Opinion
Topical articles and pieces from a personal point of view.
Beer Style of the Year: Stout
At a time when sales of such beers as IPA and golden ale seemed unstoppable it looked at first that the return of dark beer was an aberration. But it...
Never been a better time to shout about beer
It’s a common refrain in beer writing that there’s “never been a better time to drink beer”. But if 2022 is anything to go by, we may have to stop usi...
Low alcohol treats
Like most people I look to kickstart a bit of a detox after the festive season. Who can forget all those epic Christmas ales with their punchy ABVs? S...
Searching for prized old ale
An American friend, Julie Johnson, once told me the difference between our two countries is that the US has a past but Britain has history. As she wri...
Combine try and dry this January
The Dry January campaign is 10 years old this year. The idea of abstaining from booze after a December of decadence gains more traction annually. The...
A green touch of glass
Did you know that recycling is so efficient that it can take up to 50 times less energy to make new glass from old bottles than to make it from sand?...
Stout tsunami
Can there be such a thing as a hidden trend? I think so. I think we have become engulfed by a wave of rich, heavily flavoured and deeply alcoholic dar...
A new pub in a museum?
Well, yes. But that’s not the full story. The Black Country Living Museum has been a part of Dudley life since 1975. Documenting the Industrial Revol...
Christmas drinks and food pairing
I have learnt two important lessons while researching Christmas drink and food pairings. Number one, like all food and drink advice, remember it is ex...
Think local, drink local
It’s been a grim year for breweries, especially those owned by giant global producers. In short order, Heineken announced the closure of the Caledonia...
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