THE beer business is back and booming, with breweries around the country toasting a successful year.

There are now 1,424 breweries dotted around Britain, with 204 opening in the last year alone.

Outlets in and around Essex are also celebrating their own triumphs, with beer buffs shunning bigger brands and opting for locally-sourced tipples.

One in six pints drunk in pubs are real ale, according to the Campaign for Real Ale.

Russ Barnes, of Red Fox Brewery in Coggeshall, said business is so busy, he has been able to purchase a pub to showcase his own beers.

He said: “Business is busy and more pubs are trying our beers.

“We have just brought a pub – the Three Horseshoes in Fordham – where we will be having our own beers as well as some others to help support our colleagues.”

Mr Barnes believes more breweries will improve the health of the industry, but warned only the best would survive in what is becoming an increasingly competitive field.

He said: “Competition is healthy and more and more breweries have been springing up. What you will find is that the best ones stay the course and the ones that aren’t quite so good will close down quite quickly – often within 18 months.

“If they are doing a good job, then people will keep buying from them.

“People always want new things, which keep us from resting on our laurels and getting complacent.

“Every brewer brews differently and will give a slightly different flavour.”

The Colchester Brewery based at Wakes Colne is running at full capacity. Brewer Tom Knox said he believes the beer industry is entering a boom period with younger people especially opting for more specialised tipples.

He said: “We have been going for four years now and have been working at our maximum production rate since May. We cannot really produce any more beer than we are at the moment.

“Craft beer is becoming much more popular and fashionable with youngsters as well.

“More and more breweries opening is a good thing for the industry and for the consumers.

“The beer industry is as good as it has been since the Seventies and since then Camra has been plugging away to try and improve things.

“Lots more pubs are putting locally-produced beers and craft beers on and, in my mind, Colchester is becoming the beer town of Essex with all the amazing old pubs and beer festivals which we are happy to support.”

Mr Knox said the bigger brands are trying their best to take a slice of the action back from the independent breweries after noticing a dent in sales.

He said: “It is getting to the stage where the bigger breweries are spending fortunes trying to create a craft section – I’m not sure how the huge conglomerates can claim that though.

“People want more flavours and tastes – I come from a traditional background so try and keep it quite simple, but some of them are quite different.

“As a brewer, you can get away with quite a lot more in terms of flavour.”

Mark Barber, of Mersea Island Brewery, said he had also been busy over the past 12 months.

He said: “It has been a really great year for us and people are really interested in real ale and locally-produced ciders.

“Every time you crack open a tin of lager it tastes the same, but with independent breweries, you get something a bit different.

“You get a far greater variety with real ale.”