I could rant about this but I’m not in a ranty mood, so instead I’ll make a simple plea:
Around this time if year newspapers and magazines are full of festive food and drink coverage. Publications like Sainsburys Magazine tell you where to get your ‘wine and fizz’ for Christmas as if no other drinks exist. Observer Food Monthly lists “Forty Festive Wines’ without telling you why any of them are more suitable for Christmas than any other time of year, without giving any food matching tips or anything.
And as every year, there are countless Christmas and winter ales being produced by brewers across the country and the world, and they’re getting no coverage at all.
It just doesn’t make sense. Our foodie culture is rightly getting more interested in seasonal produce. Beer is emphatically seasonal. You’d think it would be a no-brainer for any food and drink coverage. But as far as I can see – nothing.
So my plea is this. If you see any newspaper or magazine coverage of winter/Christmas beers, can you let me know where and when you saw it?
Cheers.
the only one i have seen was on the independent website and i think it was from last year
I'm sure there'll be some blogging about seasonal ales, I know at least two or three who've already done some and two or three who will be doing so.
Watch this space!
As for more mainstream publications, will keep our eyes peeled
Tried DMing you on Twitter but couldn't as you're not following me (@duncanmckean). Anyway… BBC carried the new BrewDog 32%abv story this morning http://is.gd/54DiT and there are countless features this quarter in CAMRA's "Beer" magazine. PS. also want to say thanks for signing my copies of your books, via Sarah Mudge!
What nonsence. Xmas is the best time for beer. Cooking lager is at it's cheapest with the biggest boxes of grog going for tuppence. Ho Ho Ho. Santa's got his hat on. There's nothing more seasonal than a giant box of cheap grog.
robert elms show on monday bbc london (12-3pm) has got the brewer from meantime on not sure they will be seasonal could well be.
It would help if there weren't so many Christmas beers with shite names.
Jeff
you and your names, who cares, as long as they taste good and don’t sound too retardish :o)
I wouldn't be remotely bothered by the bad names if there wasn't the constant murmur from the sector of "how do we persuade more people to drink our beer?" while the one of the murmurs from the unconverted is "we don't like the crappy names".
You're absolutely right – beer gets left out at xmas doesn't it? I like name of the Sam Smith's ale 'Winter Welcome' – very inviting!
Not really print media, but Oz Clarke & Hugh Dennis Drink To Xmas is on BBC2 on 23.12 and is supposed to include winter ales.
A quick google shows they visit a Christmas Fayre to judge sloe gin. Dunno where James May is – rumour has it his taste buds (never that reliable) died after he swallowed a Lego® brick