BEER FACTS

The brewing process hasn't changed in Britain since hops were first added to the brew about 600 years ago, yet it's only in the past decade or two that beer, in all its styles, has shown a renaissance in consumer interest.

Only now are people, who previously thought of beer as simply a long drink to be downed in the local, beginning to appreciate the subtle, delicious differences between various beers and the mouth-watering ways they can complement the gazetteer of international cuisines which are so much part of mealtimes these days.

And only now are people coming to appreciate that, drunk in moderation - about two pints a day - it's NOT the beer that puts on the weight!

Not before time, and it's also only relatively recently that the medical fraternity has begun to discover the many health-enhancing properties of beer.