Pub companies are not making the most of the opportunity for local beers, according to the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA).
The latest annual SIBA industry report on local brewing, launched today, contends that "corporate inertia" is holding back consumers from drinking more locally brewed beer in pubs.
The report revealed that six out of 10 pub customers want a locally brewed beer in their pub and this was something not being delivered by pub companies.
"Local is coming and it is going to affect everyone. There are opportunities for retailers here and now, waiting to be exploited," said Keith Bott, chairman of SIBA.
As things stand Enterprise Inns and Admiral Taverns are the only major pub groups to have signed up to SIBA's Direct Delivery Scheme, which ensures delivery of beers from participating microbrewers direct to relevant local pubs.
"Enterprise Inns really have seen the opportunity and run with it and they have to be applauded for that," added Mr Bott.
Some companies have their own guest ale scheme - such as Punch Taverns' "Finest cask" - but Mr Bott argues that DDS takes all of the "blood, sweat and tears" out the situation for licensees.
The SIBA report, now in its fifth year, stated that sales volumes for small brewers had grown by 7.5 per cent in the last year, whilst there had been a 70 per cent rise in local beer sales since 2001.
It also reported that two-thirds of pubs which had taken in microbrewer's beers had reported a growth in overall cask beer sales volumes. This flies in the face of criticism from bigger regional brewers who contend that microbrewers' beers, benefiting from tax breaks, are stealing market share in cask ale through massive price discounting.