Skip to main content
13th November 2019

Guild of Beer Writers publishes shortlist for Annual Awards 2019

Awards winners in 2018

The British Guild of Beer Writers has shortlisted 28 writers, journalists and bloggers in its Annual Awards. The winners in 11 categories as well as the overall Beer Writer of the Year and Brewer of the Year will be unveiled at the Guild’s Annual Awards presentation and dinner on 3 December.

Judges read, viewed and listened to some 150 entries which included books, newspaper and magazine articles, both printed and online, as well as blogs, radio broadcasts, films and podcasts. This year’s competition includes two new categories: Best Writing on Sustainability in Beer & Pubs, sponsored by Carlsberg and Best Beer Broadcaster, and a new sponsor in Asahi, for the Best Beer & Travel Category.

The finalists were selected by a judging panel, chaired by current Beer Writer of the Year Emma Inch, made up of: Laurence Creamer, Social & Digital Lead on industry campaign Long Live The Local; Tim Hayward, food & drink author, restaurant reviewer and regular on Radio 4’s Kitchen Cabinet;: Charlie McVeigh, founder of Draft House; Tony Naylor, food & drink writer contributing to The Guardian and BBC Good Food; Ross O’Hara, head brewer at Greene King; Kate Oppenheim, hospitality sector journalist and communications expert, currently publisher and editor of BII News; Tony Sophoclides, Strategic Affairs Director at UKHospitality

Inch said: “Whittling the large field of high-quality entries down to a shortlist was a challenge and everyone on it should be proud of having reached this stage.

“We were especially pleased to see a good number of entries to the new Carlsberg-sponsored Award on writing about sustainability, and to the Beer Broadcaster category. The best entrants in all categories demonstrated a sure grasp of their subject, coupled with a talent for storytelling, whether they did this through books, press articles, blog posts or videos.

“The quality, breadth of topics covered and diversity of media used by our finalists shows that writing about beer and pubs is in good health. We look forward to toasting all our shortlisted writers, and announcing the winners, at our awards dinner next month.”

The Awards dinner will be held on Tuesday, 3 December at One Great George Street in Westminster. Guests enjoy dinner with beers matched to each course and beers before and after the meal, provided by the Awards sponsors. Guild members, both individual and corporate, and non-Guild members, are welcome to attend, more information and tickets are available on the Guild website:

GUILD OF BEER WRITERS AWARDS 2019: THE SHORTLIST

Guild Award for Best Citizen Beer Communicator

Guild Award for Best Beer Writer – Corporate Communications

Guild Award for Best Beer Broadcaster

Long Live the Local Award for Best Writer about Pubs

  • Ian Clayton for It’s the Beer Talking
  • Matthew Curtis for writing on www.pelliclemag.com
  • James Dowdeswell for The Pub Manifesto
  • Katie Mather for writing in Ferment

 

Asahi Award for Best Beer and Travel Writer

  • Claire Bullen for writing on www.goodbeerhunting.com
  • Jonny Garrett for YouTube films and article in BEER
  • Laura Hadland for www.extremehousewife.com
  • Andrew Grumbridge & Vince Raison for Today South London, Tomorrow South London
  • Eoghan Walsh for articles in Ferment, Pellicle and others

Carlsberg UK Award for Best Writing about Sustainability in Beer and Pubs

  • Matthew Curtis for articles in Ferment
  • Alastair Gilmour for articles in Cheers
  • Will Hawkes for articles in BEER, among others
  • Roger Protz for posts on www.protzonbeer.co.uk/

 

 

St Austell Family Group Award for Best Young Beer Writer

Heineken Award for Best Beer Communicator – Online

Fuller Smith & Turner Award for Best Beer Writer – Trade Media

  • Matthew Curtis for articles in www.goodbeerhunting.com
  • Anthony Gladman for articles including Drinks Retailing News
  • Will Hawkes for articles in Imbibe
  • Richard Molloy for articles in Inapub
  • Adrian Tierney-Jones for articles in Imbibe

