I am as much in favour of a nice place to have a tipple as the next guy but this is a bit much:

Aubergine, the Michelin-starred restaurant in Chelsea, west London, offers a beer list with about 15 choices. It includes 75cl (1.5 pint) bottles of Deus for £32. Vincenzo Tagliavia, the sommelier of Aubergine, said: "We are offering customers the chance to enjoy an exclusive beer. Deus stands out. Its specialness lies in the balance between the bitterness and creaminess." Other expensive beers at Aubergine include Chimay Cinq Cents, a pale ale brewed by Belgian Trappist monks and sold by the restaurant at £15 a bottle. Elsewhere 1980s vintages of Thomas Hardy ale can be picked up for £20 and a bottle of Rochefort, a chocolate-flavoured Trappist beer, £15.

Seeing as I paid about three bucks (or under £1.50) for a bottle of Rochefort, which could be doubled if we are talking 750 ml bottles, is the point showing that a snobby restaurant needs a snobby price to make beer palatable to a snobby clientele? A 500% mark-up over retail is a bit stiff. The ever excellent St. Veronus in Peterborough works on what would be a 200% basis and I am absolutely delighted with that given the wonderful rooms, their selection and the service.

Shouldn't a movement that points out the quality of real beer also make the point that the best is much cheaper than wine?