24 OCTOBER 1958, Page 22

SIR, —British beer is brewed almost wholly from the ingredients mentioned

in Mr. Preston-Tewart's letter, except for the use of sugar in certain types. The quantities, published annually in the Customs and Excise Reports, are approximately : barley malt, 9,000,000 cwt.; other cereals, 500,000 cwt.; sugar, 1,500,000 cwt.; and hops 220,000 cwt. Yeast is always used in brewing beer but it is the vital agent of fermentation and not, strictly speaking, an ingredient.

On average, a quarter-pint of malt and six hops are used in brewing a pint of British beer.—Yours

National Trade Development Association, 42 Portman Square, WI