 This is the most breweries per capita in the world; they produce over 8,000 regular beers and thousands more seasonal and one-off brews.The first tax on beer in the United Kingdom was the Saladin tithe, introduced in 1188 by Henry II to raise money for the crusades

Production of beer in the UK faces a challenge from the rising cost of raw materials.The regional breweries are developing contract brewing to keep up production, while the production of ale by the newer, smaller breweries grows.