Peak District brewer Thornbridge says demand for its cask beer remains strong despite media reports of young people preferring other styles.

The company says it is seeing real demand for cask ale and 500ml bottle-conditioned beer, as people seek beer with provenance, quality and consistency.

CEO Simon Webster said: “Jaipur, our flagship beer, was initially brewed 18 years ago as a cask beer and despite its ABV, demand for it has rocketed since Covid as it has for all our cask ales to the tune of over 30 per cent growth.

“Licensees and consumers seem to be happy to pay more for products they have reassurance in from a quality perspective and for beer styles that are relevant.”

According to the company, there is a shift towards hazy, vegan cask beer as younger drinkers seek out a style of beer they are familiar with, but one that also fits with their ethical stance on eating and drinking. This has allowed Thornbridge to be experimental with styles and flavours usually associated with can and keg, but to adapt them to cask.

Production director Rob Lovatt says Thornbridge’s approach to producing cask ale is why it is seeing such success.

He said: “I believe some of the reasons we stand shoulder to shoulder with the best cask breweries in the country are down to ingredients and processes.

“We only use Maris Otter malt which is a heritage variety and more expensive than other types but worth it, we use a hopback meaning we use whole flower hops rather than pellets or extracts and we also use our very own house yeast strain which gives a real depth of flavour.

“Furthermore, we prime all our casks with a dextrose solution before filling them to ensure the condition of our cask beer is superb, from the first to the last pint, resulting in a better experience for the consumer and hopefully a better rate of sale and yield for the licensee.”

On the back of the demand for modern, hazy styles of cask ale, Thornbridge will launch its highly hazy session IPA, Green Mountain, 4.3 per cent ABV, on cask in 2024.