E-Malt.com News article: UK: 84 new breweries started brewing ales in the past year

Traditional British beer is on the rise with a boom in the real ale industry. According to the 2007 Good Beer Guide, 84 new breweries have opened in the past year selling ale that is free of artificial additives, colourings and flavourings, My Fox Birmingham released September 13.

These include micro-breweries which may produce as little as 10 barrels of beer per week, according to the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

But the Good Beer Guide's editor Roger Protz warned that larger regional breweries, Gale's of Hampshire and Ridley's of Essex, have closed down after being taken over.

CAMRA wants staff to be given the option of launching management buy-outs or co-operatives to prevent any more breweries closing down in future.

Mr Protz said: "I think it is probably the most exciting time for drinking real ale that I can think of. The choice is absolutely fantastic.

"What we need to do is safeguard the medium sized breweries so that beers can continue to be made available."

The Good Beer Guide lists the UK's 16 best real ale pubs which have been shortlisted for its Pub of the Year final in February 2007.

These finalists are in no particular order:

Failford Inn, Failford, South Ayrshire
Wasdale Head Inn, Wasdale Head, Cumbria
Kings Arms, Deptford, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
Vale Cottage, Gorton, Greater Manchester
Bhurtpore Arms, Aston, Cheshire
West Riding Refreshment Rooms, Dewsbury Rail Station, West Yorkshire
Thorold Arms, Harmston, Lincolnshire
The Norman Knight, Whichford, Warwickshire
The Dove Street Inn, Ipswich
The Halfway House, Brenchley, Kent
The Lion, Teddington, West London
Surrey Oaks, Newdigate, Surrey
Tom Cobley Tavern, Spreyton, Devon
Clytha Arms, Clytha, Gwent
Digby Tap, Sherborne, Dorset
The Bell, Aldworth, Berkshire.



13 September, 2006