​Stroud Life has become the first newspaper in the country to launch a beer in its own name.

The newspaper, which is a sister publication to TiG, commissioned the ale as part of a campaign to support Stroud pubs.

Stroud Life teamed up with Stroud Brewery boss Greg Pilley to design the new ale as the symbol of its new Save the Local campaign.

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It aims to throw struggling publicans a lifeline by encourage more people to visit their local.

While the campaign proper does not start until April Stroud Life decided to celebrate its second birthday this week with the launch of the beer at the Clothier’s Arms in Bath Road, Stroud.

And SL invited along Stroud’s five parliamentary candidates to get cross-party support for the campaign.

Local representatives from the Campaign for Real Ale and several publicans were also there to give the new 4% beer the taste test.

Andy Burstow, Stroud and Stonehouse Camra’s head ale conner, said: “It is very good. For a 4% beer it has plenty of flavour and it goes down well.”

Clothier’s landlord Harry Counsell, was proud to see the first pint of Stroud Life pulled in his pub. He said: “It’s on sale as of now and we’re pleased to be the first pub to have it.”

Whitminster Inn owner John McGoldrick is looking forward to selling Stroud Life beer. He said: “A lot of people are going to like it. It’s a nice, smooth brew.”

Stroud Life is a light, malty, amber ale with a zesty hop aroma. Brewed using First Gold hops, it is a well-balanced and full-bodied session beer.

As well as the Clothier’s, it is on sale at Egypt Mill in Nailsworth and The Crown in Frampton Mansell.

Greg Pilley, owner of Stroud Brewery, explains why he is backing Stroud Life’s Save the Local campaign:

"Why is it important for us to back our pubs? Well, pubs are the fabric of social life in the UK. They are one of the few places were all members of the community, from all walks of life can meet.

"They are the heart of economic and community life, providing employment, entertainment, respite even a refuge.

"Pubs are at the heart of our leisure and tourism industry – supporting our sports, and a fundamental element of every visitor’s itinerary in the UK.

"However, pubs are closing at a rate of about seven a day or 50 a week.

"Almost 2,400 pubs and bars have vanished from villages and towns in the past 12 months, according to research for the British Beer & Pub Association.

"The recession, compounded by high tax rise on beer, has discouraged people from going out and spending money in pubs and bars.

"Drinkers seek to drink more cheaply at home, often buying discounted alcohol from supermarkets.

"This further encourages drinking outside a social setting which can lead to problems of excess.

"Once pubs have shut down it can often be difficult to reinstate them, with many being converted into homes, and indeed a few developers even specialise in this opportunity.

"So, what can be done? Tax on beer is seen as obvious way of generating much needed government revenue.

"However, as pubs close, so too does the potential to maintain this revenue.

Government has to recognise the value that pubs bring to their local communities and the wider values they bring and seek to adopt measures to safeguard them.

"A favourable tax regime that encourages people to drink in their local and discourages antisocial drinking is receiving popular support from across the industry.

Beer duty has increased by 14% in real terms since 1997, while duty on spirits has fallen by 20%.

"Stroud Brewery would like to see duty on draught beer held, at the very least, if not reduced, while duty on packaged beers (bottles and cans) could be increased.

"Currently, draught and packaged beers are subject to same rates of duty.

What can you do to help? If you want to secure the future of your local pub, the best thing you can do is use it.

"Go out and meet friends in the pub and enjoy a pint of Stroud Life."

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Facts

- Brewing and pubs contribute £28billion to the UK economy – more than the airline, clothes retailing and broadcasting industries.

- Tourists and visitors to Britain make 13.2 million visits to our pubs each year, with pubs consistently on the list of positive perceptions of the UK.

- The pub and brewing industry employs 540,000 people directly and 380,000 in associated trades.

- 27% of the adult population visit a pub every week.

- 112,000 jobs will be lost across the sector by 2012 if pub closure trends continue.

- 3,500 pubs have closed in the UK since the Budget of March 2008.

- Beer sales in pubs are down 16 million pints a day compared with their peak in 1979.

- £600million has been added to the sector’s beer tax bill since the Budget of March 2008.

Stroud’s Labour MP David Drew was joined by the four men who are gunning for his seat at the General Election for the launch of the Stroud Life pint.

Conservative Neil Carmichael, Liberal Democrat Dennis Andrewartha, the Green Party candidate Martin Whiteside and UKIP’s Steve Parker enjoyed a pint of the new brew.

While teetotaller Mr Drew stuck to a pint of orange juice he did throw his weight behind Stroud Life’s Save the Local campaign.

“As a teetotaller, I have opened bars but the current decline in pubs is worrying,” said Mr Drew, a member of the All Party Pub Group.

“We have a Pubs Minister assigned to look at this. Pubs can work well as a co-operative enterprise in communities.

“They can be the centre of our community and used by a wide range of people.”

Mr Carmichael, whose own campaign to save local pubs played an important role in inspiring the Stroud Life campaign, enjoyed the Stroud Life pint and underlined the serious message behind it.

“There are a lot of pubs in this constituency which are closing or finding it difficult,” he said.

“Trading conditions are not easy. I am a great believer in pubs as part of community life.

“It’s where you can get controlled drinking as opposed to binge drinking in homes.

“We should be doing all we can to encourage pub landlords. They are at the heart of village life.”

Mr Andrewartha, who lives near Cam’s Severn Vale brewery, reckons the Stroud Life pint is a tasty beer which is full of flavour without being too strong.

Backing the Save the Local campaign, he said: “If you have a pub at the heart of a village, it can be the last thing left.

“If the pub remains then it can be used for other things, like a shop.

“A big issue is what pubs pay for their beer. Some tied houses can pay 30 to 50% more than a freehouse and that monopoly by the pub companies needs to be broken.”

Mr Whiteside said local brews in local pubs was what the Green Party was all about.

He said: “We support the local economy.

“I have supported Stroud Brewery from the start and I am proud to say it brews in my district council ward.

“It shows you can have a good quality of life with local, distinctive businesses at the heart of that.”

He rated the Stroud Life pint as “excellent”.

UKIP’s Steve Parker, who worked for a pub chain for 20 years, said the new ale was a refreshing brew.

“UKIP started a campaign two years ago when it looked like the EU was going to turn pints into half-litre measures,” he said.

“We have campaigned ever since because we think pubs are closing unnecessarily.

“My view is that the Government has focused too much on the smoking ban. There needs to be choice.”

If you are a publican and want to serve Stroud Life beer to your customers, ring Greg Pilley at Stroud Brewery on 07891 995 878 or email greg@stroudbrewery.co.uk.

The Stroud Life Save the Local campaign kicks off on April 7.

Licensees or pub owners who want to get involved in Save the Local should ring Stroud Life’s commercial team leader Mandy Charles on 01453 753 821 or email her via mandy.charles@glosmedia.co.uk.