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About Me

As I said over on my food blog, I’m not a writer and I’m not a critic. I just enjoy eating and in this case drinking and sharing my thoughts.

So anyway, beer.

I’ve not always been into beer. Well, not good beer anyway.

It all started in January 2013 when a tasting menu with beer pairings in a fine dining restaurant blew my mind. Before that beer to me just meant lager or bitter. But they opened my eyes to the wide variety of styles and flavours as well as the possibility of pairing beer with food.

Since then I’ve been on a journey to experience and learn as much about beer as possible. Tasting literally 1,000s over the last couple of years, including some of the best in the world.

I started recording them with Untappd in September 2013 (and clocked up 1,300 unique beer checkins in the first 18 months), this blog is a natural extension.

Don’t worry, I won’t be reviewing every beer that I drink. In fact, I don’t plan on reviewing many beers at all (only the occasional special brew).

What can you expect is reviews of beer-focused events, pubs and bars and yes, the occasional beer, but only special ones.

There’ll be lots of food talk too, I’m passionate about matching food and beer and even run my own events.

Quick Q&A

BeerGeekBrunchWeaselFavourite Brewery?
It’s a cop out but it’s impossible to have a favourite when I drink such a wide variety.

Favourite Breweries Then?
UK: Magic Rock, Buxton, Kernel, BrewDog, Marble..
International: Mikkeller, TOØL, Omnipollo, Stone, Cantillon…

Favourite Ever Beer?
Probably Beer Geek Brunch Weasel, an 11% Imperial Oatmeal Stout by Mikkeller. Amazing beer, cool name too.

Best Pub/Bar
Pub: The Grove in Huddersfield. A traditional boozer that just gets everything right. Catering for both the traditionalists and more modern types (like me) perfectly.
Bar: Cafe Beermoth in Manchester. The opposite end of the spectrum, modern and stylish. The range of beers is second to none.

Cask Or Keg?
Until a few months ago I was 100% pro keg. Not that I don’t appreciate well kept cask beer, I just feel keg is better suited to most of the beer styles I like. But I’ve recently had several beers served far too cold and fizzy that would’ve been better suited to cask, particularly dark beers. So the correct answer is, both.

Best Food & Beer Pairing?
Blue cheese, a strong one like a Stilton, with barley wine. Trust me, it’ll blow your mind.