The drink talking
Hats off to beer guru (Genie - Ed.) Rupert Ponsonby for organising the recent 'Britons Backing Beer' event in London's trendy Soho to highlight the wonder that is the UK's national beverage. Rupes was as eloquent as ever on the subject of promoting the essential qualities of beer which, he said, are all too often sold short: "Beer so often adopts the meekness and humility of the Trappist monk, rather than the voluble style of the opera diva, as practiced so effectively by wine. And whereas wine has pride and verve and a language which adds value to its category, we expect the future of beer to grow of its own accord. Beer is often left to speak for itself. It won't, unless we work more closely together to encourage all Britons to embrace our National Drink." Well said (er, I think).
Legal and cheap
Speaking of our National Drink, perhaps it would stand a better chance of convincing consumers of its unique and qualitative aspects if supermarkets were prevented from selling the stuff at rock-bottom prices. Following the government's recent - and frankly laughable - 'duty plus VAT' fudge we popped into a few off-trade emporia to see if the new rules would have any effect on cheap booze offers. It appears not; in Woking we found a pack of four 440ml cans of two-per cent ABV Morrisons' own-label lager on sale for 99p, well inside the government's parameters for what is dodgy retailing, but still bloomin' cheap. And while researching inside a Lidl our intrepid reporter was asked to leave after taking a few snaps of the store's beer shelves. Sensitive about its alcohol pricing policy? It would seem so.
Sloshed in the saddle
We all think we know what is meant by the term 'designated driver', don't we? Authorities in the US state of Montana believed they'd come up with a witty TV campaign to combat the problem of drink-driving. A 30-second safety video showed a man leaving a bar and getting on a horse, which then bore the chap to his home. But what was intended as a metaphor for a safe night out has grown into a debate about the legality of riding a horse while under the influence. According to a local police chief it is not illegal to ride a horse after a few too many drinks. Apparently Montana law says a vehicle running under animal power does not fall under the drinking and driving statutes. Only in America…
Mulholland-watch
Good to see Greg Mulholland, LibDem MP and Saviour of the Great British PubTM, sparring in the House of Commons last week. When quizzed by Hazel Blears, Labour MP for Salford and former local government minister, on whether he backed the government's decision to scrap her administration's £4.3m support package for pubs, the Leeds North West MP snapped back: "I would support any measure that helped pubs, but, as the right honourable lady knows full well, that was one of the disgraceful blank cheques written in the dying days of a Labour government who were trying desperately to cling to power, and people saw through it." Meeeeow, as they say.
I wish it could be Xmas every day
Wandering into one of my favourite watering holes last week - the Royal Oak pub in Borough, South London - I was slightly bemused to see the place was still festooned with Christmas decorations: shiny baubley things, holly wreaths, reindeers in mid-flight… it was all there. I found it a tad unsettling, since this sort of stuff should have been boxed up and slung in the loft come January 6, as convention - not to mention superstition - dictates. As I ordered a lovely pint of Harvey's Sussex Best I pointed to the tinsel and asked of a member of barstaff "Er, why?" Pulling my pint, she replied: "It stays until we've sold out of our Christmas Ale. We'll probably be like this until Easter." With the economy the way it is and the product in question priced at £5 a pint her forecast might just be on the money…
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