But it seems the arrow of causation now starts with taste. They once couldn't supply hops to match domestic production though they tried. So they accepted Continental and new world hops. Now the taste is for foreign hops (and light lagers,) and domestic production has fallen as a result. You've recently mentioned elsewhere (regarding ESB) that a beer may be quite British without using traditional British hops. I remember seeing a British cooking show on tv not long ago. The host was highlighting "traditional" London fare, and presented some dish or other to be cooked with and paired with a nice, "traditional" pale ale. Then she whipped out the bottles of Goose Island IPA!