Mine’s a pint of Unesco… brewers chase heritage status for British cask ale

Traditional cask ale makes up about 10% of all draught sales of beer in the UK. Photograph: Colin Bowling/Alamy

It is one of Britain’s most historic drinks, still sold in thousands of pubs across the nation, but cask beer has long been in decline.

Besides suffering from a reputation as an “old man’s drink” and the divisive debate over the “cellar temperature” at which it is served, the number of establishments selling it, and the volume and value of sales, have all dropped dramatically in recent years.