The growing popularity of Bath Ales’ flagship Gem bitter has helped the brewery achieve its best ever year for grocery sales.
Its supermarket sales grew by 14% last year to £3.5m as demand for craft beer continued to spiral.
The increase put Bath Ales in third position in a table of the top 20 craft beer producers in the UK – a reflection of how highly regarded Gem is in its heartland as most of supermarkets that stock it and other Bath Ales beers are based in the South West.
The supermarket sales data was collected by consumer research group Nielsen and published in The Grocer, the industry magazine. The brewer, based between Bath and Bristol at Warmley, met Nielsen’s definition for craft beer due to its focus on quality and provenance.
Overall sales of Bath Ales’ bottled beers rose by 17% across all retail channels in 2015.
The sales figures have been released less than a month after Bath Ales was acquired by Cornish brewer St Austell Brewery for an undisclosed sum. St Austell Brewery, best known for its Tribute Cornish Pale Ale, Proper Job IPA and Korev lager, has committed to long-term significant investment in the Bath Ales brands, its portfolio of beer brands and its 11-strong pub estate.
The acquisition also includes Beerd, Bath Ales’ more experimental micro-brewery which combines British brewing techniques with global trends to create innovative and distinctive beers.
Bath Ales marketing director Karin Ashwell said: “It’s great to see Bath Ales ranking so highly in Nielsen’s top 20 craft beer list. Whilst the definition for craft beer can be debated, our commitment to producing high quality, great-tasting beer is unquestionable.
“We attribute our success in supermarkets to the fantastic consumer loyalty enjoyed by Gem and our other brands. With Gem being in such high demand with customers, we find supermarkets want to stock more to meet shoppers’ needs.
“We’ve also been able to grow sales in supermarkets through filling gaps for retailers who didn't previously stock Bath Ales and adding other Bath Ales brands to their range.
“Gem has always maintained great distribution and, given the strong consumer appeal and high level of recognition, it has a really good rate of sale. We have found interest and sales in our beers have grown as people understand more about our focus on quality and see the awards and recognition we enjoy.”
Bath Ales’ core beer portfolio ranges from lighter pale ales to dark stouts. It also produces limited edition seasonal ales available on draught across its venues and occasionally in bottle or micro cask too.
Gem has twice been a medal winner at the prestigious International Beer Challenge; Gold medal winner and overall category champion (Best ale up to 5% vol) in 2014 and silver medal winner in 2015.
Bath Ales’ outlets include The Hop Pole and The Salamander pubs in Bath while its Graze bar and restaurant next to Bath Spa railway station also features a microbrewery.
