Every Saturday we round up the best writing about beer from the past week. This time, we\u2019ve got community pubs, pub communities, and indie beer.<\/strong><\/p>\n First, some news from the recent Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) members\u2019 weekend at which a motion was passed instructing the Campaign\u2019s leadership\u2026<\/p>\n to ensure that all relevant CAMRA publications and communications pledge preferential support to beer producers and suppliers that are independent of the influence of the multinational brewers, and to make the case persistently for this stance\u2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In other words, to prioritise support for independent producers, and to avoid supporting or publicising multinational brewing businesses \u2013 even if they produce cask ale.<\/p>\n The best summary currently available outside CAMRA\u2019s walled gardens for members is via Keith Flett\u2019s blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll be pulling together some thoughts of our own in the footnotes post on Patreon<\/a> that follows this round-up every Saturday.<\/p>\n Hazel Southwell<\/strong> took on the running of a large, somewhat decrepit pub in South East London last year. A side product of that has been one of the frankest and most interesting newsletters or blogs to have launched in recent years, recording her experiences \u2013 and especially her management of relationships with locals and regulars.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s post was particularly impassioned, being a reaction to a UK Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of the word \u2018woman\u2019<\/a>, and how that might affect trans people. This passage struck us as particularly powerful:<\/p>\n That\u2019s the thing about pubs, everyone in them is a real person. Suddenly both the GB News-pilled bigots and the woke lesbian landlady are real people who have to deal with each other, not the concepts of each other. And not to invent some sort of magical thinking but I think that\u2019s a very important space, in a world that\u2019s badly lost its way with a lot of made-up things, in forums better suited to online roleplaying than political debate.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n At A Tempest in a Tankard<\/em> Franz Hofer<\/strong> has attempted to pin down what makes a Wirtshaus<\/a>, from decor to culture:<\/p>\n The Viennese claim the Wirtshaus as a unique ingredient in their culinary identity. But it didn\u2019t take long before I realized that I had seen these kinds of establishments before\u2014dozens if not hundreds of times, in fact. If there is something ineffably Viennese about its Wirtshaus culture, the Wirtshaus itself has a long history in Central Europe\u2026 What makes these places so special? It\u2019s no one thing in particular. It\u2019s the rusticity of some places, the homey d\u00e9cor of others. Wirtsh\u00e4user come in all shapes and sizes. Still, you\u2019ll notice family resemblances. They all have a certain feel, an atmosphere of cozy comfort. This, if anything, is what sets the Wirtshaus apart from a restaurant. The beer flows more liberally here, the laughter rings louder.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n At Beervana<\/em> Jeff Alworth<\/strong> has made some interesting observations about the convergence of pale ales and pilsners<\/a>, some of which, he argues, could have their style labels swapped without anyone noticing:<\/p>\n On one track we have lagers, clean and dry, with lean bodies and increasingly fruity and aromatic hop profiles. Instead of herbs and wildflowers, they waft the scents of American hops, and tinge the flavor profile with limes, tangerines, lychee, and cannabis. Sulfur plays no role. They are light and sunny, around 5% ABV, and slide down a throat with the ease of water\u2026 On another track are pale ales, stripped of body and sparkling, redolent of American hops. Made with light malts and clean yeast, they are platforms for mid-intensity hopping, with lovely bouquets and flavors crackling with those same citrus, tropical fruits, and a hint of something savory for contrast. They are light and sunny, around 5% ABV, and slide down a throat with the ease of water\u2026 Am I drinking a West Coast pilsner or a West Coast Pale ale? Does it matter?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Chris Dyson<\/strong> at Real Ale, Real Music<\/em> has gathered together notes on a bunch of pubs across the UK that didn\u2019t fit into his town-by-town crawls, but which do make sense considered as a type in their own right. That is, pubs near stations where you can hang out while waiting for a train<\/a>:<\/p>\n It happens quite regularly. Often when on a rail journey where I have to change trains I have enough time for a pint while I wait, so I call in a station buffet bar or nearby pub\u2026 One place that I have called in a couple of times this year and numerous times in the past is the York Tap (opening image) which I have mentioned in previous blogs when I have been featuring York, but on both times I have visited this year the beer and ambience has been as good as ever\u2026 Another station bar that is an ideal calling point when in-between trains is the Draughtsman Alehouse, which is situated on platform 3b of Doncaster Railway Station, which I last called in on my way to and from Lincoln a few months ago. This is a gem of a micropub converted from a former Victorian buffet bar which had lain empty for 18 years before opening in 2017.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n We\u2019re suckers for stories about communities taking on the running of pubs and so pounced on this piece by Giancarlo Rinaldi<\/strong> for the BBC about The Plough Inn at Wigtown in Scotland<\/a>:<\/p>\n The former Plough Inn in Wigtown was at risk of being turned into flats until local residents stepped in and took it over\u2026 Craig Hamnett, who chairs the Wigtown Community Inn community benefit society, said it was a relief not to lose the centuries-old hostelry\u2026 The pub in Wigtown had been in continuous use for more than 200 years\u2026 Its first licence was granted in 1795\u2026 Unfortunately the business closed shortly after the Covid pandemic\u2026 It has been a long battle but thanks to support from South of Scotland Enterprise the group was able to purchase the building for \u00a3330,000 and got the keys on Valentines Day this year\u2026 Thanks to an army of volunteers \u2013 and more than \u00a330,000 from a community share offer \u2013 it recently reopened its doors to great acclaim.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Finally, from Bluesky, some interesting news re: the hype beer of 2025<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n Can hardly believe it but I\u2019m hearing that ABInbev\/Budweiser is launching a sales drive behind draught Bass with new PoS and stuff. Glassware has already been spotted. Interesting development, if true, but let\u2019s see\u2026<\/p>\n [image or embed]<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Phil Mellows (@philmellows.bsky.social<\/a>) April 18, 2025 at 5:39 PM<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n For more good reading check out <\/em>Stan Hieronymus\u2019s round-up from Monday<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>Alan McLeod\u2019s from Thursday<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Every Saturday we round up the best writing about beer from the past week. This time, we\u2019ve got community pubs, pub communities, and indie beer. First, some news from the recent Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) members\u2019 weekend at which a motion was passed instructing the Campaign\u2019s leadership\u2026 to ensure that all relevant CAMRA publications […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":193477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[137],"tags":[4759,23597,74714,75200,1820,75199,34986],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-193476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beer","tag-april","tag-churches","tag-fortified","tag-longreads","tag-news","tag-news-nuggets","tag-nuggets"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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