 

 

Adnams Award for Best Beer Writer – Regional Media

  • Tomm Carroll for articles in www.beerpaperla.com/
  • Alastair Gilmour for Cheers
  • Simon Jenkins for The Yorkshire Beer Bible
  • Jane Peyton for regional radio broadcasts

Greene King Award for Best Beer Writer – National Media

  • Claire Bullen for The Beer Lover’s Table and various articles
  • Ian Clayton for It’s the Beer Talking
  • Roger Protz for articles in What’s Brewing and BEER
  • Adrian Tierney-Jones for articles in Daily Star, Daily Telegraph and others
  • Eoghan Walsh for articles in Ferment, Pellicle and others

 

SIBA Brewer of the Year

Guild members nominated the following brewers and the winner, decided by member vote, will be announced at the event:

  • Greg Hobbs, Five Points Brewing Co
  • Scott Lawrence, Batemans
  • Sophie de Ronde, Burnt Mill Brewing
  • Rob Topham, Camden Town Brewery
  • Ben Wilkinson, Wylam Brewery

The Guild is grateful to the following sponsors, whose support makes possible our annual awards and dinner:

Adnams

Established in 1872, Adnams combines innovation with tradition. Behind the walls of its Victorian-looking building, it has some of the most advanced and energy-efficient brewing equipment in Europe and constantly experiments with new, innovative techniques.  Adnams brews a range of quality beers which reflect its heritage but also challenge conventions. The brewer uses locally-grown East Anglian grains of malted barley, rye, wheat and oats wherever possible and deploy a number of different hop varieties from Britain as well as across the world – all of which contribute to their beers’ individual characters. Adnams retains the values of an independent, family run business with a strong commitment to and leadership in sustainable business practice.

Asahi Europe Ltd

Asahi Europe’s beer portfolio includes beers brewed in unique ways and with unique histories, from medieval Belgium and Netherlands to modern day Japan, Italy and Great Britain. Crafted from a long tradition and rich heritage, our world-class brands continuously reinvent themselves as contemporary premium beers that travel the world and please discerning consumers in nearly 80 countries. Supported by state-of-the-art breweries, quality ingredients and a culture that fosters innovation, encourages collaboration and rewards high performance, we aim to bring the best quality of beer to life. Our variety of beers delight millions of people around the world with their top quality and uncompromising integrity.

Carlsberg UK

As part of the Carlsberg Group, Carlsberg UK has long been brewing and selling some of Britain’s favourite beers. Today, they include Carlsberg Danish Pilsner, Carlsberg Export, Poretti, Grimbergen and Tuborg. We also hold the UK brand licences for San Miguel, Mahou, and the Brooklyn Brewery range, putting them at the heart of our growing premium portfolio.

Our founders were driven by an ambition to brew for a better today and tomorrow. Over 170 years later, we continue to pursue the same purpose. We want to contribute to a better society wherever our beers are brewed and sold, and that includes taking a lead on sustainability. It is central to our purpose, and we also believe it’s the right thing to do – bringing clear benefits to our business and to society as a whole.

Fuller, Smith and Turner

Fuller, Smith and Turner P.L.C. is a premium pub and hotel business with just under 200 Tenanted and just over 200 Managed Pubs and Hotels. Fuller’s focuses on providing delicious fresh, home-cooked food, outstanding cask and craft ale, great wine and exceptional service and there are 817 boutique bedrooms across the Managed estate. The Fuller’s pub estate stretches from Brighton to Birmingham and from Bristol to the Greenwich Peninsula, including 173 locations within the M25. Fuller’s also owns Bel & The Dragon, six stunning country inns across the Home Counties, and The Stable, a craft cider and gourmet pizza restaurant business, with 17 restaurants in England and Wales. In April 2019, Fuller’s sold its beer business to Asahi Europe Ltd.

