A BURNLEY brewery that has gone from strength to strength has toasted another record in seasonal sales figures.

Moorhouse’s has entered the festive season in a buoyant spirit, reporting a sales surge of eight per cent for its September and October trading, with turnover reaching almost £1million.

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Throughout the two months - which includes the firm’s peak Hallowe’en season - sales hit 1million pints (3,472 barrels) and a turnover of £930,000.

The record seasonal business was boosted by the inaugural roll out of ‘Black Cat Reserve’ special, which went on sale across the JD Wetherspoon chain in October.

The best-selling beer was ‘Blond Witch’ while the seasonal ‘White Witch’ was the fastest-growing brand.

The figures mark another significant milestone for Moorhouse’s, which has seen year-on-year growth since it took the bold step to buck the prevailing economic conditions with the launch a new £4.2m complex in 2011.

In the past financial year turnover topped £5m as the beers reached new outlets across the UK. Managing director David Grant said: “Our consistent growth is a welcome reward for our investment in the future of cask ale.

“Nevertheless, trading is still very tough as we face up to the much-troubled economic climate, many pubs closing each week and the relentlessly growing army of micro-brewers all clawing for room on fewer bars.

“However, we remain optimistic. September showed excellent trading, enhanced by the late summer weather.

“And, as publicans increasingly see us as the brewer of choice for the witching season, we were really delighted with our Hallowe’en results. Our beers increasingly beguile cask fans across the South East, we were rewarded with exposure in premier London pubs, such as the Porterhouse in Covent Garden.

“For November, always a tricky trading month for pubs, our sales also held up extremely well.

“It is too early to say how Christmas will go, but we expect our new national business to pay dividends.”

“Meanwhile, we will continue to nurture the free trade business with excellent service in our northern heartland where we have five festive beers on offer.”

Last December, 500,000 festive pints were sold in an uplift of eight per cent on sales for 2012, with outstanding growth of 55 per cent for seasonal cask specials and 35 per cent for its bottle range.