Efforts to find a way of selling real ale in the off-trade are beginning to pay off for Bedfordshire brewer Charles Wells. After lengthy trials in the multiples it has won a listing in Safeway for its Bombardier Fresh Real Ale eight pint mini casks. They will be on sale in 64 stores from Monday (May 6), with the prospect of a national listing to follow. Sales and marketing director Nigel McNally said: "On the back of this Safeway is installing chillers in the beer fixture from which these will be sold. The casks are a direct result of our experiments with real ale in PET bottles and are a more consumer friendly option." They have a shelf life of five weeks if chilled and once opened the beer stays fresh for five days. McNally added: "Safeway says the format is pulling in consumers who are not normally Safeway shoppers. They have an exclusive deal on the mini casks until the end of the year." {{DRINKS }}

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