What I’ve learned in a year (almost) of beer writing. Escapism is what it is. Pure escapism. I try hard not to drink for drinking’s sake because I prefer my beer to punctuate a situation, and in most cases, the beer I love is all down to context. Would I love Bluebird Bitter quite as […]
Autumn, Alcohol, Superstition and Ritual
I wanted to talk about superstition this Halloween – about the small rituals we impulsively prick into our existence, sustaining a sense of meaning, momentarily suspending us from reality. They’re personal and they’re private, and unsurprisingly in the world of brewing, a chiefly technical profession in this day and age, I couldn’t find anyone willing […]
Part 2: Madrid
This post follows on from Part 1: Local hops in Castille and León. Our trip to Madrid taught us what “Craft” means in Spanish. Eight years ago, the nebulous idea of craft beer gained structural integrity in Madrid, when the capital’s first independent bottle shop opened on Calle Ruda close to the cathedral and El […]
Local hops for local people – Orbigo Valley hops in Castile and León
Part 1: Castile and León * FULL DISCLOSURE: After reaching out to Orbigo Valley Hops to speak to them about their business, I was invited to visit. Accommodation was provided, but I paid for almost everything else (but you try telling a Spanish person not to pay for your drinks. I dare you.) * The […]
Sour Power – Funk Fest 2018
Tasting some of the UK’s most exciting sour beers in Abbeydale Brewery’s Funk Dungeon. There’ve been some pockets of resistance along the way, but modern sour beers have made huge inroads in the UK over the past couple of years. Getting drinkers over the hurdle of expecting all beer to fit into more familiar flavour […]
The price of a pint
Today’s headline news in the Guild of Beer Writers eshot was a story run by CAMRA relating to a YouGov survey on the topic of the price of a pint. (If you’re a member you can see the story here.) Here’s the quote: “56% of people surveyed who expressed an opinion believe the price of […]
Manchester Union Lager – Launch
I’m early for everything. When I’m with my other half it doesn’t matter so much because he’s chronically tardy, but when I’m organising a trip by myself I’m meticulous about my ETA, like a retired Sergeant Major who can’t shake the military out of their mannerisms. So, marching up Shudehill from Victoria Station, here I […]
The world’s newest world beer awards judge
I’m new to this game. Not to drinking – I’ve been doing that for years – but to writing about drinking, finding new ideas about drinking, learning about our idiosyncrasies towards the beers we drink, the places we drink in and the breweries we favour. It’s still interesting to me. Exciting, even. I’ve been told […]
Victorian Protein Shake IPA
Back in March, I wrote about brewing with Moorhouses, and how I’d tasted the wort of our soon-to-be brown ale and called it a “Victorian Protein Shake”. It made sense to me – it tasted filling and sweet, and full of old-fashioned nutrition. Like a strongman would down a pint of it every morning with […]
Describing Beer
I want to start off by saying this: I am not interested in starting another “define craft” debate. At all. In fact, I can think of a million other things I’d rather do, and topping that list is being chased down the Amazon by a hungry caiman, or having dinner with a drunk and handsy […]