Variety is the spice of life. Photograph: Roger Bamber
According to a study commissioned by Greene King, British men tend to settle on a 'usual' in their mid-30s and then stick to it religiously for the rest of their lives.
And how do they reach this momentous, life-changing decision? From the age of 18 they, on average, sample 7 different brands and from those 7 they decide on 'the one' (presumably pre-18 it was all Thunderbird and cider).
Who are these people? Who only manages to try 7 brands of beer by the age of 35? And who forgoes all alternatives after that to stick with just one? This isn't just the person you're going to spend the rest of your life with or which football team you and all future generations of your family will have to stand in the rain to watch lose 3-0 week in week out. Until the end of time.
This is beer.
Sales figures suggest that most opt for one of the major international lager brands which tend to only really differ in their marketing and price points. How do they decide between them?
I like art-house films - I'll go with Stella; I wish I was more successful with fit birds - I'll go for Carlsberg; in the future I'll live on a park bench, I'd better get the Tennants Extra habit started by my mid-30s ...
Don't get me wrong. I own bars and pubs that sell great beer and I've written a book for CAMRA, but I'm not a beer snob.
One of my top 5 beer drinking experiences (yes, I do have a mental list) was gulping a Fosters Extra Cold just after finishing my first (and definitely last) triathlon. The fact that I threw it back up moments later (proving the point that vigorous exercise and alcohol aren't the perfect match) didn't detract from the intense pleasure I felt as it went down. But I'm also partial to the finer things in life and, all importantly, I like a bit of variety. It's all about the right beer for the right occasion.
My aim is to get out there and encourage people to try more than 7 beers. If you only like lager there are lots more interesting things out there than Stella and Fosters, as many readers of this blog know - try a Kölsch (ok, I know its an ale really), a Helles, a Vienna Lager, a black lager, stick with Pilsner but try something from the Czech Republic or, if you're feeling really daring try English: Sam Smith, Meantime, Moravka, Freedom, Whitstable ... they're all doing it.
To make it all a bit more interesting I'm going to perform this social good guerrilla-style. Like a slightly overweight ninja I'm going to pounce on Mr and Mrs Joe Public armed, somewhat clumsily, with a mixed crate of beer.
I'll be gatecrashing a Women's Institute meeting to crack open a few bottles brewed by and for women. I'll sneak in to a polo match to taste champagne related beers with the green welly brigade and pop down to my local park to crack open a few tins with the locals. I'll taste eco beers with militant hippies and beers that have been air-freighted from far and wide with recycling refusniks and urban 4x4 drivers. You get the idea.
So before I get started what about you guys? Fridges full of Coors Light? Refuse to drink anything that isn't certified real ale? Have you been religiously drinking Babycham since you were 14 or are you more experienced in beer than the Australian rugby team? Any thoughts welcome, and suggestions for people I should pounce on and what I should bring with me would be much appreciated.
This isn't frivolous stuff, this is a one man mission to spread the word. And the word is beer. So keep watching, especially if you're 34 years old and are desperately trying to work out which of those 7 you should stick with for the rest of your life ...
