THE obituaries for real ale have been consigned to the bin as British beer is making a big comeback.

A record number of new breweries has been recorded by the 2006 edition of the Good Beer Guide, published by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra).

There is more choice for beer drinkers than at any time since Camra was formed in 1971.

The guide lists more than 80 new breweries, almost twice as many as in the previous year.

And Yorkshire is at the forefront of the new beer revolution, with two new breweries opening - and thriving - in Craven in recent years.

The Copper Dragon Brewery in Skipton is highlighted by Camra as one of the success stories. Production has quadrupled since it opened just three years ago.

The Wharfedale Brewery, based at Hetton and launched shortly afterwards, is also proving popular

"The spate of new micro breweries and the booming regional sector prove there is no 'real ale crisis'," said Roger Protz, editor of the Good Beer Guide.

"In spite of the best efforts of the global brewers who dominate British brewing, there is greater choice today than at any time since the Good Beer Guide was first published in the early 1970s."

The guide says the dramatic number of new producers as well as the stability in the regional sector has been fuelled in part by the government's introduction of Progressive Beer Duty. PBD enables micros and small regional breweries that produce up to 30,000 barrels to pay less duty.

But the main driving force behind the upsurge in new breweries is consumer demand. "Beer lovers are tired of over-hyped national brands and avoid like the plague the bland apologies for lager and the cold, tasteless keg beers produced by the global brewers," said Mr Protz.

"Beers with aroma and flavour are back in vogue and smaller brewers are rushing to meet the clamour."

The guide also highlights Timothy Taylor in Keighley which has invested around £11 million over a decade to enable production to grow from 28,000 barrels a year in 1997 to close to 50,000 today.