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The BeerStash Chronicles 5: Lager than Life

Bohem Brewery Vasco

There seems to be a lot of lager about at the moment. That may well be down to several factors coming together at the same time. The coronavirus lockdown means there’s less (or no) ale being brewed for pubs, so the economies of the industry make it less viable to brew ale just for at-home… Read more »

The BeerStash Chronicles 4: A Touch of Glass

As one of those generous souls who believes in giving something back, I run the occasional beer appreciation session for chef students at Westminster Kingsway College. With most drinks knowledge in classic chef education focused on wine, it’s an attempt to at least give beer a fighting chance with the generation that will be cooking… Read more »

The BeerStash Chronicles 3: “But why’s it called wine?”

Ridgeway Brewing Imperial Barley Wine 2012

An excellent question. Why is a barley wine called a wine, when it’s so very clearly and marvellously a beer? For a detailed study of the history of the term, let’s look no further than this excellent exposition by my friend and colleague Martyn Cornell http://zythophile.co.uk/2010/09/14/so-what-is-the-difference-between-barley-wine-and-old-ale/ The Campaign for Real Ale, meanwhile, tells us that… Read more »

The BeerStash Chronicles 2: Fresh thinking

Courage Imperial Russian Stout pour

Beer is best drunk when it’s freshly brewed*. There, I’ve said it. It may not be the most sensible contention to make at the outset of an article which sets out to assess the merits of a beer that’s been knocking around for years, but it’s probably worth setting out my stall. It is, I’d… Read more »

The BeerStash Chronicles 1: A matter of taste

JW Lees Harvest Ale 2000

Like many jaded hacks, one of my initial thoughts on being told to stay at home as the coronavirus took hold was, “well, that’s a chance to do a bit more blogging”. Inevitably, I reasoned, the multitudes sitting on their sofas with the thin end of bugger all to do, scrolling dead-eyed and listless through… Read more »

There’s a Starman waiting in the Brewery!

Some years ago, my then-small son came home from primary school and, unexpectedly, asked me “what do you do for a job?” Delighted that he was taking an interest, I explained about journalism and dug out some copies of a number of newspapers and magazines containing articles which bore my byline. He regarded these with… Read more »

It’s a Trappist!

As someone very clever once remarked, just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. They were almost certainly talking about something even more important than beer, such as building an atomic bomb or holding a referendum, but there are also plenty of breweries who would be well advised to have the saying inscribed… Read more »