http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7545439.stm

The amount of money spent on lager versus ale is quite depressing...especially since most people in the UK who drink lager, drink swill. Every time I'm back in the UK, it is cask conditioned ale whenever it is available for me.

The lager industry selling in the UK has managed to hoodwink people into thinking that lager is trendy and that ale (especially the subtle tastes of cask conditoned ale) is for old codgers.

I don't mind being an old codger

I'm with you on that one....just got back from a trip to the Pacific NW...nirvana for quality ales and espresso......

nah..... Its just that for landlord its much easier to keep the kegs of lager in good condition than work at settling the casks, properly tapping the cask etc
along with the fact that cask conditioned ale will quickly go off if not looked after or sold quickly enough
That’s also why the growth of the nitro beer has taken off , as they are just as easy to look after form the trades point

The punter wanted a refreshing pint that was good all the time very time, something lagers do well

From a breweries point its just as easy to make an ale or a lager and often a lager will take longer to condition in the brewery before it ready for sale, the fermentation of an ale is faster that a lager, the stronger favours of the malts used in ales help mask any brewing errors or off flavours ale yeast is much more tolerant

Its for these reasons so many micro’s only brew ales ….lager’s are much harder to make well and why the Germans are so proud of there traditions, many German brewers see the UK ales as inferior beer

The change from ales to lagers both here and in the UK was driven by the consumer.. Partly lead by European imports (and here by the American beers of German origin)
As it definitely wasn’t in the UK or Canadain brewing industries financial intrest to drive a move away from ales

And when you get to taste and appreciate all styles of beer, some not all lagers IMHO would be the one’s with the subtle flavours, ale’s more so for the stronger malts and complex hops