This is our weekly writing page - a collection of informal notes about what we've been drinking, eating and doing, week by week. Chances are it will be predominantly about beer, particularly the dry, pithy, hoppy beers I like so much - hence the tongue-in-cheek title. But we also intend to include notes on wine, spirits, cocktails, food, motorbikes, holidays, draught beers, and anything else we feel like writing about.
At the awards dinner for the British Guild of Beer Writers on December 11th 2008, this website scooped first place for best use of new media in beer writing for 2008. As a consequence of being a category winner, Zak Avery was put forward as a contender for Beer Writer of the Year, and despite having had no previous form, scooped the Gold Tankard. Previous recipients include the late Michael Jackson, Roger Protz, Alistair Gilmour and Jeff Evans. Really, it's quite an accolade. You can read the news on the Guild website here, or have a look at the newsletter announcing the awards here.
28th June 09 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - BrewDog 77 and Morecambe Bay Potted Shrimp
14th June 09 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - BrewDog How to Disappear Completely
24th May 09 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Highland Brewing Orkney Blast
26th April 09 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Beer & Asparagus
19th April 09 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Port Brewing Hop 15
5th April 09 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Russian River Beatification
22nd March 09 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - BrewDog Zeitgeist (and their slave army)
15th March 09 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Birrificio Italiano Tipopils & Bibock
1st March 09 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - St Austell Admiral's Ale
15th February 09 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Gale's Prize Old Ale
1st February 09 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Carnegie Porter, Oysters and Sausages
25th January 09 - ESSAY: Sharp's Brewery, Rock, Cornwall, UK.
18th January 09 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Sharp's Chalky's Bite
11th January 09 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Harviestoun Ola Dubh
25th December 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Duvel Triple Hop
12th December 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Goose Island Bourbon Count Brand Stout 2008
9th November 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Old Peculier
26th October 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Scotch Ales
12th October 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Greene King Old Crafty Hen
28th September 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Oktoberfest
7th September 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - The Orval Project (Part 1)
31st August 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Harvest Ales
17th August 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - St. Peters Amarillo Ale
3rd August 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Yorkshire Day
20th July 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Budvar and Pitfield Organic Lager
6th July 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Hop Back Summer Lightning
22nd June 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Saison Dupont & Merguez
19th May 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Moravka Lager Beer
7th May 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Asparagus and Belgian Triples
23rd April 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - St. George's Day & Brakspear Ales
13th April 08 - Haand Bryggeriet IPA and Norse Porter - Cor, there's lovely.
6th April 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Cantillon & Timmermans Kriek
23rd March 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Liefman's Kriek
9th March 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Chimay Red
2nd March 08 - V-BLOG: A Year of Beer - Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
14th February 08 - VIDEO BLOG: A Year of Beer - Trappist Ales & Lent
3rd February 08 - VIDEO BLOG: A Year of Beer - Old Bear Capstan FS
20th January 08 - VIDEO BLOG: A Year of Beer - Adnams Innovation
15th January 08 - James McRorie and the Weeping Bottle
13th January 08 - VIDEO BLOG: A Year of Beer - Meantime Winter Time
6th January 08 - VIDEO BLOG: A Year of Beer - Schneider Aventinus
9th December 2007 - A Quick Pint Before the Train
28th October 07 - Cheese and Beer (Part 1)
21st October 07 - Wood-Aged Beers: A Trip to Thornbridge Hall
14th October 07 - Co-Op Organic Fairtrade, Tui East IPA & Thierez Etoile du Nord
29th September 07 - Harviestoun Try'd & Tested, Springhead Roaring Meg
22nd September 07 - Beer & Cheese at the Gramercy Tavern
8th September 07 - Decoding American IPA
5th August 07 - We interrupt this broadcast....
29th July 07 - Very Berry Perry - Cider Coes (alco)Pop!
22nd July 07 - Hand-brewed in Otley - Rodhams IPA
15th July 07 - Dining with the Big Boys - Coors Speciality Offering
8th July 07 - And then Anheuser-Busch called... which was nice.
There's pretty much a two year gap here. What can I say? - other things got the better of me. Basically, it was an interlude of hard graft interspersed with some experimental drinking, and a sprinkling of freelance writing. But I'm back, new and improved, so hold onto your beer mats, because we're back in business.
25th September 05 - Ridgeway Bitter and... stone me, another IPA!
18th September 05 - Two IPAs - Meantime & Pitfield
11th September 05 - Topvar - The Unmistakeable Topvar!
4th September 05 - A Tale of Two St-Aubin
28th August 05 - Glenmorangie Burgundy Wood Finish - Yessss!
