Great British Pint at risk from 'widgets'

Modern technology is threatening the taste and character of the traditional British pint, an historian of the brewing industry warned yesterday.

Terry Gourvish, of the London School of Economics, said the "widgets" brewers put into cans to mimic the taste of pumped ale were destroying the Great British Pint.

"Widget" technology, he said, was now being introduced into pubs to create beers with high aeration and a foamy head, which spoilt the flavour. "If you're a pot-bellied traditionalist like myself, it's very worrying that the variety of subtle- flavoured beers might be forced out of the market," he said.