Beer Breaks in Britain
30 places to explore and drink good beer
by
Phil Mellows and Kate Simon
The refreshing guide to Britain’s best beer and travel scenes
Britain has always championed ale, and now many more of us are enthusiastically embracing modern styles of beer, too. British brewers are becoming increasingly creative in their offerings and an ever-growing number of pubs, bars and taprooms are springing up countrywide. Meanwhile, the pandemic has encouraged deeper exploration of what Britain has to offer the travel hungry and we like what we are discovering on home turf.
Beer Breaks in Britain joins the dots between beer and travel. It is the definitive guide to exploring places and drinking good beer around the country with expertly selected pubs, bars and brewery taprooms, plus the most interesting historical and cultural sites, natural and built attractions. The book focuses on 30 destinations across Britain and highlights the best places to drink beer, identifies the local brews, chats to knowledgeable locals and suggests what to do between your pints (or halves, or thirds), as well giving recommendations on where to stay.
This thorough and beautifully illustrated guide to the best beer destinations across Britain is perfect for extracts and expert features aiming to inspire readers to go on their own beer and travel experiences around the country!
Kate Simon has worked as a journalist in national newspapers and magazines for 40 years. For more than half that time she has sampled tourism experiences, assessing them from a traveller’s point of view. She was the Travel Editor of the Independent on Sunday and has written for publications including The Guardian, The Telegraph, and National Geographic Traveller UK. Kate is also the co-author of two other travel guides, How To Pack For Any Trip and Slow Travel Cheshire.
The grandson of an east London publican, Phil Mellows is a freelance journalist who has written about beer and pubs for industry and consumer titles for 40 years, closely following the dramatic developments in the UK beer market over the past decade and more. He is currently on the Board of the British Guild of Beer Writers and is a head judge for The Publican Awards, and the Great British Pub Awards.
Beer Breaks in Britain in published in paperback on 27th February 2025, price £20
Phil Mellows says: “Finding good beer when you’re in an unfamiliar part of the country can be a challenge that people don’t think about until it’s too late – and it’s the sort of vital information you won’t find in a holiday brochure.
“With Beer Breaks in Britain, Kate and I have done the necessary leg-work, providing the expert insight beer lovers and their friends need to put together a break that combines the best pubs, bars and taprooms with the best attractions across 30 destinations that demonstrate the breadth of Britain’s landscape and culture.”
On Bluesky @philmellows.bluesky.social
On Instagram @phil.mellows
On Substack @BritishBeerBreaks
And visit www.philmellows.com for The Politics of Drinking blog and more
Contact: Katherine Macpherson, Deputy Head of Publicity, katherine.macpherson@bloomsbury.com
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