Let's not kid ourselves - it's been a dire year for the beer market, with the credit crunch, the smoking ban, cruel and ill-informed tax rises and poor weather all contriving to keep people away from the pub and drive down beer volumes.

But cask ale has been the star performer, doing better than any other ale or lager category. In the year to May 2008, cask shows only a slight marginal decline: -1.3% in volume, and only -0.3% in value.

This compares to a total beer market decline of -8%, and means cask ale is doing better than not only keg and smoothflow ales, but also standard and premium lagers. (All figures from Nielsen). Cask ale is therefore growing its share of the total beer market - up from 11% to 12% this year.

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• Cask Ale is outperforming the rest of the beer market
• Regional and local ale brewers have seen an overall return to net value growth

• Cask Ale provides a compelling reason to visit the pub - much needed in the current climate
• Cask Ale drinkers have more money to spend than any other group of drinkers
• Well kept cask ale consistently improves a pub's profitability
• 65% of UK drinkers have never tried cask ale. Among those who do try , 40% convert to drinking it. There is huge potential for growth
• Strong growth in premium bottled ales in the off-trade is clear proof of growing demand for premium ales generally

• The British media is showing growing interest in interesting characterful beer, which has cask ale at its heart
• Cask Ale is an enduring British icon