CAMRA has expressed concern that the £19 million takeover of Hampshire brewery Ringwood by Marstons may lead to further consolidation within the industry, leading to loss of choice for consumers.

As well as owning seven pubs, which will become part of the Marstons estate, Ringwood is known for its Best Bitter, Fortyniner and Old Thumper. Marstons has promised to retain the full line, but CAMRA is pressing for a commitment not to replace them in Ringwood pubs with Marstons beers.

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New CAMRA Website Devoted to the Best Pub Interiors

The Campaign for Real Ale has launched a new website devoted to the most important and unique pub interiors in Britain.

It celebrates those pubs which remain wholly or largely as constructed, ranging from picture postcard rural pubs to late-Victorian extravaganzas, from the genuinely old to the aggressively modern, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, High Gothic or post-war Brutalist style.

The centrepiece of the site is CAMRA's National Inventory of pub interiors of exceptional historic or architectural importance, with descriptions and in many cases photos of the 254 pubs currently on the list.

There is also a general overview of the heritage pub scene, a guide to pubs as listed buildings, a glossary of architectural terms and a list of "pubs in peril" - important interiors where the threat of unwanted development is very real.

Most discerning pub goers enjoy and appreciate unspoilt traditional pubs, and we hope our website will help them find examples of such interiors both locally and on their travels, said Paul Ainsworth, Chair of CAMRA's Pub Heritage Group. "Many are under real threat... They are there to be enjoyed but also need protection and CAMRA is fully committed to that cause."

Visit the site

Brewers Battle to Save Crown Mark

The Crown mark, which has been in printed on pint, half pint and third-of-a-pint glasses since 1699 as a guarantee of their capacity, is set to disappear. It will be replaced the the now-familiar CE (Conformité Européenne) mark, following the EU's Measuring Instruments Directive which came into force last October.

Now nine of Britain's largest brewers and pub companies - including Wetherspoon's, Punch Taverns and Fuller's - have responded by writing to the prime minister condemning what they describe as "needless intrusion" into a system which has worked for more than three centuries, and asking for his intervention to save the Crown mark.

In fact the Crown mark has been in decline for some time now, as increasing quantities of glasses in British pubs are now manufactured in the Czech Republic, where production costs are much lower and glasses are automatically stamped with the CE mark even if they are imperial pint sized.

CAMRA maintains that the appearance of the pint mark is less important than that the beer inside the glass should also comprise a pint. It has for some time been fighting plans by the Department of Trade & Industry to allow publicans to legally serve a "pint" containing only 95% liquid. "We don’t think it makes a difference whether it is a European mark or a crown mark, as long as customers are served a full pint," a CAMRA spokesman said.

Trade minister Jim Fitzpatrick has been keen to point out that "there is therefore no requirement to remove existing Crown-stamped glasses from use."

At the moment there are still plenty of crown-stamped pint glasses around, but once the last one gets broken the Crown on the glass will be consigned to history.

Beer Prices Set for 'Triple Whammy'

Beer drinkers look likely to face price rises of around 15p per pint over the coming months. Scottish & Newcastle have already raised their wholesale prices by 3.9% to cover the rising costs of materials such as barley and aluminium for barrels, and other brewers are set to introduce similar increases.

Landlords are likely to add a further 6p to cover rising bills for wages and utilities, and the chancellor is believed to be planning additional taxes on drink in the coming Budget, taking the anticipated price rise to an average 15p per pint.

Industry experts are predicting further increases following this summer's introduction of a smoking ban in England and Wales, which are likely to make further inroads into pubs' profits.

Devon Pub Named Best in Britain

The Tom Cobley Tavern in Spreyton, Devon has been named by CAMRA as its National Pub of the Year 2006.

The 16^th century village inn, which is run by Roger and Carol Cudlip, impressed the judges with its warm welcome, fantastic service, wonderful home-cooked food and high quality real ale. In the four years since they took it over they have made the Tom Cobley into the epitome of a Community Pub, acting as an indispensable meeting place for local groups, sports teams and residents.

I am absolutely over the moon, said Roger. "This is the highest accolade CAMRA can give to a pub and naturally we could not be more delighted that it has been given to us."

Hopefully, Solihull members will be able to fit in a visit in September when their annual weekend trip takes them to just 15 miles down the road in Exeter.

Beer for Bonzo

It's the latest must-have for the pampered pooch: Dutch brewers have launched a beer specially designed for dogs. Kwispelbier - Kwispel is the Dutch word for "wagging a tail" - is marketed as "a beer for your best friend". Made from a special brew of beef extract and malt, it is the brainchild of pet shop owner Gerrie Berendsen, who wanted her dogs to share a drink with her after a day's hunting.

The beer is non-alcoholic and fit for human consumption, but costs four times as much as a Heineken. Incidentally, the Dutch for "barking mad" is gek ontschorsen.

End of the Queue?

