Caroline Nodder: As if consumers needed any more encouragement not to leave that comfy sofa

The supermarkets have been much maligned in recent times by those within our industry for their somewhat cavalier approach to the pricing of alcohol in their stores. This, so the argument goes, has led many former pub-goers to buy in bulk for consumption on their sofa, thus damaging the pub trade.

The best way to fight back against this is to promote the unique qualities of the Great British Pub, and publicans the length and breadth of the land have been championing the draught ales they serve - the one thing you won't see on any sofa; the one thing you can't replicate in your house. Or can you…?

I have to say, this week I am more than a little disappointed to note that two big brewers are launching into the off-trade with cask and keg products to help drinkers create that pub experience in the home. As if consumers needed any more encouragement not to leave that comfy sofa.

Both Molson Coors and Marston's have in the past championed the unique nature of the pub experience and both have launched new products and promotions they say are aimed at getting more people into pubs - most notably Marston's Fast Cask and Molson Coors' brand Carling's free pint giveaway.

But at the same time, these two brewers are now offering cask or keg-based products to the off-trade, thus undermining any pub trade USP this format has provided. They giveth with one hand and taketh away with the other.

The problem here is, as ever, money. Supermarket distribution equals sales. And it would be a brave brewer indeed who refused the opportunity to bank some cash at a time when declining beer sales are seriously affecting the market. No matter how much we might wish they would put their money where their mouths are.

Does that make them hypocrites? Or is it just a sensible commercial decision? Either way, it seems a little rich to talk about supporting pubs on the one hand while you're dancing with the devil in the next room.

I know all the arguments about pubs offering an atmosphere that no front room can every compete with - and it is true, they can't. But with the World Cup coming up, and the recession still biting, the temptation to gather your mates in your front room with a cask of ale and some snacks might just prove too much for many.

For publicans who are working so hard to differentiate themselves from the off-trade, this is going to be a bit of a blow. And one they don't deserve.

I call upon brewers, and indeed all suppliers, to think about what they can do to make sure pubs retain their unique place in drinkers' hearts. Surely there is enough cheap alcohol being sold for home drinking without the need to give off-trade customers a draught option too?

The pub trade needs all the help it can get right now. In fact, I might start lobbying for a ban on sofas…