Opinion
Topical articles and pieces from a personal point of view.
Hidden barriers to beer
I’m painfully aware that my own experience and needs very much informs the consumer issues I notice in the pub. Happily, people who read my writing ar...
Something’s brewing in Bedford
To the rear of the packaging hall at the Eagle brewery in Bedford is one of the largest cask racking systems I’ve ever seen. As it happens, it’s also...
Braised pork with beer and onions
Earlier this month I read that despite the ongoing heatwave there has been a somewhat unexpected increase in sales of ready-made meals like shepherd's...
Time to take a stand
The news that Westminster council could end standing at the bar or outside Soho pubs seems so far-fetched that I thought it was a joke, something stra...
Cider’s own goal?
It didn’t come home. I did have hopes we’d at least make it to the final given our draw. We all know what happened there but it won’t stop me dreaming...
Looking on the bright side
There’s been much talk about the year 1976 of late – and it’s nothing to do with football, you will be relieved to hear. It was the year when a bliste...
Where do you stand on white label beer?
CAMRA’s recent campaign to take on multinational beer masquerading as local craft is not only admirable but brave in its scope. Yes, most of us know t...
Alcohol free - where are we now?
The message that Generation Z (born between 1997-2012) are eschewing alcohol has been big news in recent years. However, the data doesn’t seem to supp...
How brewing is meeting the climate challenge
I’ve been tracking how breweries are making themselves more sustainable for five years. In 2021, it was already pretty standard for brewers to send th...
VAT’s brewing
A coalition of hospitality leaders has launched a campaign to reduce the VAT threshold for their sector from 20 per cent to 10. The VAT’s the Problem...
view archive
view events