This is great news for folk who long for the day when low alcohol beer meant something tasty and reasonably priced:

The new rules on duty levels come into force on 1 October, with beers below 2.8 per cent ABV receiving a duty cut and beers above 7.5 per cent paying more. Dr Isaac Sheps, chief executive of Carlsberg UK, said: 'We are responding directly to the Government's duty initiative to encourage the development of beers at lower ABV levels... Greene King has also announced it will be launching a lower strength beer called Tolly English Ale.

Culturally, this would be difficult for Canadians who think that a 4.7% beer is water and a 5.2% beer the path to a date with Satan. Some call this being boring. We like to call it, well... OK, just leave us alone.

But it is a great idea. As Velky Al mentioned in the comments "the sooner we bloggers own up to the fact that we are all, every single man jack of us, drinkers first and foremost, also the better." And if the pleasures of the pub are about the lightly lubricated pleasures of company, what better than a tasty lower cost lower strength option? Now, if the tax break were to be placed at 3.5%, all the better - sure. That would open up a lot more opportunity for variety but, all the same, if I could pay less for an ordinary bitter, a mild or a dark lager knowing that three pints would see me in comfortable form that would be a tax policy I would support.