Recently in Beers Category

Forget the "Booze Britain" headlines - alcohol consumption in the UK is actually going through its biggest dip in 60 years, according to new research.

The latest edition of the British Beer & Pub Association's annual Statistical Handbook reveals alcohol consumption dropped a full six per cent last year. Beer remains the nation's favourite, accounting for 60 per cent of all on-trade sales.

It's not all bad news, though: JD Wetherspoons has announced a four per cent rise in sales for the financial year ending July. However, most of this came from the 47 new pubs it opened furing that period, bringing its estate up to 775.

The brand new edition of CAMRA's bible, The Good Beer Guide, will be out in a few weeks -- and members of the Campaign for Real Ale are eligible for substantial discounts.

Although it carries a £15.99 cover price, CAMRA members can buy the latest volume for just £11.00 -- down to £10.00 if you opt for an annual payment by direct debit.

There is also an electronic edition for most Sat-nav units or mobile 'phones.

For full details, check out the CAMRA website.

3-5 June: 35th Wolverhampton Beer Festival, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton. 100+ real ales, entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings.

18-19 June: 4th Stratford-Upon-Avon Beer & Cider Festival, Stratford-Upon-Avon Racecourse. 50+ real ales, live music and Morris dancing on Saturday. Full details here.

7-11 July: 33rd Derby Beer Festival, Assembly Rooms, Derby. Live jazz and big band music, fancy dress night on Surday. Full details here.

9-11 July: Beer on the Wye VI, Hereford Rowing Club, Greyfriars Avenue, Hereford.130+ real ales, 70+ perries and ciders, live entertainment. Full details here.

15-17 July: 8th Bromsgrove Beer & Cider Festival, Bromsgrove Rugby Football Club, Finstall Park, Finstall. 100+ real ales. Full details here.

29-31 July: 3rd Stafford Beer Festival, Blessed William Howard School, Rowley Avenue, Stafford. 70 real ales, live music every evening. Full details here.

3-7 August: Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London. Full details here.

12-14 August: 11th Worcester Beer, Cider & Perry Festival, Worcester Racecourse. 200+ real ales, 100 ciders & perries, entertainment Thursday and Friday evening. Full details here.

No sooner do we get a spate of decent weather than Solihull CAMRA's Bob Jackson e-mails me: "This is to tell you of an informal social on Sat 5th June. We will be cycling from Shirley to Henley in Arden, setting out at 11:00, and returning late afternoon, possibly by train, depending on peoples' condition.

"The purpose of the trip will be to assess beer choice and quality and the suitability of the pubs for future Branch Meetings. If you're interested please get in touch with me to decide where to meet up and also if the weather looks doubtful."

Bob's number is 0121 705 8743 (mobile: 07771 623 909).

The excellent Reservoir pub over in Earlswood is running its first Beer & Bangers Festival this weekend, offering 10 real ales, one real cider and five flavours of locally-produced sausage.

Full directions here.

The first edition of real ale journalist Jeff Evans' newsletter Inside Beer was launched yesterday afternoon, just days after Jeff was presented with his second gold tankard by the British Guild of Beer Writers.

Topics this time around include recommended winter ales and Marks & Spencers' new beer range. You can read it online here.

A controversial beer with a staggering strength of 18.2% ABV can no longer be sold by British bars, clubs and shops following a ruling by the brewing industry's own watchdog, the Portman Group.

The ruling came in the wake of complaints that Fraserburgh-based BrewDog was encouraging excessive drinking with its current packaging.

Labels on the Tokyo* brand - which sells at £10 per bottle - suggest people must, from time to time, enjoy excessive behaviour, adding: "This beer is for those times."

Portman Group chief executive David Poley told the BBC: "We don't regulate the alcohol content of drinks, but we do control how they are promoted. It's obviously unwise for any company to urge consumers to drink to excess.

"We won't allow any irresponsible marketing, whether it's for a big brand or a niche product. That's why we're taking action to restrict future sales of this beer."

