Nationalised vs Privatised
As a self-confessed left-leaner, Pete Brown isn’t the biggest fan of plc’s. This month, he looks at Budejovicky Budvar, a state-owned brewery that, surprise surprise, he’s quite a fan of.
Find out moreOther Writing
A selection of articles I’ve written for other publications.
Seasonal beers
One of the best things about Christmas, the thing that defines it for me, is tradition. Of course there are the universal traditions, the ones that bind us together and make Christmas special: we know that an overwhelming majority of the population is sitting down at a similar time to a similar meal as we
Find out moreBeer: The Drink Tuscan Food Has Been Waiting For
Imagine you had to introduce beer to an environment where it was all but unknown. People don’t drink much, but when they do drink, it’s almost always wine. So there are few pubs or bars—not as we know them—and hardly any selling draft beer. There are restaurants and cafes, and coffee shops that arguably serve
Find out moreReal ale is cool
Back when I worked in advertising full-time, we spent a lot of time doing future trends forecasting. It was kinda sexy, and people who got a little too enthusiastic about it would start trying to make up words to describe all these amazing new things we would be doing, seeing, eating and wearing.
Find out moreLondon’s bubbling brewing industry
The nice thing about making beer is that anyone can do it: brewing is a naturally occurring process. The world’s first beer was probably the result of some grain collected in a basket or pot, that was allowed to get wet, started to germinate, and was attacked by wild yeasts that fermented the sugar in
Find out moreWhy I write about Beer
“You’re a BEER writer? Ha! Ha! Ha!” No, it’s OK, I’m used to it now. I’ve been doing this for a decade and I’ve heard it all: “You obviously do a lot of research.” “Where are your black socks and sandals?” “I only drink lager. Does that mean you hate me?”
Find out moreBrewing Innovation
Used and abused and dressed up in all manners, the brewing industry uses the buzzword ‘innovation’ to introduce to market everything from Guinness’ widget (correct) to a new SKU (not so fast). Marketing editor Pete Brown sorts the wheat from the chaff, and finds that craft brewers, with a need to experiment and an ability
Find out moreSurviving Being Over-Entertained
Swearing, when judiciously employed, is brilliant. Sometimes, there’s simply no non-cuss word that will do, no mild alternative that can add the same perfect spice and flavor to a sentence. Arguably, one of the sweariest – and certainly one of the most quotable – films of all time is the Brit cult comedy Withnail and
Find out moreConversions One At a Time
Pete Brown evinces evangelical zeal in his passion for matching beer with food. Here’s the thing: people really don’t know that much about matching wine with food, he says, presenting an opening for the harmonisations and contrasts possible with the fruits of grain and hops.
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