Opinion
Topical articles and pieces from a personal point of view.
The low down
According to estimates from the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) more than 120m pints of low and no alcohol beer were enjoyed by British consum...
Heineken flops as its Silver lager falters
The news may have bypassed your radar but Heineken has axed its Silver lager brand just two years after the launch. When the world’s second biggest br...
Reasons to be hopeful
At the beginning of 2024, I asked a number of brewers what their expectations were for the year ahead. Despite the difficulties posed by the economic...
Is Carlsberg listening to its customers?
After I heard the news that Danish giant Carlsberg is to cull a slew of beers including Bombardier, my first thought was of the pub I worked in 25-odd...
No barley, no beer?
On 19 November more than 10,000 farm owners, their families, and employees gathered to protest in Westminster. Their motivation was the so-called Trac...
Festive beer ham
For my last recipe of the year, I wanted to post something which involves beer, is appropriately seasonal and, most of all, reflects my cooking style....
Making our niche mainstream
As times get harder, more breweries are seeking collaborations. They strengthen ties within the industry and help reach new audiences. Who among us wa...
Carlsberg’s wrecking ball swings again
Carlsberg is wrecking Britain’s brewing heritage. Not content with closing four ale breweries, it has now turned the blow torch on a raft of beers, se...
Kismet Hardy
It’s The Return of the Native – the launch of a new edition of Thomas Hardy’s Ale, the celebrated English barley wine that beer lovers feared might di...
Hidden gems and destination pubs
I think we’re all old enough and wise enough to see that the government’s promised penny off a pint in the latest Budget is quite the insult to our in...
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