Skip to main content

Guild Member Profile

Breandan Kearney

Writer, Editor, and Podcaster
  • Full member
  • journalist
  • beer-writer
  • brewer
  • belgium
  • certified-cicerone®
  • bjcp-judge
  • algemene bierkenner (cvo panta rhei, gent)
  • labo fermentatie (cvo panta rhei, gent)
  • zythos
  • beoir
  • ebcu
  • gbs
  • narrative nonfiction
  • longform journalism
  • deep reporting
  • food-matching
  • photography
  • film making
  • travel-tourism
  • brewing
  • beer-styles
  • beer-travel
  • belgium
  • homebrewer
  • off-trade

What is the one thing you'd like to tell visitors to the Guild's website?

Breandán Kearney is a writer of deeply-reported longform narrative nonfiction. He was named Beer Writer of the Year 2015  and Regional Beer Writer of the Year 2021 by the British Guild of Beer Writers. He was also named Young Beer Writer of the Year 2015 and Best Beer and Food Writer 2015. Breandán chaired the judging panel for the British Guild of Beer Writers awards in 2016.

Breandán is a Certified Cicerone® and an accredited beer sommelier through the UK Institute of Brewing & Distilling, a certified ‘algemene bierkenner’ (CVO Panta Rhei), a Certified Cicerone® and a BJCP judge. He has judged at both the World Beer Awards (UK, 2016) and the World Beer Cup (San Antonio, 2020).

Breandán’s writing has also been recognised by the North American Guild of Beer Writers, winning “Best International Beer Reporting” in 2019, “Best Technical Beer Writing” in 2018, and “Best Beer Podcast” for Belgian Smaak in 2018.

Breandán specialises on the subject of Belgian beer for a range of publications, including National Geographic Traveller (Food), Lonely Planet, Good Beer Hunting, Pellicle, Craft Beer and Brewing, Brew Your Own, and Belgian Smaak.

What you can offer as a writer/beer lover?

Breandán specialises in Belgian beer and Belgian beer culture.

He writes about Belgian beer and Belgian beer culture for a range of audiences, within Belgium and internationally (UK & Ireland, USA & Canada, Scandanavia etc), both for on-trade, beer consumers and general audiences.

What do you like most about being a Guild of Beer Writers member?

Breandán avails of the Guild’s networking opportunities and resources for publication.

Pieces of work by Breandan:

  • Flying With Clipped Wings — West Kerry Brewery, County Kerry, Ireland

    In the face of incredible personal tragedy—losing her partner to drowning and her son Hugo to sudden death syndrome—Adrienne Heslin started a brewery in her pub to try to make ends meet. At the time West Kerry Brewery was launched in 2008, Heslin had never brewed a beer before in her life.

    This article tells the story of how a single mother, alone and plunged into not inconsiderable financial debt, embarked on a time- and capital-intensive business producing and selling beer in a difficult market in one of the most isolated parts of Ireland, using the pub and it’s beer to try to turn her life around.