Totally agree that a lot of it is overhopped dross.

Was disappointed also that on my trip back to the UK last week a lot of the trendier drinks appear to be forcing out some of the better mid-sized brewers from bar space. My local (10 miles from their brewery in Lewes) no longer has Harvey's on draught, also struggled to find a pint of Fuller's Summer Ale in London, plenty of micro brew stuff and (bizarrely) loads of Sierra Nevada but not the local seasonal specialty.

I've taken to asking for a sample before I commit. Very few places have an issue with this, and those that do have subsequently turned out to be below par joints anyway.

At risk of changing the subject, I was also irritated by how hard it was to find decent cider. "What flavour" was the question I kept getting. Surely no-one in history has ever thought that cider would be improved by the addition of passionfruit. I bought a Kiwi and Lime one for curiosities sake and it was vile, don't think we even got close to turning it back into water between 5 of us.