BrewDog's co-founder, Martin Dickie, was unrepentant: "The Portman Group's decision to ban Tokyo* highlights the misdirection of their organisation.

"Like all of our specialist beers, it was only available online at our website and in five specialist beer retailers throughout the UK.

"They should perhaps concentrate their efforts on targeting the brands selling 24 cans of lager for £7 - where literal excess is contributing to Scotland's problem with alcohol."

The brewery followed up Tokyo* with a low alcohol beer called Nanny State, but made headlines last week after it launched an even stronger beer, Tactical Nuclear Penguin, with an ABV of 32%.

The Campaign for Real Ale today called on Chancellor Alastair Darling to end the special tax treatment of spirits and to support the British brewing industry.

Following last year's Pre-Budget Report, taxation on beer, wine and cider was increased by 8%, whilst spirits were let off lightly with a rise of only 4%. Brewers are likely to come under further pressure when VAT is increased in the new year.

CAMRA wants duty on spirits increased and the cash used to reduce the general duty on beers and allow the zero-rating of lower strength ales, 2.8% abv or below.

CAMRA's chief executive, Mike Benner, said "UK beer duty has been increased by 52% since the current Government came to power in 1997, whilst spirit duty has increased by only 19%.

"The 4% duty concession given to the spirits lobby following last year's Pre-Budget Report should be withdrawn to fund a fair deal for beer and pubs. In the longer term, the difference in the duty rate for spirits and lower alcohol categories should be restored to the levels that Labour inherited when they came to power in 1997.

Beer was the mainstay product of community pubs, he added, and licensees could not survive afford further price increases.

"Community pubs provide a safe and social environment for people to relax with a drink and play a major role in community life. Community pubs should not be made to suffer as a result of unfair rises in beer duty, while spirits get off lightly.

"Any reductions in beer duty must be fully passed on by pub-owning companies to their tied publicans and therefore the consumer. Government should make it clear that it will stamp down hard on profiteering, through new competition legislation if necessary.

"There is a common misconception in the UK that spirits are synonymous with whisky. In fact, whisky accounts for only about 10% of spirit sales in the UK; with alcopops and white spirits (vodka, white rum and gin) making up the lion's share of sales in pubs."

The UK pub chain JD Wetherspoon has unveiled plans to open 250 new pubs over the next five years, increasing its outlets by nearly one third.

This move bucks the current trend, but is scarcely turning the industry around: the British Beer and Pub Association estimated in July that more than 50 pubs were closing each week.

City analysts point to JD Wetherspoon's move into such markets as breakfasts and evening meals as key to the chain's success. The company says it now serves 1.5 meals per week, including 254,000 breakfasts and 75,000 curries.

Wetherspoon chair Tim Martin, who opened his first pub in 1969, yesterday told The Independent: "I think cappuccinos and breakfasts have been very important, as has a big concentration on real ale. Volumes of real ale are up around 17 per cent in the last few months."

The chain reportedly sold nearly three million pints during Wetherspoon's 19-day, bi-annual international real ale festival, which ended on 15 November. Martin cited brewer Greene King's Ruddles County Premium Ale as selling particularly well, adding: "We are also doing a range of micro-brewers' beers from all over Britain, and also from New Zealand and Canada."

There's a great deal of snobbery in certain circles about American beer, mainly because the high-profile brands sold over here - Budweiser, Coors - are a cross between liquid polystyrene and dishwater.

Over in the States, however, there's a growing market for real ale, with most cities now boasting a wide range of microbreweries alongside more established brewers.

As for the traditional pub atmosphere, I can't think of a friendlier establishment than the Aces & Ales bar, which I visited during a recent stay in downtown Las Vegas with my good friends Nic and Bobbie Farey.

As well as a wide range of excellent domestic and imported beers, the personal service from bartenders Kimberley and Lindsay (pictured above) should be video'd as training manuals for some of the scowling British barkeeps I've encountered over the years.

My only problem is that much as I'd love to make this 24-7 oasis my "local", the 10,000-mile roup trip is a bit of a handicap. Soon as someone perfects the Star Trek transporter, though, count me in.