manager for Greene King, Steve Head said, “Dave and Maggie truly deserve the recognition that this award brings. They are committed to pouring the best pint for their customers and the Woolpack is a superb local for is regulars and new customers”.

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By admin, 21/01/2010 2:19 pm

A spirited team of 21 cyclists from Greene King are to take part in a challenge of a lifetime and raise £63,000 for charity in the bargain.  The riders will be participating in Stage 3 of the Dallaglio Cycle Slam challenge, hosted by rugby legend Lawrence Dallaglio and in support of Sport Relief and the Dallaglio Foundation.

A spirited team of cyclists from Greene King

Stage 3 starts on 23 February and travels from Stade de France in Paris to Twickenham, clocking up 410 km in the process. Lawrence will begin the challenge himself on Friday 12^th  February in Rome, when he will depart on a gruelling 1,330 Km cycle up the West coast of Italy, and through to Paris where he will join the Greene King team for the third stage that takes him through to Twickenham. The Cycle Slam will then move on to Wales eventually covering all the Six Nations stadiums during the tournament. 

Speaking about the challenge, marketing manager for Greene King IPA (the official beer of England Rugby), Keith Ironside said, “This is a huge opportunity to achieve a great deal of fundraising for these amazing charities.  The whole team have been training throughout all the cold weather and are really getting prepared for this fantastic event and getting behind Lawrence, Sport Relief and the Dallaglio Foundation.  We’re looking for sponsorship and if anyone would like to help they can donate on www.justgiving.com/team-greene-king.  Everything will be gratefully accepted and appreciated”.

Lawrence Dallaglio Cycle Slam Challenge

Lawrence Dallaglio commented, “It’s brilliant to have the support of the team from Greene King.  It’s no doubt going to be hard work but the money we’ll raise will make a real and valuable difference to the charities we’re helping”.

The charities who’ll benefit from the fundraising are Cancer Research UK, Leukaemia Research, Debra, Help for Heroes, PRA Benevolent Fund and Sport Relief.  The event will be featured through the BBC Sport coverage of the RBS Six Nations and you can follow the riders on twitter and the official website: www.dallagliocycleslam.co.uk

Lawrence and his team of seven core cyclists will leave the Greene King team at Twickenham and go on to Cardiff and the Millennium Stadium   clocking up a total of just under 2,900 km in five weeks.

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Press Contact: Elaine Beckett, PR & Comms Manager, Greene King Pub Partners, Tel: 07974 132844

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By Matt Furnell, 12/01/2010 2:04 pm

Cask ale lovers can try their hand at brewing their very own beer with a new free App from Greene King’s Head Brewer’s Club and Pub Partners.  Choose a mix of hops, barley, water and yeast, shake it all about and create the perfect pint all on the iPhone or ipod Touch.

Ibrew Application developed for the Head Brewers Club

It also allows fans find a perfect pint too by helping them discover cask ale pubs certified as having excellent cask ale by Greene King’s quality team and Head Brewer, John Bexon.  All 336 Head Brewer’s Pub Partners pubs are featured and can be found with the iPhone map by name or county or connected with telephone link.

Speaking about the iBrew App, Commercial Manager for Greene King Pub Partners, Anthony McEvoy said, “This is a unique App allowing a bit of fun with its very own brewing game and providing pub lovers easy access to great cask ale pubs all over the country.  The pubs get better publicity than they would from just a standard website and customers can use the iPhone map system to direct themselves straight to the pub of their choice”.

Greene King’s Head Brewer’s Club is an initiative to promote brilliant cask ale pubs and the unique qualities they offer to customers up and down the country.  All pubs have been rigorously assessed for their consistent delivery of real ale.

Download the app here http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ibrew/id347288864?mt=8

Pictured:  Images of the iBrew App screens

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Press Contact: Elaine Beckett, Public Relations Manager, Greene King Pub Partners, Tel: 07974 132844

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By Matt Furnell, 08/12/2009 2:13 pm

7 December 2009

Greene King plc today announces the retirement of David Elliott as Managing Director of Pub Partners, its tenanted pub division, and the appointment of Simon Longbottom as his successor.

After eleven years with Greene King and over 25 years in the industry, David Elliott, the current Managing Director of Pub Partners, has decided to retire. During his time at Pub Partners, David has overseen significant growth: from 620 to over 1,300 tenanted pubs and from £32 million of operating profit in 1998 to £71 million in 2008/9.  More recently, David and his team have been managing the division effectively through the current tough trading environment and delivering improved performance trends.

David will stay with Greene King until 31 January 2010 when he will also stand down from the Board.

Rooney Anand, Chief Executive of Greene King, commented:

“In the eleven years that he has been here, David has made a significant contribution to Pub Partners both in terms of growing profitability and the size and quality of the overall estate. 

“I would like to extend my sincere thanks and best wishes from everyone here at Greene King and wish him all the best for the future.”

