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Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is among 500 Parliamentary candidates who've signed up to support the Campaign for Real Ale's Beer Drinkers and Pub Goers Charter. Other signatories include Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party Labour's Austin Mitchell, Tory candidate Anthony Ridge-Newman and independent Ben Sherman (standing under the slogan "Reduce Tax on Beer").

The Lib Dems are at the forefront of the campaign, with 201 candidates backing the charter, followed by Labour, with 140. Only 50 Conservative candidates have signed up.

Nick Clegg said "I am proud to be a signatory to the charter and to help bring attention to the much-needed support required for well-run community pubs, local brewers and consumer rights which all contribute to community life and boost the local economy.

"Well-run pubs are important to tackling alcohol misuse, they are not part of the problem. Government policies, such as continually raising duty on beer and refusing to reform the beer tie, have led to a situation in which more than five pubs a day are said to be closing. It is hugely important that we stand up for the pub industry during these difficult times."

For full details, check out CAMRA's election coverage.

A government initiative supporting the pub industry has been warmly welcomed by the Campaign for Real Ale.

The 12-point action plan follows months of pressure from CAMRA, the brewing industry, pub bosses and ordinary customers. It includes £1m promoting pubs as community hubs, £3m to encourage community ownership and relaxation of licensing laws on live music.

CAMRA chief executive Mike Benner said: "We are now busy lobbying hard to encourage the other political parties to unveil their policies to support pubs before the General Election. We also need to ensure that the Government sticks to the proposals they've announced."

The Belgians are well-known for taking their beer very seriously, but taking brewery managers hostage is a bold manoeuver even for them.

Although the kidnap crisis has now been resolved, the threat remains of redundancies among Anheuser-Busch InBev's 1300 British staff. The company plans to cut its European workforce by around 10 per cent.

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%.

Why is the Office of Fair Trading continuing to turn a blind eye to the scandal of tied pubs?

A recent OFT report on the licensed trade estimated that the average tied pub would be between £19,000 and £21,000 better off if managers could buy beer on the open market.

Yet despite its own figures, the OFT is blocking CAMRA's campaign to bring this obvious injustice before the Competitions Commission, claiming there is no significant effect upon pub customers.

CAMRA's head of policy and public affairs, Jonathan Mail, has described the OFT's stance as "a clear example of insufficient and inadequate reasoning", whilst Leeds MP Greg Mulholland damned it as "deeply flawed" and "a dereliction of duty".

Just whose interests is the OFT looking out for, managers already struggling for survival or the major breweries? Let's not forget it was the money grubbing actions of the latter which led to the creation of CAMRA in the first place.

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.

Real ale enthusiasts are celebrating across the UK following the decision of US brewer Molson Coors to support a national brewing museum - despite pulling the plug last year.

The company's UK wing had already changed the Bass Museum in Burton into the Coors Visitor Centre when the doors were finally shut last summer, despite strong opposition from CAMRA, local politicians and Burton Civic Society & Chamber of Commerce.

But opponents refused to give up the fight and CAMRA announced last week that the new National Brewing Centre will retain key elements of the existing facilities to preserve the site's historic aspects.

Burton CAMRA spokesperson Nik Antona, said: "It's fantastic news that we will again have a brewing museum in this country, and a centre reflecting the brewing styles of the UK. This is something CAMRA has been campaigning strongly for over the past year.

"The plans for the Centre are very promising, and an official opening could be a real boost for the local Burton economy. As the capital of British brewing, this is exactly what the town deserves.

"This is especially promising for the White Shield Brewery, which is based on site. Having won CAMRA awards in the past, it will be great to see their quality recognised further in the public domain."

More information on the project can be found here.

Great news from Leintwardine in Herefordshire, where the Sun Inn has avoided a threatened redevelopment following the death of landlady Flossie Lane, who ran the pub for an astonishing 74 years.

Two local residents, one representing Hobson's Brewery and the other a neighbouring chip shop, have stepped in to ensure the village's famous licenced parlour will remain open for business.

Mark Hansen of Herefordshire CAMRA described the Sun Inn as "a national treasure", adding "If the pub dies, a part of England's soul dies with it."

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is marking the release today of a new edition of its popular Good Beer Guide Belgium with a competition to win a weekend trip to Brussels .

Author Tim Webb catalogues the various beer styles and Belgian brewers, and suggests places to drink the best beers, as well as offering quirky trivia about the industry.

He said; "The Belgians make the finest, most enjoyable and extraordinary beers on Earth - the fact that they don't realise it is a bonus. It's great to be a tourist with a weapon that puts you ahead of the locals."

CAMRA has joined forces with Eurolines for a tie-in competition, offering coach travel and accommodation in Brussels for the lucky winner and a companion. Cave Direct, sponsor of the new edition, has also offered cases of Belgian beers as the 10 runners-up prizes. You can enter online here.

Good Beer Guide Belgium is available from all major booksellers and the CAMRA shop, priced £14.99 (there's a £2.00 discount for CAMRA members).

Congratulations to Solihull licensee Dave Hunt, who made it into the final four contenders for this year's Publican Awards. Dave's run The Highwood in Solihull for the past decade, recently switching from manager to leaseholder.

Full marks, also, to: The Bell in Welford on Avon, shortlisted for "best pub food"; The Fox in central Birmingham, nominated for "best community pub" (it's a really friendly hostelry, with great beer, only a stone's throw from the Hippodrome); Oxfordshire's Hook Norton brewery, down for both "pub company of the year" and "regional brewer of the year".

A spokesman for the organisers said : "We are looking for the very best that this great industry has to offer and our expert judging panels simply will not settle for anything less! Not only have [our finalists] risen to this challenge, they have gone far beyond that and grown their business through innovation and sheer hard work."