Sales — of mainly cask-conditioned ale — from 352 brewers delivering their products to 3,000 pubs through DDS increased by an average of 8 per cent per pub during the six months from January to June this year, compared with the same period in 2007.

Roger Protz, editor of the Good Beer Guide, said on his website, beer-pages.com: “The increase in beer sales is proof that discerning beer drinkers are moving in large numbers from over-hyped lager brands to locally made beers with taste and flavour.”