Real ale in favour again at a price

by John Harrington

Real ale is 'back in fashion in British pubs but the price at the bar continues to rise at 'dizzying rates.

The findings are contained in the 24th edition of The Good Pub Guide, which lists 5,000 of Britain's best hostelries and goes on sale today priced £14.99.

The book notes that cask-conditioned ale has 'crept back into fashion in the last year or so after two decades of falling sales.

It says that real-ale brewers have experienced rising demand this year.

Almost half of all reports on the pubs from readers and increasingly from women now mention real ale. The guide reveals the average price of a pint is now £2.24 up 4% on last year, which is around twice the rate of inflation.

Surrey is the most expensive county for beer, with the average pint of real ale costing £2.51.

Lancashire was the cheapest at £2 a pint.

The guide's survey, which compares price changes over 12 months at 1,100 pubs, even found a 'handful of pubs charging £3 a pint for the cheapest real ale.

Elsewhere, the guide identifies three distinct styles of food served in pubs bargain, traditional and fancy.

It says roughly one in 10 pubs that serve food fall into the 'bargain category, which includes dishes such as soup, pasta and stir fries.

The guide lists a number of pubs that combine 'flair and low prices.

But it warns of the 'dangers of fancy food, which around one quarter of pubs now offer.

It says pubs are in danger of 'getting too big for their boots and charging too much for meals and 'too many places without the necessary talent are jumping on the bandwagon.

It notes there are three times as many non-smoking pubs as there were last year.