2025 AWARDS JUDGES

The British Guild of Beer Writers is thrilled to announce the distinguished judging panel for its 2025 Awards. As with previous years, the panel brings together expertise from across the food and drink industry to evaluate the finest writing and communications in beer and cider – upholding the highest standards of independence and fairness.

 

Chaired by last year’s Beer Writer of the Year, Ruvani de Silva, the judging panel has been meticulously selected to represent a broad range of experiences and expertise and includes leading voices such as award-winning journalist and Certified Cicerone®, Melissa Cole, and celebrated wine writer, television presenter and broadcaster, Oz Clarke OBE.

The panel also features Queena Wong, recently named No. 5 in the Drinks Retailing Top 100 Most Influential People in Drinks for 2025 and founder of Curious Vines, a community supporting women in the wine industry; Vinny Rosario, co-founder of Moonwake Beer Co.; Dominic Driscoll, production manager at Thornbridge Brewery; Sian Meades-Williams, travel and food writer and award-winning author; Phil Douglas, joint managing director at Brewlab; Hannah Guinness, drinks writer and senior multimedia sub-editor at Olive and Good Food magazines; and Lucy Do, owner of The Dodo Micropub.

 

Entries are now open via the Guild website and will close in August. Entry is free for Guild members and subject to a fee for non-members.

 

The independent panel of judges will have the difficult task of evaluating the very best of beer and cider writing and broadcasting. The shortlists will be announced weeks before the Guild’s annual dinner, where the winners will be unveiled in a grand ceremony on Wednesday 27th November at Big Penny Social in London. 

 

The 2025 Judging Panel 

 

Melissa Cole - Melissa is an internationally-renowned beer judge, journalist and broadcaster with nearly 25 years’ experience. As well as being a Certified Cicerone®, and author of five books on beer, she has got her hands dirty collaborating with some of the world’s greatest breweries, worked with iconic restaurants like St John, curated the beer for events such as Meatopia and was the first British woman to be awarded a Knighthood of the Brewer's Mash Staff by the Union of Belgian Brewers. 

 

Oz Clarke OBE - Oz Clarke is one of the world’s leading wine experts, known for his phenomenal palate, irreverent style, accurate predictions, and enthusiasm for life in general and wine in particular. He is the author of many award-winning books on wine. Alongside his entertaining television and radio broadcasts, including Food and Drink, Oz and James with James May and James Martin’s Saturday Morning, he presents a series of concerts, Drink to Music! with the acclaimed Armonico Consort. Oz was awarded an OBE in 2020.

 

Ruvani de Silva - Ruvani is a multi-award-winning travel-loving beverage and food writer specialising in beer, spirits, sustainability, and all things Texan. A British Sri Lankan living in Austin, Texas, Ruvani’s bylines include the Washington Post, Good Beer Hunting, VinePair, Pellicle, PUNCH, Hop Culture, CAMRA Learn & Discover, Ferment and Modern Farmer. Ruvani is the founder of South Asian Beer Club and a vocal advocate for diversity, equality and inclusion in the beverage and food industries. Ruvani is the recipient of the British Guild of Beer Writers Michael Jackson Beer Writer of the Year 2024 award.

 

Dominic Driscoll - Dominic Driscoll started his brewing career at Marble Brewery in 2005, before moving to Thornbridge Brewery in Bakewell in 2011. As production manager, he has enjoyed being part of a highly successful brewing team for the last 14 years, collaborating with the world’s best brewers and collecting over 250 industry awards. Voted ‘Brewer of the Year’ by the British Guild of Beer Writers in 2024, Dominic spends his free time growing vegetables and fixing lawnmowers.

 

Lucy Do - Founder of multi-award-winning pub, The Dodo Micropub in Hanwell, West London. Having launched the business in 2017 with no prior experience in hospitality, Lucy’s now firmly established as a proud ambassador for independent craft beer and a fierce community builder. Conversation, collaboration, inclusivity and human connection are the core values at the heart of The Dodo Micropub.  

 

Phil Douglas - Phil Douglas is a Master Brewer with over 30 years’ experience in the brewing industry. He is now joint managing director of Brewlab in Sunderland, responsible for training, brewing and projects. 

 

Hannah Guinness - Hannah Guinness has been Olive magazine’s drinks writer since 2018. An experienced drinks journalist, she creates content across print, digital and video, from reviews and in-depth guides to cocktail recipes. Originally from the West Country, she’s very partial to a pint of proper cider.

 

Sian Meades-Williams - Sian Meades-Williams is a PPA award-winning travel and food writer, and author. She has written about food and drink for National Geographic, BBC Good Food, Ocado and The Simple Things. She's also the founder of the popular media industry newsletter Freelance Writing Jobs.

 

Vinny Rosario - Vinny Rosario is head of production and one of the founders of Moonwake Beer Co. Since graduating as a chemical and process engineer in New Zealand, he has brewed in a number of countries including New Zealand, Spain and England.  Since moving to Edinburgh to help start Moonwake, he was listed in Hop Culture as one of the top 14 people to watch in craft beer for 2025.  Though Vinny will always enjoy a lager most of all, he has developed a wide range of beers at Moonwake, helped create a diverse team and established a culture where the brewers are as important as the brew.

 

Queena Wong - Queena is a trailblazing female wine collector and has used her unique position to create and lead Curious Vines, a community of women in the wine industry advocating for equity and inclusion. Her deep understanding, support and connectivity within the hospitality and wine sectors has secured her place as a respected judge for Star Wine List of the Year UK, The Drinks Business Awards and Sommelier Edit Top 100 Sommelier Awards. Having instigated the first UK Women in Wine survey, which provided tangible evidence of gender bias in the industry, she has kickstarted and helped form the UK’s first sector-wide drinks industry EDI programme working towards safe and inclusive environments in drinks. Queena’s presence is profound in reshaping the landscape of wine and sommellerie. Her efforts have been rewarded with recognition as No. 5 in the Drinks Retailing Top 100 Most Influential People in Drinks (UK) and CODE Hospitality's Connector of the Year.