Hot on the heels of last year's worrying story of the quest for fully synthetic beer comes news of a West Yorkshire bar which is pioneering a system which pumps metered beer direct to the drinker. Rather than queue at the bar, the socially-challenged customers of Tapped in Otley can retreat to one of eight booths, each equipped with its own dispenser. Once payment has been made, San Miguel will continue to be dispensed until the credit runs out.

Co-owner Ryan Blackburn was inspired to set up the bar after discovering something similar whilst visiting Spain, allegedly with a friend.

Budvar in Shock Alliance with Budweiser

Few observers of the brewing industry over the last few years can have failed to notice the acrimonious battles being fought in courts across the world as Czech brewer Budejovický Budvar has fought against US brewing giant Anheuser-Busch to retain its rights to the name Budweiser. In the US, the Czech beer Budweiser Budvar - Budweiser means "from Budweis", the town where it has been brewed since 1265 - must be sold as "Czechvar", whilst the US product - the Budweiser name was registered there in 1876 - goes in many European countries by names such as "Bud" or "Anheuser-Busch B".

Now, in an amazing development, Anheuser-Busch is to market its adversary's beers in the US. Budvar has hailed the agreement as a "historical turning point" for the two companies, their chief Jiri Bocek adding "We have managed to move away from discussions between lawyers and toward a practical dialogue.

However, both companies have vowed to continue their legal fight over the Budweiser name.

British Ale Gets Bum's Rush

A beer brewed in Oxfordshire for the US market has been banned in a US state because its label, which features a picture of Father Christmas holding a pint, is "undignified and improper".

The Bureau of Liquor Enforcement in Maine is concerned that the drawing of Father Christmas on the label of Santa’s Butt Winter Porter (6%), which shows his ample bottom as he sits on a barrel, might appeal to children. Other Americans have branded the portrayal of Santa’s backside on the ale as "disrespectful", "offensive" and "grotesque".

Massachusetts-based importer Shelton Brothers has responded with a lawsuit claiming the ban is unconstitutional as it violates their right to free speech. "There is no good reason for the state to censor art, even art found on a beer label," said Zachary Heiden of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, which brought the lawsuit.

But Lt. Patrick Fleming of Maine State Police insisted, "We stand by our decision." The state reviews some 10,000 - 12,000 applications each year for beer and wine labels, and usually bans about a dozen of these because it feels they contain inappropriate language or nudity, or might appeal to children.

Santa's Butt is not the only Shelton Brothers label banned this year in Maine. Les Sans Culottes, a French ale, uses a detail from "Liberty Leading the People" painted by Eugene Delacroix in 1830, which hangs in the Louvre and once appeared on the 100 franc bank note, and Rose de Gambrinus, a Belgian fruit beer, shows a naked woman in a specially-commissioned watercolor by Raymond Coumans.

Battle of Britain Beer Bonanza

A Staffordshire pub will be marking the Battle of Britain by staging a beer festival featuring some 30 aviation-themed real ales.

The Bulls Head in St John’s Square, Burslem will begin its two-week festival on 14 September, the day before Battle of Britain Day. The cask ales will include Spitfire, Lightning, Hurricane, Victor, Valiant and Vulcan (the V Bombers) and a Mustang Mild.

The event is intended to raise funds for the RAF Association Wings Appeal, which provides welfare and care for those serving and ex-serving members of the RAF who are in need. Landlord Bob Crumpton, a big aviation fan, said "We should support and remember our heritage and this is our way of commemorating the heroism and ultimate sacrifices made during the Battle of Britain. It is something that should not be forgotten."

Last year the Bull's Head raised over £400 for the Wings Appeal - hopefully this year it will be even more successful.

Drink Beer and Save the World

We all know that drinking Real Ale supports traditional brewers. Well now it can also benefit the environment.

Scientists at Kobe Pharmaceutical University in Japan have shown that beer bran, a by-product of brewing beer using barley, can be used to filter hazardous chemicals from polluted water.

Many companies currently use activated carbon to filter waste water, but producing this material - made by heating coal to a high temperature - is expensive, energy consuming and depletes fossil fuel reserves.

Beer bran, on the other hand, is a natural product which can even remove suspected carcinogens such as benzene and trichloroethylene.

Drinkers Call for Third-of-a-Pint Measures

Real Ale drinkers would like the option to buy beer in 1/3 pint measures, according to a poll carried out for CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale.

The survey of 1000 drinkers found that the move would be especially popular with young women, with 61% of women in the 25-34 age range thinkin it would promote responsible drinking.

CAMRA would like to see the introduction of glasses marked with a third-of-pint line, which is a traditional measure.

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Apocalypse... Not!

Six months after the introduction of deregulated licensing hours, the warnings of drunken mayhem on Britain's streets appear to be totally misplaced.

In the last days before the introduction of the new legislation, many senior police officers, churchmen, doctors and alcohol campaigners, began issuing dire predictions of its consequences, and many newspapers enthusiastically joined in the doom-mongering.

However, while most analysts are wary of judging the results prematurely, the general consensus is that to a greater of lesser extent, the government's aims to reduce binge drinking and reduce its effects in town centres are being slowly realised.

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