21st August 05 - Rob Hills Highland Brewing Company
14th August 05 - Tyskie vs. Lech - Polish, but don't spit
7th August 05 - Cesu - The Appliance of SCIENCE
31st July 05 - Casta Dorada & Casta Morena - a Mexican Surprise
24th July 05 - A Whole Lotta Leffe - shall we moan about InBev now?
17th July 05 - Suzuki GSF600S - hang on, that's not right.
10th July 05 - Gurkha Beer and Bravara
3rd July 05 - Copper Dragon, North Yorkshire
26th June 05 - Artois Bock
19th June 05 - A Beer Called Bernard
12th June 05 - Beers In A Box II
5th June 05 - Brakspear Triple - PHWOAR!
29th May 05 - Stella Artois - Ye gods, has it come to this?
22nd May 05 - Hercule Stout & Suddaby's After Dark Coffee Porter
15th May 05 - Anglo Dutch Ghoul & Ghost and Tabatha
8th May 05 - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale & Bigfoot
1st May 05 - Yarra Burn Shiraz Viognier & Sauvignon Semillon
24th April 05 - Wylam Bohemia & St. Peter's Cloudy Wheat
17th April 05 - Whistlin' Dixie Star Jazz Rock
10th April 05 - Rogue Ales: Champion Beers
3rd April 05 - Draught Round-Up
27th March 05 - Beers in a Box, plus Ruggenbrau Zwickel
20th March 05 - STOP! LAGERTIME! Sleeman's and Paulaner Munchner
13th March 05 - So'ton to Toon Town
6th March 05 - Williams Bros. Black and Williams Bros. Gold
27th February 05 - The Oakleaf Brewery, Gosport.
20th February 05 - All Whiskies Great and Small
13th February 05 - Auchentoshan: Comparing Expressions
6th February 05 - Christmas Stragglers - Hook Norton and Anchor
30th January 05 - Wentworth Brewery
23rd January 05 - Two Brooklyns and a Coopers
16th January 05 - Winter Warmers. And Cheese. Well, it is Sunday.
9th January 05 - Fentimans - Soft Drinks for Grown-Ups
2nd January 05 - "Peat Smoke and Spirit" by Andrew Jefford
26th December 04 - CHRISTMAS! WHISKY!
19th December 04 - There's a Draught in Here
12th December 04 - British Christmas Beers
5th December 04 - Belgian Christmas Beers
28th November 04 - St. Aubin 1er Cru "Murgers de Dents de Chien" 2002
21st November 04 - Winter Is Icumen In
14th November 04 - Ebony and Ivory - Black Lightning vs. White Boar
7th November 04 - A Beer Named Saku.
31st October 04 - A Few IPA's.
24th October 04 - Sierra Nevada Celebration & Tetley Imperial.
17th October 04 - Green's Pioneer and Explorer.
10th October 04 - Three B's Brewery, and Greene King Suffolk Strong.
3rd October 04 - The Hebridean Brewing Company
26th September 04 - Traquair The Laird's Liqour & Durham Decade
19th September 04 - Red Brick Brewery Fresh Beer
12th September 04 - More whisky. Damn you, Iain Banks!
5th September 04 - "Raw Spirit" by Iain Banks
29th August 04 - Coreff. La Biere de Morlaix
22nd August 04 - Robinson's Double Hop and Pitfield's Hoxton Organic
15th August 04 - Pata Negra Gran Reserva 1995
8th August 04 - Flag Porter, Augustinian Ale, and those missing beer reviews
1st August 04 - Summer Set for Cider - Thatchers and Sheppys
25th July 04 - The Wedding Diary - I Suffer So You Don't Have To
18th July 04 - Alcohol and Your Heart - The Truth. Via Google
11th July 04 - Strangford Lough - The Brewery That Wasn't There
4th July 04 - Tangential Americana - You Wot?
27th June 04 - Chateaux de Sours and Guiot, Marc Ducourneau
20th June 04 - Glassware - What do you drink out of, then?
13th June 04 - Westvleteren and Sparklers - An odd combination
6th June 04 - Thomas Hardy Ale - Et ego in Dorchester
30th May 04 - A Trip South - Flat Beer and Memories
23rd May 04 - Green's Discovery - Coeliacs of the world, unite
16th May 04 - Kölsch - More umlauts than a Motörhead concert
9th May 04 - Meantime Chocolate, AdiAdi, Tesco Picpoul de Pinet
2nd May 04 - Coopers Sparkling Ale, Oakham JHB, Tesco Beaujolais, E&S
25th April 04 - Svyturys, Utenos and A. Le Coq Premium
18th April 04 - Arcadia, Jago Cream Liqueur and Ardbeg Uigeadail
11th April 04 - Gin tasting. Mother's ruin. Mine too.
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