PUBS

Pubs owned by breweries must sell their beer, even if it's awful. Some are allowed to take a 'guest' beer, from a carefully selected list that the brewery provides. Normally these are either weakish and bland or they are very strong and dark, this is partly to prevent them competing with the breweries flagship product. The guest beers are bought at a heavily discounted price, yet they are sold at a premium. Small craft breweries find it hard, if not impossible, to get their beer onto the list because they can't afford to discount it sufficiently. As well as effectively restricting choice this practice leads to breweries overstretching themselves in order to supply a growing number of outlets and it is the beer that suffers. It also leads to beers being 'shaped' to the average palate, in other words they become bland.

Finally many publicans and tenants have rushed to embrace draught beer but many have not embraced the necessity to care for it properly. This can mean poorly served and ill-kept pints. Given they are sold at a high price, it is hardly likely to raise the profile, nor enhance the reputation, of real ale.

Despite all of this there are still many landlords and breweries that care about the trade. They produce and serve a quality product. It is up to you and me, the consumers, to patronise them and to boycott the rest.