Cheers

Some commodities have social and political significance that goes beyond their constituents or their practical value. Precious metals and minerals are the obvious examples. Salt in the ancient world, water in arid lands

Staple foods acquire a mystique that stirs the emotions of the people who grow up with them. Try talking to an Italian about pasta. Bread has huge emotional impact across most of Europe, the Middle East and north Africa. Last week a friend told me an anecdote about a clash of cultures in which visitors to Spain were offended to be served, and charged for, bread with their meal without being asked. To the Spanish mind, if you haven't had bread, you haven't had a meal, why would you need to be asked?

In some periods of British history, it was the norm for a labourer's payment to include the daily supply of an agreed quantity of beer. For centuries, beer has been central to business deals, social contracts, political activities and civic occasions. Even today, with our awareness of the dangers of alcohol, echoes of the historic significance of beer remain. When governments tinker with the tax on alcohol - as they have done today - they tread carefully, knowing that their action will be headline news and that the iconic statistic will be the impact of their action on a pint of beer

Throughout world history there have been famous bread riots. I thought it would be easy to find examples of beer riots. They are not as common as I expected. There was a spectacular case in Oxford in 1355, however. Against a background of simmering mutual mistrust and antipathy between the academic community in the town and the working people, some students made disparaging remarks about the quality of the drink in a city centre pub (it might have been the beer or the wine - sources vary)

Over the course of a few days, this escalated through and beyond a riot into something close to gang warfare. Over 60 students and around 30 townsfolk were killed. The king happened to be in nearby Woodstock and took charge of the matter, judging firmly against the townsfolk and imposing long-lasting financial penalties and humiliating duties on the city leaders - parading them bareheaded through the city to be pelted with rotten fruit by students - a ritual which persisted for 500 years into the 19th century!

If someone asks your opinion of the beer, consider your answer carefully