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Guild Member Profile

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Fred Garratt-Stanley

He/Him
Freelance writer published in Good Beer Hunting, Pellicle, The Guardian, Time Out and more.
  • Full member
  • London
  • I'm also an experienced music and culture journalist, and I regularly write about other subjects such as football and politics.

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

I’m an experienced beer and pubs writer published in Pellicle, Ferment, Good Beer Hunting and more. I’ve written brewery profiles on Lacons and Five Points, features on pioneering community pubs and the impact of Wetherspoons closures, historical pieces on Shakespearean taverns and the arrival of hops in England, and much more.

What you can offer as a writer/beer lover?

I tap into issues that are often overlooked by people in the beer industry; from examining the cultural role of the pub pool table, to analysing how working class communities are impacted by Wetherspoons pub closures, and speaking to the Romanian migrant workers who work on the hop harvest in Kent each September, I’ve consistently dug beneath the surface to tell fascinating beer stories that often go unheard.

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

Engaging with the many brilliant writers and creatives documenting and paying tribute to the UK’s unique beer and pub landscape.

Pieces of work by Fred:

  • The Pocket - Examining the Hole Left by London's Lost Pool Tables

    I explored the cultural and social importance of pool tables in London pubs, and examined how the decline in wet-led pubs in the capital has impacted their presence.

  • Cask Culture For The Future: Five Points Brewery

    Here, I profiled pioneering East London brewery Five Points for UK drinks publication Pellicle.

  • Reap What You Sow - Following the Hop Harvest in Kent, England

    I visited Hukins Hop Farm in the Weald of Kent during the busy harvest period, speaking to a wide range of workers about the realities of bringing in the hop harvest each autumn.

  • Reawakening The Yeast - Lacons Brewery in Norfolk, England

    I travelled to the East Norfolk coast to tell the story of Lacons Brewery, an important local institution with a fascinating history.