There’s a drinks revival bubbling away in Oxfordshire as more discerning drinkers discover the delights of real ale. Victoria Owen finds out why people are swapping their Pinot for a pint

The glass is definitely half full for the real ale industry, with more and more people in Oxfordshire savouring this ancient drink.

Its success has been reflected in the 2016 Good Beer Guide, in which more county pubs than ever are being celebrated for pulling perfect pints. Out of 69 in next year’s edition, 24 make their inaugural appearance.

The book, published by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), also includes two new Oxfordshire micro-breweries, increasing producers to 23 within the county’s borders.

Oxford CAMRA chairman Tony Goulding claims there has never been a better time for real ale, due to the rise of the small breweries.

He also believes more people are adopting beer as their drink of choice because of the range of flavours and the quality of the product – putting it on a par with the more traditional high-brow beverage of wine.

“Customers go into pubs now and the first thing they look for is the hand pumps,” he explained.

“There’s a big growth in young people enjoying real ale, because there’s such a massive choice out there for them. There’s a dozen or more different tastes, including sharp dry bitters to golden and dark beers. People want to see an array of pumps. They want variety and quality.”

Good Beer Guide editor Roger Protz agrees.

“People are getting bored of the larger brands of beer. They’re looking for taste and character, as well as value for money. People are also concerned about what they eat and drink and what goes into their diet.”

Beer expert Mr Protz went as far as to suggest that real ale is actually more sophisticated than wine, and is a natural accompaniment to food.

Gone are the days where a pint of bitter was frowned on in a restaurant, although a tulip-shaped half-pint glass is much more de rigour.

He explained: “The thing about beer is that it’s a much more complex drink than wine or cider, because it has two key ingredients – grain, providing fermentable sugars, and hops, giving aroma and bitterness. Getting it right is very tricky.

“There’s lots of interest in matching beer with food. There’s nothing better than a good pale ale with roast beef, the Belgian dish of Carbonnade Flamande is made with brown ale, and the Polish know that pilsner is the best drink with fish.”

Pubs appear to be cottoning on to the trend, with more and more offering a variety of beers for the real ale drinkers.

Mr Protz believes that great ale can make a good inn shine.

“If a pub looks after the beer well, everything else will fall into place. The wine will be good, the food will be good, the welcome will be good.”

It is up to CAMRA volunteers to differentiate which ones should be commended in the Good Beer Guide.

This is clearly a hard job, where members visit establishments in their area and score them on a number of factors.

“The quality of the ale makes up more than 50 per cent of the total, but we also look at the ambience of the pub, cleanliness and even the toilets,” Mr Goulding laughed.