Owner of King’s Head in Stamford continues Stamford Beers Direct

While pubs are feeling the lockdown strain more than most and punters are missing their pints, a Stamford landlord has taken steps to solve both problems.

Stephen Alcock launched Stamford Beers Direct last June, three months after the first national lockdown forced him to close the doors at the King’s Head.

With many punters pining for the pub and landlords unable to sell from the pumps, Stephen came up with the idea of taking the beer to the home.

“We kept toying with the idea of a bottle shop and the initial lockdown gave us a nudge,” he said.

“Getting premises in Stamford is super-competitive, and we’ve struggled to find anywhere suitable, so decided to launch it as an online business first.

“Phase two will be to try and turn it into a bricks and mortar business.”

Their regularly refreshed range of craft beers are ordered via their website (www.stamfordbeersdirect.com) and delivered up to a 10-mile radius of Stamford, and occasionally beyond.

Orders have also gone nationwide, but come via couriers rather than Stephen’s van.

“Our reach seems to be spreading, but we are keeping it as a self-employed concern for now and will look to grow it organically,” said Stephen, who took on the Maiden Lane pub in 2016 with wife Annie Wilson.

“We had built up the Kings Head with a reputation for its range of beers and over the last year we have built up a good relationship direct with brewers.

“It has all been done by ourselves - the website, marketing, we’ve learnt as we’ve gone along.”

While Stamford Beers Direct was not a kneejerk reaction to the hardships of lockdown, and was already in the pipeline, Stephen believes the last 11 months have underlined the importance of being flexible.

“I think those who have stood still have suffered terribly, and those who have tried to ride it out have perhaps got stung,” he said.

“I can understand why they did it, but there has to come to a point that when the world changes you need to change with it.

“Up until December we did food and take-outs, and keg beer in cartons. We tried to think of any which way to keep some kind of income coming in.”

The effects of diversifying the family business has also had a positive knock-on further down the beer chain.

“The hospitality industry has taken an enormous amount of limelight in the troubles we are having during lockdown, but the ripple effect of pubs closing is massive and goes beyond hospitality,” he explained.

“You have to think about the effects on the beer manufacturers, the breweries, the cleaning
companies.

“Brewers have not been able to sell to pubs so they are trying to find new ways of selling their beers.”