Nearly three quarters of all beer is drunk in pubs, despite previous reports that the British pub is a dying breed.
According to new research by industry analyst Datamonitor, at least 73 per cent of beer is drunk in pubs even though it is much cheaper to buy beer and other alcohol in supermarkets and off-licences.
And British drinkers are also some of the highest spenders when it comes to buying alcohol. During 2002 Britons spent £19.7bn on beer - the equivalent of £341 each. They were beaten only by the Irish and the Norwegians who spent £814 and £417 respectively.
Karen Kelshaw, spokeswoman for the British Beer & Pub Association, said the pub was still the favourite place to enjoy a beer, even though on-trade sales were declining slightly.
"Our latest research for 2001 shows that 65 per cent of all beer sold is on-trade. Yet the figure has been decreasing and more people are drinking at home.
"This is mainly due to cross-Channel shopping and smuggling and we have raised this issue recently with Treasury minister John Healey."
She added: "Pubs are definitely not a dying breed. The pub is still the most popular place to enjoy a drink and beer is still the most popular drink."
But Bill Crossfield, who runs the Kent Hounds in Chelsfield, Kent, disagreed.
"Far more people drink at home than they used to. Traditional British pubs are struggling. Rising prices, overheads and tougher drink driving laws have all taken their toll. Trade here is about 50 per cent less than it used to be."
Britain is the eighth most expensive country in the world to enjoy a drink with the average price of a pint at £1.87. It is much more expensive in Norway, where a pint costs £3.52, just ahead of Malaysia at £3.29 and Japan at £2.84.
At a premium
Draught premium lager is more popular than ever and that's official.
The Office of National Statistics has announced it is using different products to calculate the Retail Price Index figures - a measure of the country's economic health.
Whereas draught premium lager is "in", other products, such as brown ale, are no longer considered to be what most people were drinking, it said.
See the the Publican's Brands Report 2003, due on the site tomorrow for an in-depth analysis of the pub drinks market.