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Britain's lost Breweries and Beers by Gavin D Smith, 11/12 As visitors to 'beer-pages' know only too well, the past half century and more has seen relentless rationalisation and consolidation within the global brewing industry, leading to the situation whereby a small number of international corporations control a very high percentage of the overall beer market. That situation has been somewhat mitigated by the rise of craft/micro-breweries in many countries, most notably in the UK and USA, but the fact remains that an unforgivable number of great brewing names have been consigned to history. It is one of the marks of a truly civilised society that it acknowledges, respects and celebrates aspects of its past, and in his excellent new book Britain's Lost Breweries and Beers, Chris Arnot helps us to do just that. The book is subtitled 'Thirty famous homes of beer that have brewed their last pint,' and the geographical scope ranges from Devenish in Weymouth to Campbell's in Edinburgh, by way of such old favourites as Fremlin's, Charrington, Truman's, Flower's, Tetley's, Vaux and Gale's. One of the great strengths of Chris Arnot's volume is that it wears its research lightly, and includes personal interviews with former employees and other individuals closely associated with the breweries and beers in question. Their reminiscences and insights are worth any number of statistics, and really bring Arnot's narrative to life. Mention should also be made of the numerous, fascinating photographs which accompany the text, many not previously seen out-with the confines of company archives. Britain's Lost Breweries and Beers is the best Christmas present we can recommend for anyone with even a passing interest in the heritage of brewing. It is elegiac without being nostalgic, immensely informative and equally entertaining. Aurum Press, £25.00. for £16.25 with free delivery

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