Opinion
Topical articles and pieces from a personal point of view.
Make mine mixed on VE day
It’s good news for our beleaguered pubs that they will be able to stay open until one in the morning on 8 May as the country celebrates VE Day – the 8...
Generation game
A couple of weeks ago my phone pinged as a press release dropped into my inbox. It told me the story of Steve Birch, the head brewer of Mauldons brewe...
Jay Rayner’s wrong on pubs
While it might lack the same grandeur shared by some of the buildings along Liverpool’s Dale Street, there’s a faded elegance to the exterior of the S...
You always hurt the one you love
The prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, told the Daily Mirror he supported their campaign to save the country’s pubs as he recognised they were at the h...
Wheeling out the sexist tropes
As some of you will know, I’ve just finished writing a book on beer festivals (available through CAMRA Books from 8 May). As a result, I’m naturally a...
Missed opportunity
Heineken returning its cherished Beamish Irish stout to British pubs is unlikely to come as a surprise to anyone not living under a rock at the moment...
Can beer break Britain?
Well according to something called an AI Overview (thanks Mr Google), the answer is “Beer is part of the British culture and economy, and it's unlikel...
Ask a silly question…
The gentle hubbub of voices rises to greet me as I walk into the Malt Shovel. The fire is lit to ward off the February cold and the small, two-roomed...
Robust stout revival
When Cairngorm brewery stormed to victory with its Black Gold in CAMRA’s Champion Winter Beer competition it was further evidence of the astonishing r...
A way forward
Everything is finite, and all good things must come to an end. Most people understand this, even if only subconsciously, and it’s why I think we cling...
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