The gloom is lifting....

At last... some good news to share with you! The country's 550 microbreweries, loosely defined as those that produce less than 10,000 barrels a year, may only enjoy less than 2 per cent of market share but sales of their products grew 10.7% last year, according to a Society of Independent Brewers survey! That is great news. It also tempered the depressing statistic that 67 pubs are shutting very month because of slumping sales.

Seemingly there are now 50m fewer pints drunk per year nowadays and there are 'only' 58,000 pubs left in Britain. There is much wailing and gnashing of teeth about the prices in the supermarkets, but surely there must be other reasons? What about the rampant homogenisation of pubs? Threatening behaviour of some elements? Lack of comfort? Less relaxation more parading? I don't know, there must be more to this 'shift' than people buying cheap booze from supermarkets.

Any suggestions?