I’ve been reading Reluctant Scooper‘s series of Wishlist posts recently and have found myself nodding along in agreement at pretty much all of them.

Basically it’s a whole catalogue of ideas for improving everything from the pint in the pub-goer’s glass to the marketing operations of the brewing industry, written by a guy who knows and loves his beer. In short: it’s pure customer research gold; the sort of info breweries could (and probably do) spend stupid amounts of money on via focus groups and industry surveys, posted for free, for everyone and anyone to check out.

My personal favourites so far are Wishlist #9: More Pubs and Breweries on Twitter (for instance, it would be great to know which beers the Trackside in Bury have on tap before we decide whether to head up there or into Manchester for an evening), Wishlist #10: Regional CAMRA Festivals (there was a LocAle do at the Wetherspoons in Bury last weekend, but I was pre-booked – more of those, please!), Wishlist #16: More UK brewpubs (some of the best pubs I know of are brew pubs and wish there were more of them in my neck of the woods) and I’m definitely down with Wishlist #11: Fewer Anonymous Beers (I’ve muttered about the UK’s glut of average, un-remarkable, bog-standard bitter and pale ale on more than one occasion myself).

Admittedly, I’m wasn’t 100% sure I could condone Wishlist #6: Compulsory Morris Dancing at Beer Festivals but having followed some of the links on that post I was even beginning to come round to that idea as well.

If you haven’t read the posts in question yourself yet, go give them a go, particularly if you’re a brewer, publican or in any way connected with the brewing and licensing trade (or, say a local CAMRA Festival organiser).

That URL again: www.reluctantscooper.co.uk