The Maypole Sureserves good beer!

2 February 2012

The Maypole Inn at Thurloxton near Taunton is celebrating winning BOC’s competition to find the pub that serves the best pint in Britain. The prize was an evening’s entertainment paid for by the industrial gas company’s hospitality division, BOC Sureserve.

So on Saturday 28 January, regulars at The Maypole were treated to an evening with bands, magicians and a casino – and of course, the highest quality food and drink, all courtesy of BOC.

The Maypole’s landlord and landlady, James and Jo Lowe, said they were delighted to have won the national competition. "We pride ourselves on our attention to quality in everything we do here. So it’s great to receive this recognition from both our regulars and from others who have visited us. And we’re really pleased to be able to thank them with this special event tonight."

Over last summer, members of the public were invited to vote for their favourite hostelry on a special BOC website at ‘WeSureserveGoodBeer.com’. The competition was open to every pub and bar in the country. Although voters were free to nominate any pub, the winner turned out to be a BOC customer as well.

With pubs and bars under pressure in today’s economic climate – the British Beer and Pub Association estimates that around 25 pubs are closing every week – the challenge is to retain existing clientele as well as attract new visitors. While décor and food quality are often at the front of a licensee’s mind, the quality of the drinks served – and how to improve it – may not be seen as quite such a high priority. The Sureserve campaign was designed to focus attention on this aspect of the hospitality business.

Through the campaign microsite, users could not only track down their nearest pub using the Google maps mash-up, they could also browse through a video gallery containing fascinating facts about beer, learn more about the secrets behind good beer and, of course, nominate their favourite pub to win.

Kerryn Johnson, BOC Sureserve Business Manager, said: "By employing the newer social media avenues to engage people such as Facebook and Twitter as well as a dedicated website, we’ve been able to reach out to a wider audience. We’ve highlighted the importance of good quality drinks – whether beer, soft drinks, wines or spirits – in creating the right atmosphere. Well done to The Maypole for winning. We hope they and their customers enjoy the entertainment that is their prize."

View all of the photos from the evening's entertainment at The Maypole Inn on the BOConline Facebook page.

The Sureserve campaign website can be accessed at: www.wesureservegoodbeer.com