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Real ale is the beer of choice
They can be light, dark, strong or sharp – and they are the shining light of the pub industry in Northamptonshire and nationwide.
The commodity in question is real ale, which new figures show is the only area of the British pub market which is on the rise.
Statistics released by the British Beer & Pub Association yesterday show that UK drinkers are continuing to reduce their alcohol consumption, and 2009 saw the sharpest year-on-year decline since 1948.
But it also revealed that the UK ale market increased its market share of all beers in 2009 for the first time since the 1960s, and the number of UK brewers is at its highest since 1940.
Micro-breweries such as Kettering's Potbelly Brewery in Durban Road are among these numbers, and Potbelly's head brewer and director Toni Hooper says the success is all about choice.
He said: "I would disagree that the market has just grown this year – it has been happening for two or three years.
"There has been a trend of people taking up real ale through choice.
"CAMRA has been running the LocAle campaign and a lot of micro-breweries have been popping up.
"People are seeing the benefit of local beers.
"A typical town centre pub which just has Foster's, Guinness and John Smiths are the ones which are struggling.
"The likes of Charles Wells and the smaller chains are allowing micro-breweries to put their beers on so people have got a choice.
"I am a brewer but I don't drink at work or at home.
"I like to enjoy my pint out because it is a social occasion."
Neil Barby, who works at the Red Lion in Middleton, agrees.
He said: "It comes from years and years of no real choice.
"It was just lager and creamflow beers.
"Then micro-breweries have sprung up and the real ale drinkers are free to choose what they want again.
"We specialise in real ale and it outsells lager by three to one in some cases.
"People don't want to get drunk, they just want a nice tasting beer in their glass.
"Most of our beers are in the 3.5 to four per cent region rather than the four to five per cent of lagers."
Mr Barby said real ale appeals to all age groups, and both sexes.
He said: "I'm 33 and I'm a die-hard real ale drinker.
"I've been off the fizz for years.
"Most women will have half a lager but it is easy to convert them with a crisp, hoppy, summery ale."
Anyone curious to learn more about the real ale revolution can do so this weekend, as three beer festivals are taking place in the county in Kingsthorpe, Middleton and Maidwell.
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Weather for Kettering
Sunday 27 May 2012
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