Or more accurately, it's my opportunity to ride some hobby horses, exercise some prejudices and generally give praise and throw bricks at the deserving (and anyone who gets in the way) on the various topics and issues surrounding the subject. But it will all be about beer. There is little point pretending I know much about wine or have any interest in spirits, although there may be an occasional dip into the debasement of the youth market if I'm feeling particularly bilious.

Just as in all other industries, the brewing industry is not just subject to cost pressure but also to fashion so that one minute everybody is brewing malty brown beers and then they're making yellow hoppy ones. Accountants have been chipping away at beer quality since forever, but they have made cost paring a science. Just today, a "popular" brand of "beer" simultaneously had its price raised and its strength lowered, a double whammy that would be more worthy of condemnation if I didn't believe that anyone who drinks it already deserves the contempt the brewers show them.

But this is happening all over, and I will try to guide you through what is happening. I may not tempt you to love beer as much as I do, but I hope I will open a window on a global industry.