MyShout

Despite gloomy stories about dangerous drinking, beer really is good for you, says David Elliott

Hands up all those who admit they've been a little frightened by the recent incessant media focus on binge drinking and health issues relating to alcohol. Come on - you know you have. Most of you will have definitely promised yourselves you'll cut down this year - after all, you were getting out of control.

Reading and listening to the massive focus on our industry, it's no wonder most of us believe we all drink too much and will shortly meet a dreary end. Well, I've got one thing to say about that: "What a load of croc".

We've always taken the view that the good old British public couldn't be swayed easily - we believe what we want, and organisations and groups with their own agendas can't sway us. Well, they can and they have.

How many of you have reached for the wine bottle or changed your order to a half-pint since the New Year? That little niggle in the back of your head is getting to you. Well, I want to put your mind at rest.

Beer is good for you! Yes - it has to be drunk in moderation, just like everything else, but it's not all bad. Research has shown that beer has considerable health benefits: it has no fat content or cholesterol and contains a useful amount of B vitamins. The barley and wheat we use to make real beer is loaded with them - and they don't disappear during fermentation. The same goes for the yeast. Thirdly, beer contains antioxidants that may reduce chances of heart disease by slowing down deposits of harmful cholesterol on artery walls. Finally, beer helps you relax and reduces stress.*

It's worth considering how it's made - provenance is getting as big on the agenda as binge drinking, but you can't get much more local than Britain's real ales. They can't be transported by plane or sea. They're made in breweries up and down the country by experts who nurture their brews all the way from the mashing tuns to the beer tap. Britain's real ales are as much a part of British culture as our pubs..

So next time you fancy a drink, get some exercise by walking to the pub, make your order a nutritional beer, sit in a healthy smoke-free pub and manage your stress by relaxing with friends. Seems like heaven to me.

So on a final note, whether you're a customer or licensee, I want to ask you all to get behind beer and pubs. If you haven't tried it, give it a go, and if you can't serve it, try harder. There's help available to make real ale the best drink of the day in your pub. Greene King provides support, as do all the other major UK breweries, so there is no excuse for a bad pint.

So I'm setting you all a challenge. We all know that in this current climate we can't sit on our laurels - we all have to make more effort and work that bit harder. Let's start by making Community Pubs Week, from 16 to 23 February, really effective.

Hold events, promote your pub and sell beer - it's what pubs became famous for, so let's not lose that.

*Research gathered from brewingresearch.co.uk, beer-and-health.com and askmen.com.

David Elliott FBII is managing director

of Greene King Pub Partners