1. It's a living product, which means lots of stimulating, fresh flavours.

2. It's the nearest thing to a pint of real ale down at your local.

3. It's not artificially carbonated; the pleasant effervescence is generated wholly by the yeast in the bottle.

4. Almost all bottled real ales are made from just four natural ingredients: malted barley, hops, water and yeast – there are no additives or E numbers.

5. It's mostly brewed by small or regional breweries and sold locally, so you'll be helping your local economy.

6. It's a hand-crafted product and brewers take extra care when producing real ale in a bottle.

7. There is so much variety to be enjoyed – well over 500 real ales in a bottle are now produced in the UK.

8. You can return your bottles for re-use.

9. It makes an excellent accompaniment to food and with so many different bottled real ales available, it's fascinating to try to match their flavours with various dishes. Try real ale in a bottle instead of wine for a change.

10. Most importantly...

It tastes great!