Personally, I think that statement is a load of old rubbish. How far can a barrel of beer be expected to travel before it start to become less than perfect? 10 miles from the brewery? 50 miles? 200 miles?
This posting was prompted by a colleague's comment that Robinson's from Stockport "doesn't travel". Well I've had some very dubious pints of Robbie's in Manchester city centre, which can't be more than 15 miles or so from the brewery, both in a Robbie's pub and in other pubs.
I think it's fair to say that, generally, beer leaves the brewery in a near-perfect condition. What is it in the travelling which makes it deteriorate? Or is it just down to the way it's kept?
Which brings me onto another well-used expression, that some landlords "can't keep" a particular beer. Do some beers require more attention than others in the same cellar? If so, what? Here in the Midlands it seems to be a common belief that Pedigree is a temperamental beer. I would have said that a landlord can either keep beer in good condition or he can't, whatever the beer in the cellar may be.
Comment is invited.
Lee.