Traditional British pint faces extinction as double whammy set to hit drinkers
The traditional British pint faces extinction from a double whammy of changing UK tastes and the threat of climate change, a top beer maker warns.
Felix James, who runs the Small Beer Brew Co, says real ale is simpler to produce, fresher and more eco-friendly, but Brits now prefer “cold fizzy beers”.
The said rising temperatures and increased drought were endangering top quality barley from East Anglia and the south and Kent hops, such as goldings and fuggles, which characterise a classic cask ale.
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He said: “Hop growers in Kent are really suffering from the effects of climate change. There are certainly less hop growers in Kent and they are struggling with yields.”
![Former Fuller's brewer Felix James now runs Small Beer Co](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article32727225.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-141735.jpg)
(Image: Social Media)
Mr James added: “Cask beer used to be an all-year-round beer, now everyone is drinking these cold fizzy beers in the summer.
“The next generation will be introduced to craft beer rather than cask.
“Cask beer, even among brewers, is seen as a bit old worldy and it’s a really tough one to get investment to justify your future brewing based on cask beer.”
He said real ale also suffered from a “negative loop” with some pubs unable to sell the live beer before it goes off, leading to more customers turning away from the traditional hand-pulled tipple.
![Brits now prefer 'cold, fizzy stuff'](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article32727237.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Cold-mugs-and-glasses-of-beer.jpg)
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Mr James, who warned he may stop brewing real ale in the future at his beer plant, off the Old Kent Road in Bermondsey, south-east London, said the style – which is unique to the UK and is not served warm, contrary to popular belief – was more eco-friendly than keg lagers or craft beer.
Cask doesn’t require CO2, produced by the fertiliser industry, or heavy processing, meaning it is greener than keg.
But cask sales in pubs have fallen from £1.2billion before the pandemic to £973million in 2023, according to hospitality data firm CGA.
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