Thanks for the welcome. As for the pints with allopurinol: my reasons for taking a break are more for overall health than they are gout-specific. I'm fairly sure my beer habit (usually not excessive, but pretty mandatory most any evening after hard work which is nearly every day 🙂 ) is why my weight has crept up, I have slightly high blood pressure and triglycerides, etc. I am sure that once I have improved my health and regained some perspective, I'll be alongside one of you at the pub eventually.