Greene King

Brewing in Bury St Edmunds, the home of Greene King, dates back 1000 years to day of the Doomsday book and in 2019 our two historic breweries, Westgate in Bury St Edmunds and Belhaven in Dunbar will be celebrating a combined brewing heritage of 520 years. With a diverse range in our beer portfolio, from pale ales to craft beers and from bitters to stout one thing is for sure, our passion for brewing top quality, delicious beer is as strong today as all those years ago.

We are proud to sponsor the Guild of Beer Writers Awards, a wonderful celebration of our national passion for great quality British beer, the writers who challenge the brewers and the brewing industry who continue to drive innovation in beer.

Heineken

With over 2,000 passionate people, some of the nation’s most loved beers and ciders, 2,700 pubs, thousands of acres of orchards and three UK breweries, there’s more to HEINEKEN than the name above the door. Our portfolio of brands includes Heineken®, Lagunitas, Birra Moretti, Maltsmiths, Kronenbourg1664, John Smith’s, Amstel and Red Stripe, backed by a full range of niche and speciality brands.  We are also proud to work in partnership with Beavertown Brewery and Brixton Brewery.

As long term supporters of the British Guild of Beer Writers, we truly believe in the power of storytelling – whether that be through the written word, a podcast, or a photograph.  And we are proud to be sponsoring once again.

Long Live The Local

This campaign, backed by Britain’s Beer Alliance, celebrates the vital role local pubs play in our community, culture and economy whilst highlighting the jeopardy they face from a range of taxes including beer duty, business rates and VAT. Last year more than 116,000 people signed the petition and almost 50,000 people wrote to their MP asking for a cut in beer duty. The Chancellor heard the voices of pub goers, publicans and politicians and froze beer duty protecting jobs and future investment – but there is more to do.

This year, so far, more than 218,000 people have signed the petition and over 107,000 people have written to their MP. In addition, 25,000 pubs are supporting the campaign. With a Budget now likely in January 2020, there is still time to sign a petition and email your MP to ask for a cut in beer duty at www.longlivethelocal.pub.

SIBA

SIBA represent around 750 independent craft brewers across the UK and are the voice of British independent brewing. With their ‘Assured Independent British Craft Brewer’ seal, SIBA champion quality, flavoursome beers from independent craft brewers, as well as protect the businesses of thousands of breweries across the UK through Government lobbying and campaigning in Parliament.

St Austell Family Group

In 2016, St Austell Brewery joined forces with fellow West Country brewer, Bath Ales, forming the St Austell Family Group.

Independent, family-owned brewer, St Austell Brewery has been brewing beer in Cornwall since 1851. Most famous for its flagship beer, Tribute Cornish Pale Ale, St Austell Brewery’s range of award-winning beers – also including Proper Job IPA and Korev Lager – are available in pubs and supermarkets nationwide.

Bath Ales opened the doors to its new four-vessel brew house, Hare Brewery, in 2018. Fronted by flagship beer, Gem, Hare Brewery has the capacity to produce over 50,000 brewers’ barrels of beer – doubling Bath Ales’ previous brewing capacity. An exciting schedule of new beers launched alongside the brewery opening, including a West Coast IPA – Lansdown – and premium English lager, Sulis.

The St Austell Family Group employs more than 1,500 people and runs over 175 pubs, inns and hotels across the South West.

The British Guild of Beer Writers was formed in 1988 to help spread the word about beers, brewing and pubs. With more than 300 individual members and 60+ corporate members, its mission is “to improve the standards of beer writing and improve the public knowledge of beer and pubs.” Its members include the cream of the country’s beer communicators – be they journalists, authors, producers, photographers, broadcasters, illustrators or PR consultants. Corporate members of the Guild include brewers, brand owners, distributors, pub companies, and many suppliers associated with the brewing trade. www.beerguild.co.uk