Brands comment

Drinkers will pay for good taste

Grab your torches - the witch hunt has started: which brewer signed on Tesco's dotted line, agreeing to knock out own-label lager at bargain-bucket prices? And now Asda and Sainsbury's have followed suit.

Even if it's the supermarkets, and not the brewers involved, who are out of pocket (although it's likely to be a combination of both), there's some comfort from a Daily Mail investigation (not words we often put in the same sentence). The result the journalist found when investigating how much bang you could get for £1 when drinking Asda's own-label lager was obvious - but there's comfort in the line: "I don't drink lager often, but I can tell this is scraping the barrel."

Another former beer buyer was just as scathing, pointing out that the liquid's so disgusting most drinkers' stomachs would burst before they got drunk.

Of course that doesn't make it right - or responsible - but for pubs hoping to draw every last penny they can out of wallets this Christmas it's the prices on the leading brands you've got to watch.

Retailers' festive booze bonanza is well under way and it's beer and Baileys on the front line - even if prices are slightly higher than they were last year. But the wet summer means this is unlikely to last as everyone is chasing volume - brewers, supermarkets and, clearly, pubs as well.

It's going to be a bumpy ride, so is there any good news? Only that there are plenty of people who don't want to buy 22p beer, and will pay for quality, well-made drinks. How is it that Cadbury could create such a buzz about the return of the Wispa bar? Or that Mars Planets has brought chocoholics back to the iconic brand with a simple packaging idea? It doesn't have to be new, or particularly clever. Personally, I can't wait to be offered a warm Pimm's Winter from a teapot or try one of the many limited-edition Christmas ales. It's time to make your customers feel the same way.