Brewery delivers thousands of pints to real ale lovers since first lockdown
Ludlow Brewing Company has delivered more than 30,000 pints to people’s homes since the first lockdown in March last year.
The home delivery service for real ale lovers began as a way of offering a safe, contactless way of catering for real lovers missing a pint at the pub.
The brewery embraced the 'beer at home' delivery model, delivering to homes within a 30-mile radius of Ludlow. It covers Knighton, Hereford, Shrewsbury, Telford, Kidderminster and all the villages and tiny hamlets in-between.
It’s just a drop in the pint glass compared to the usual takings at the award-winning microbrewery which prior to Covid offered daily brewery tours and has a taproom which is a popular live music venue. But the deliveries, along with takeaways, has meant business survival.
Owner Gary Walters said: “We were only able to open to customers for four months of the past 11 months since the first lockdown, and that was with restrictions of social distancing and table service, which meant a significant dent in takings. But being able to focus on off sales has meant business survival.
“The pub trade forms the bulk of our business, and they are currently not able to offer an alcohol take-out service. We’ve done our best to support struggling licensees by giving credit for unsold beer that would go to waste. It’s been heart-breaking for pubs and punters who are not only missing their usual pint at the brewery or their local pub, but also the social side which is so important for mental health. We’ve been pleased to do our bit by taking the brewery to them as they can’t come to us; and we’ve had some lovely feedback from people who say hello on the doorstep or give us a wave from the window.”
A selection of canned and bottled craft beers, four-pint growlers, nine-pint minikegs and bag-in-box are available. Beers can be viewed at www.theludlowbrewingcompany.co.uk
