It is rich in history, steeped in regional pride, and traditionally served in pubs across the country — yet cask ale is under threat.
As younger drinkers move towards canned cocktails and craft lagers, and pub closures mount, real ale has suffered a dramatic decline in sales.
A grassroots petition is calling on the government to nominate cask ale for Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage status, a move that supporters say could protect not just the drink itself but the unique pub culture and brewing knowledge that surrounds it.
“You can travel all over the world and not find cask ale done like we do here,” Phil Simpson, the director at Lancaster Brewery, said.
Stroud Brewery, another venue where cask ale is the main focus
The brewery, which employs about 25 staff and uses 19th-century brewing methods, is among the many small regional breweries helping keep the tradition alive. Their yeast strain is more than 200 years old, and water is drawn from a local aquifer.
“We have pubs and hotels in the northwest and we regularly get people from the States and all across Europe and Asia who come specifically to try cask ale because they can’t get it anywhere else. It’s surprising it hasn’t been given the status already,” Simpson said.
According to the British Beer and Pub Association, cask ale accounts for only one in seven pints sold in pubs, clubs and bars across the UK, a decline that has prompted concerns about its long-term future.
For many communities, cask ale is not just a drink — it is a point of local pride, the backbone of village pubs, city boozers and everything in between.
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The timing of the campaign is significant. The UK only ratified the Unesco convention in March last year, meaning cask ale could become the country’s first recognised tradition under the scheme, joining the likes of Belgian beer culture, Arabic coffee and the French baguette.
The move is supported by Greg Pilley, who founded the organic Stroud Brewery in Gloucestershire 19 years ago. Although it produces a variety of beers, cask remains its focus.
“This recognition is critical,” he said. “Cask ale relies on good UK pubs that are set up to serve it. By recognising it as a heritage product, it also brings protection to pubs and pub culture in the UK. It’s not just the product. It’s the whole service of it.”
Greg Pilley says there is a myth surrounding cask ale and the age of its consumers
Cask ale, also known as real ale, is a live, unpasteurised product that ferments in the cask from which it is served, giving it its distinct flavour and character. It is stored in temperature-controlled cellars, typically between 11–13C, and must be consumed within a few days of opening.
Simpson believes the Unesco bid could rehabilitate cask’s “old man” image among younger drinkers.
“My son drinks cask ale, but he says a lot of his friends see it as an old man’s drink. We need to change that. Get it on TikTok, make it cool again. The problem is none of us brewers want to be influencers,” he said.
Pilley agrees there’s a “myth” around cask ale and the age of its consumers. “There is an illusion that this is an old man’s drink. But what the craft beer movement did was throw away the style rule book,” he said. “Now even cask beers aren’t subject to regional rules and style that we used to see. There are categories within cask which produce really interesting beers. So we’ve seen drinkers from all ages, all backgrounds, enjoying cask.”
Real ale won’t survive its downward trajectory without intervention, Simpson warned.
“There’s been a massive shift away from drinking in licensed venues to drinking at home, but cask ales can only really be served in licensed premises because it’s very labour intensive,” he said. “It’s becoming increasingly niche, so it’s about time that our status as a very complicated craft product is recognised globally.”
Government policy, he said, has not helped. “While pub prices have gone up by 300 per cent in 20 years, beer prices in supermarkets have barely moved. So the gap between drinking at home and drinking in licensed premises is wider than it’s ever been before. And this is something the government’s allowed to happen.”
If the petition reaches 100,000 signatures, it will be debated in parliament
The petition has now reached 12,146 signatures. A government response is expected within days.
Ash Corbett-Collins, the chairman of the campaign for real ale, said: “We are fully backing the campaign to see cask beer recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage and urge all pubgoers and beer lovers across the UK to sign this petition.
“Cask beer has been part of our pub culture for centuries and should be protected and respected as part of the UK’s heritage. If the French baguette is recognised by Unesco, then the UK’s world-renowned cask beer must be too.
“Despite our independent brewers working hard to make world-class beers, customers can struggle to see local and independent drinks at the bar, because global companies dominate the UK beer market. If the petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be debated in parliament and will make MPs rethink how best to support independent cask beer producers and increase customer choice of diverse beers in locals up and down the country.”