Category Archives: Beer
The 19th Watford Beer Festival: real ale can still remain relevant in a world of craft beer.
Spurred on by the American craft beer revolution, the same drinks category in the UK is on the up. Brewdog’s Punk IPA, for example, is a drink of choice for many younger consumers sick of bland, big-name lagers. However, real … Continue reading
The London Coffee Festival
I know I moan about London from time to time, especially when stuck on the Tube, but surely nowhere is ‘Cool Britannia’ more in evidence than in our capital city. London has been totally transformed since the 1980s and must … Continue reading
Flat caps and Luddites?
In January’s edition of What’s Brewing, CAMRA’s monthly news magazine, there was a highly insightful article by food and drink market researcher, Peter Jackson. He investigates why more 18-24 year-olds don’t drink real ale when it often tastes better, has … Continue reading
The Beer Tax Escalator: CAMRA members lobby MPs
According to CAMRA, 3 million fewer UK adults visit the pub on a regular basis as a result of the beer duty escalator, which increases tax on alcohol by 2% above the inflation rate each year. This, in turn, is … Continue reading
A Sense of fun : Olympic proportions !
So the Olympics have finished, but the smiles remain, even if the full benefits won’t be felt for another 20 years, or so we are told. Hopefully, the Paralympics will be a fantastic success too (although can’t the Olympic flame … Continue reading
The Real Ale Revolution Continues
So real ale used to be thought of as an old man’s drink (probably an old English man wearing a flat cap) and as far removed from youthful trends as Jeremy Clarkson’s dress sense. However, this is clearly no longer … Continue reading
Smutty Beer Labels
A letter based on this article was published in CAMRA’s What’s Brewing magazine, May 2012, p.13. There has been much discussion over the past 12 months, concerning British beer labels and pump clips and whether they are often too "smutty". … Continue reading