CAMRA said that 38% of pub goers are visiting the pub less often than they did twelve months ago and that beer sales are suffering - despite real ale out-performing the rest of the market – with the total volume of beer sold in the UK during 2012 standing at around 7.8 million pints, compared to over 8.2 million in 2011 and over 8.4 million in 2010.
“Around 32 million people in the UK enjoy a beer at least once a year, but the number of people drinking in pubs has been on the decline, contributing to an overall fall in beer sales.
"But with the price of a pint getting a much needed duty cut in this year’s budget there’s never been a better time to get down the pub and help save the Great British pub. Just a pint a month extra is all it would take," said Mike Benner, CAMRA chief executive.
Sociable
CAMRA’s call to arms for British beer drinkers is in support of the national, cross-industry Let There Be Beer campaign, which aims to get more Brits drinking beer.
“Real Ale is a low strength drink that can only be enjoyed in the sociable environment of the Great British Pub. Plus with more styles and varieties of Real Ale available than ever before, thanks to an ever growing number of breweries across the UK, there has never been more choice for drinkers," said Benner.
"Why not take that extra half pint a week as a chance to try a new real ale from your region?"
Meanwhile, CAMRA is welcoming its 150,000th member as increasing numbers of people, particularly women, try real ale. Its latest research reveals that the number of women trying real ale has grown from 14% to 34% in the last three years.