Curmudgeon - Beer & Pubs Archive - 2012

INDEX

January

Falling off a Cliff - the risks of exceeding the official alcohol guidelines are too often greatly exaggerated
Never Too Late to Stop - giving up drink may not help you live to 100, but it will certainly feel like it

February

When is a Beer not a Beer? - to claim that well-known IPAs are not true to style is unenlightened pedantry
Brass in Pocket - only in the distorted world of anti-drink campaigners are children buying alcohol from their pocket money

March

Tipping Point Approaches? - can anything be done about the remorseless increase in off-trade beer sales relative to the on-trade?

April

Prohibition by Price - minimum alcohol pricing is a thoroughly bad idea that should not be entertained for a second by anyone concerned for the pub and brewing industries

May

Measuring Up - drinkers are now left on their own if they want a full pint
Reservations about Reservations - reserving tables for diners is something that should have no place in a public house

June

Hazy Thinking - a move to embrace hazy cask beer risks reversing decades of work on improving standards of cellarmanship

August

Five Years On - the smoking ban has devastated the pub trade, but its supporters still refuse to admit it

September

Taste the Difference - pub food was far more interesting and surprising thirty years ago

October

A Pump too Far? - will some pubs simply never have sufficient demand to make real ale viable?
Sorry, This Beer’s Off! - some pub customers are still far too reluctant to return poor beer to the bar

November

Careless with the Facts - if university researchers can get their figures wrong by a factor of four, can we trust any of their work?
Real Beer, Real Counties - traditional beers should be associated with traditional counties, not their modern keg equivalents

December

Responsible Reductions? - official moves to water beer down are patronising and likely to be counter-productive
Which People’s Pint? - lower duty for 2.8% beers is a pointless gesture if nobody wants to drink them

Note: Opening Times was not published in July 2012

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