General
The Kernel sails on almost serenely
He’s very modest so he’d almost be embarrassed if you suggested he possibly runs the UK’s best brewery in the country. Reality is, this might just be the case on certain measures. My own measurement is whether a brewery releases any duff beers and on my personal calculations The Kernel Brewery does not produce duff…
Read MoreBook Review: ‘Good Honest Tales – 150 years of Batemans Brewery’
Many years ago when my family took me on day trips to Skegness we would sometimes briefly stop on the return journey at a pub that I can recall had Batmans written on its sign. As a youngster this was rather spooky. Only years later did I realise that it had been Batemans that I’d…
Read MoreBeer Travels with Adrian Tierney-Jones
Late Monday morning, and after a walk through the washed out January streets of the Vinohrady district of Prague, past patches of dirty snow and skeletal droppings of ice, it’s early doors at the Vinohradský Pivovar restaurant. Tables are already occupied with diners, including one where a chef in whites looks like he’s studying the…
Read MoreBrewDog’s change in strategy could mean last orders for craft beer drinkers
We’ve not got far into January, and yet we’ve seen even more seismic activity in a craft beer world that was already proving a particularly active category as 2023 came to a conclusion. Amid a disappointing number of failures in the sector came the shocking news that North Brewing Co had gone into administration (and…
Read MoreIn search of the craic
Seated at the expansive bar counter of the new Irish Exit bar in Moynihan Train Hall in mid-town Manhattan in New York City, early evening was a joyous experience in what is undoubtedly one of the best station bars or pubs I’ve encountered during my travels. With around 250 covers, it is a pretty extensive…
Read MoreThe Breal Deal
Many years ago my parents lived next door to a successful businessman who I befriended – Swiss-born Mario Halbeisen (RIP) who set up Marcrist Industries and who was for a period the sole importer of diamond drill bits into the UK. He made a bit of a killing and like many people with money burning…
Read MoreQ&A with Felix James, co-founder of Small Beer
Before moving ahead with my questions – relating predominantly to low ABV beers – Felix clarified that Small Beer isn’t technically a ‘low ABV’ brewery and brand. The company is championing a ‘new’ category of small beer while acknowledging this style is about a thousand years old. ‘Low alcohol’ describes a beverage of 1.2% and…
Read MoreHappiness in hospitality
Apparently drinking alcohol is very unfashionable. Try telling that to the people increasingly packing out the recently opened Devonshire pub in London’s Soho between 11am and noon, before most pubs in the area now choose to open. The reason for this is because renowned landlord Oisin Rogers, co-owner of The Devonshire, reckons the particular guests…
Read MoreBeer Travels with Adrian-Tierney-Jones
My pint of Purple Moose’s ruby-red, malt-accented Dark Side of the Moose was rich in its symphonic harmony on the palate and a perfect Bach-like counterpoint to the serene and tranquil atmosphere of The Albion Ale House on a Friday afternoon in November. I was in a pub in the castellated town of Conwy, which…
Read MoreBook review – Historical Pub Crawls Through London
Since my early years in London I have largely managed to navigate my way around the city by pub because when I first arrived in the capital I made it a mission to undertake numerous pub crawls that took me to all corners of London. It was therefore with great interest that I received a…
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