Simon Longbottom (37), who will join the company on 1 February 2010, has spent his career working in the leisure industry.  He has particularly strong commercial and operations experience in the pub sector. 

He joins Greene King from Gala Coral Group where he was Managing Director of its Gaming Group.  Simon started his career at Bass Taverns and has since held senior positions at Mill House Inns and Mitchells & Butlers, with over 11 years experience in the pub sector.

Rooney Anand further commented:

“We are delighted that Simon Longbottom is joining the team at Greene King.  Simon has significant and highly relevant experience in the pub and leisure sectors, which will be invaluable to Pub Partners, particularly as we continue to take a leadership role in the adaptation and ongoing improvement of the tenanted pub model.”
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Enquiries:

Greene King plc Rooney Anand, Chief Executive Tel: 01284 763222
Financial Dynamics Ben Foster Tel: 020 7831 3113

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By Matt Furnell, 18/11/2009 2:56 pm

 The Port Mahon pub in Oxford has undergone a complete transformation by pub operators Joe Hill and Nick Bassett.  The duo, who already have the Fir Tree pub have used their experience to turn the Greene King pub around.

Speaking about their new venture, Nick said, “The Port Mahon is like two pubs rolled into one, the best of both worlds.  Sports fanatics can take advantage of the Sports bar with all the Sky features, whilst music lovers can enjoy the live entertainment in the traditional pub”.

Adding he said, “We wanted to bring the pub back to life.  It’s always had a reputation for good music but the pub needed some tlc and both Joe and I have given it that”.

Regional manager for Greene King, Robin Tidd said, “Nick and Joe know what they are doing and are just the right people to take this pub and make it work really well”.

Press Contact: Elaine Beckett, Public Relations Manager, Greene King Pub Partners

Tel: 07974 132844

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By Matt Furnell, 29/10/2009 11:51 am

Brulines Group plc

(“Brulines” or “the Group”)

Partnership with Greene King Pub Partners

Brulines Group plc (AIM:BRU), the market leading provider of real time monitoring systems and data management services for the UK leisure sector, is pleased to announce that it has secured a partnership with Greene King Pub Partners (“Greene King”) to supply the national tenanted pub operator with Brulines’ leading i-draught beer quality and dispense monitoring system.

The partnership with Greene King marks Brulines’ first major order for the i-draught system with the pub operator rolling out i-draught as their primary system in its estate, which numbers 1,400 pubs throughout the UK. Initially, 100 i-draught systems will be installed by the end of 2009, before a more extensive installation programme commences in Q1 2010.

The i-draught system offers pub licensees a vital tool to monitor the quality and yield of beer served. This provides valuable intelligence about their business helping them to improve beer quality and manage wastage and costs on all draught products.

James Dickson, Chief Executive of Brulines said: “It is a great endorsement of the i-draught system that an organisation of the scale and professionalism of Greene King has selected our product to be integrated across their pub estate. The roll out will enable us to work in partnership to tailor the system and ensure the data delivers exactly the information that Greene King and their licensees need to run even more efficiently and deliver enhanced quality.”

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By Matt Furnell,

Capitalising on the resurgence of cask beer, one of the country’s most loved beers, Abbot Ale, will be featured on the nation’s TV screens from the end of this week.

Abbot Ale will be sponsoring Friday nights on Dave (9pm – 11.40pm) and Dave Ja Vu (10pm – 12.40pm) as part of a brand campaign that reminds drinkers just how great Abbot is – at the same time as prompting enticing thoughts of excellent tale-telling and great laughs down at the pub.

The campaign, ‘Classic Tales from a Classic Ale’ features the mighty Brian Blessed in the famous Hawley Arms, Camden with a pint of Abbot, telling time-honoured jokes in his unique, larger-than-life way. A contagious and massive eruption of laughter completes each scene, sealing the association between the beer, the pub and having a terrific time.

The TV campaign raises the profile of Abbot in particular and cask beer in general, at a time when cask is already enjoying a renaissance, outperforming other draught beers and helping to draw people into the pub.

Fiona Hope, marketing director at Greene King Brewing Company, said: “Abbot is the most popular premium cask beer in London and among the top two nationwide. It is a real beer lover’s beer – a true classic that appeals to people of discerning tastes, people who will thoroughly appreciate Brian’s story-telling performance. The TV campaign will reach over a million 35-54 year old ABC1 men over 10 times. We have solid evidence of how this helps drive sales.”

Beer lovers will be able to obtain their own special glass Abbot tankard, like the one featured with Brian via a collector scheme in local pubs across the country.

The highly sought-after Abbot Ale Reserve will return in November and will be available until December. It will also be participating in the tankard promotion.

To find out more about stocking Abbot Ale or about the Tankard promotion, contact Greene King’s Customer Care Team on 0845 850 4545.