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Guild Member Profile

Zoë Andrews

she/her
Retail Manager by day, writer by night
  • Full member
  • Retail Management
  • South East
  • CIPD, CAMRA.
  • I am well versed in alcohol free beers, having tried over 300 of them now.

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

Kindly referred to as a ‘renaissance woman’ by my better half, I’m into far too many things, really: beer, photography, music and popular culture, architecture and transport to name a few.

I’m the editor of Reading and Mid-Berkshire CAMRA’s Mine’s A Pint magazine. I’m passionate about bringing people into beer, creating a space for diversity and inclusion.  I’ve also been on a journey with alcohol-free beer since 2017: I was a judge for the 2020 AF Beer Club Awards and I hosted online interviews with Mikkeller (among others) for the 2021 AF Beer Club Festival. I write about all manner of things as a hobby, but beer is increasingly the thing I write most about.

What you can offer as a writer/beer lover?

I write from the heart, because it is the only way I know how. I wrote a diary from the age of six as my way of processing what was happening around me. I think we live in an ever-crowded world where it can be hard to find and make space for thoughts. I write in the way I’d like to read. My writing is underpinned with encouragement to try new things, an understanding of the cultural times we live in, and with a focus on the people and the personalities that make things happen. I believe great writing can inspire actions, and action creates history. I love beer, I love pubs, I love breweries and I really love the passion that is integral to all of it. 

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

I am genuinely honoured to be a member of this organisation, alongside so many great writers who I have read and who have inspired me along the way. I can’t wait to get my teeth into everything it has to offer. This is especially true of any courses that can further educate me around beer and brewing. Instilling confidence in myself makes a big difference to me on a personal level.

Pieces of work by Zoë:

  • Delphic Brewing Co - Keeping Locals Happy with Classic Beer Styles and a Friendly Face.

    A piece where I spend time with Tom Broadbank of Delphic Brewing Co, a small independent brewery on the cusp of expansion, based in Newbury, West Berkshire.

    Tom spent his formative years working the local pubs and gaining a taste for great cask ale, encouraged by his then manager. This led to a passion for beer and brewing, with time spent travelling to try different beer styles and working as a brewer for West Berkshire Brewery (now Renegade). With his passion for recipe experimentation and big fruited sours, Tom has found perfect harmony: a dedicated audience for traditionally styled cask beers in his area, and more experimental beer drinkers who love his diverse brewing experiments. Tom talks about his hopes for the future here and his passion for beer, and clear head for pragmatism and respect for traditional brewing methods shines through.

  • Tutts Clump - How a Love of Engineering Led to an Award Winning Cider

    Meet the many faces and talents of Tim Wale: a mechanic, a bus driver and engineer who once saw some apples pressed at a festival and figured he’d give it a try. Eighteen years later Tim has developed a successful and award winning Cider business called Tutts Clump which is named after the Hamlet in which it resides. Supported by two of his daughters, Tutts Clump is now stocked in Waitrose and in pubs across the country with an impressive selection and range available. All of Tutts Clump cider is organic and they work hard as a business to collect as many apples from across Berkshire as possible. Tim takes us through the beginnings of Tutts Clump, his passion for cider and his love of working in a job he enjoys more than anything else.