Curmudgeon's "Opening Times" Columns 2017

INDEX

January: Can This Be For Real? - “Real ale in a can” is a flawed concept that undermines bottle-conditioning; Delayed Gratification - what may now seem extreme proposals could all too soon become reality
February: A Little Bit of Company - the role of pubs in alleviating loneliness and depression is often undervalued
March: Collision Course - the seemingly unstoppable rise in brewery numbers can’t go on for ever
April: Fear of the Dark - there’s no point in pubs stocking dark beers if customers don’t want to drink them; Pale Shadow - it is disrespectful of our brewing heritage to rebrand a classic Pale Ale as amber
May: No Magic Bullet - designating a pub as an Asset of Community Value is no guarantee of its survival
June: Back on the Escalator - the Chancellor has sneaked in a return to the alcohol duty escalator; Brewer before Taxman? - higher beer prices harm pubs, regardless of whether the brewer or the Exchequer benefit
September/October: Slippery Slope - the anti-tobacco campaign is increasingly being used as a template for action against alcohol; A More Selective Appeal - some brewers’ response to post-ban decline comes across as utterly delusional
November/December: Baby You Can Drive My Car - driverless cars could give a major shot in the arm to the pub trade; Posing a Problem - so-called “posing tables” are a divisive and uncomfortable abomination in pubs

Note: Following the June 2017 issue, Opening Times moved to bi-monthly production.