HOME brewing is apparently enjoying a new surge in popularity because of the rising cost of beer in pubs and clubs.

Brigid Simmonds, British Beer and Pub Association Chief Executive, said: “Since 2008, beer tax has increased by an eye-watering 26% – a £761 million tax rise – and we have seen the loss of 4,000 pubs and over 40,000 jobs up and down the country. Beer sales are down £650m in the last year alone.”

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) says the average price for a pint of bitter is £2.80 and for lager it's around £3.

The government, they say, makes more money on beer than brewers and licensees. Which is why beer sales at pubs are now at their lowest level since the 1930s and why pubs are closing at the rate of 39 a week.

Pub lovers will quite rightly be bitter about this parlous state of affairs and for the loss of an integral part of British community life. Every hamlet should have a church, a pub and a post office. But it's good news for the home brewing industry.

Home brew enjoyed a previous surge back in the 1970s which left a bad taste in the mouths of many who tried it. I was one of those who attempted it with the very basic of kits, little patience or skill. No wonder the stuff I produced was a disaster. Never again, I resolved.

Since then, the home brewing industry has developed massively. Specialists provide advice, as well as kits and first class ingredients. With practice, I am told, home brewers can produce a pint as good as the best micro brewery.

I shall always retain my love for a public bar that provides good ale and a good craic, and I fervently believe that the Great British pub will survive, although there will be fewer of them.

In the meantime, maybe I shall try home brew again. This time with better kit and a lot more patience.