I\u2019ve been thinking about scythes again. I think it\u2019s about time I got one, though we have a collection of old handles in the barn, and a fancy metal snath (that\u2019s what the shaft is called, and I only know that because I just searched it). The stems (the bit that sticks out of the snath that the grip is attached to) on two of these are quite wobbly and worm-eaten. Actually, I guess these broke fairly often, as I found a little stack of them on top of a beam in the barn years ago. The third one is rather fancy looking.<\/em><\/p>\n I start with this for a few reasons. It illustrates that sort of curiosity about the knowledge that imbues the best sort of worthwhile yet somewhat idle writing. In troubled times access to good idle writing is vital. And focused knowledge drawn from idleness is usually more interesting that personal experience. Not unlike your photos of your meal or child, a lot of the personal is most often best kept personal as, believe it or not, we are all already persons. By contrast, the knowledge gained that leads to a \u201cwho knew?\u201d needs sharing.<\/p>\n As a helpful illustration, David\u2019s latest Desi Food Guide<\/em><\/a> piece on Indian food in Britain as exemplifed by the beginnings of Jay Patel\u2019s shop Budgens describes a key moment in any meeting of cultures:<\/p>\n \u2026it\u2019s this food that makes the shop so special in 2025. It\u2019s cooked by Meghana, the wife of Jay\u2019s eldest son, Pratik\u2026 \u201cPeople were wondering \u2018how do you eat Indian food?\u2019,\u201d says Pratik. The answer was to show them at a few tastings and this blossomed into holding stalls at local fetes. The clamour was huge but so was the generosity with the family (and its loyal workers) even dropping off free samosas at parents\u2019 evenings and school quizzes. \u201cIt snowballed and because the public wanted it we did it more,\u201d says Pratik. \u201cNow people will go for a walk and have a samosa.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Yes. Samosas came into my life at a very clear point in 1988 when I went back to university to study law. The Grad House<\/a> at Dalhousie, a side benefit pub near the law school, got a fresh delivery every morning from a home kitchen. Even though my family had a particular connection to a sort of curry going back to the late 1800s, these samosas were the first things I had which were so laced with that much cumin. Who knew peas and potatoes with cumin were that good? There are lots of things I want to learn, a lot of them about what to eat and drink. But that\u2019s about me, isn\u2019t it. Or is that the knowledge. Hmm.<\/p>\n But did I really need to know that Rick Astley<\/a> was in business with Mikkeller, now seemingly fully excused<\/a>? Not sure. Did I need an impenetrably indulgent fog of words<\/a>? Pretty sure on that one. Nope. Let\u2019s face it: much of beer has lost that bit of thrill that can\u2019t compare to a samosa in 1988 or a barn full of antique scythes today. Stan provided a particularly helpful if really sad example<\/a> this week of how bad it\u2019s gotten:<\/p>\n I did not receive the press release about how Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head), Bill Covaleski (Victory Brewing), and Greg Koch (Stone Brewing, now retired) are \u201cbringing their legendary friendship, their boundary-busting brews, and a rock-and-roll spirit that can\u2019t be tamed\u201d to Manhattan later this month. But\u2026 I\u2019m sorry, but although these are founders of breweries that make really good beer who have spent decades in the trenches (and, full disclosure, Sam Calagione wrote the foreword for \u201cBrewing Local\u201d) I won\u2019t be booking a flight to be there June 26.\u00a0For one thing, that poster is, well, I have no words \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n That there\u2019s a bit of a pathetic display \u2013 especially given that sort of \u201crock star\u201d shit was, you know, shit back in the day<\/a>, too. Fortunately, Stan also gave us a hopeful glimpse of the opposite that may soon be found at the\u00a0Carnivale Brettanomyces<\/a> fest coming up at Utrech in the Netherlands:<\/p>\n \u201cTake a sip of beer and you will notice aromas and flavors that remind you of the world around you. Some of these play crucial roles in our physical environment by interacting with the atmosphere, oceans, and geology. We will explore some of the ways common compounds in beer reflect natural processes in our environment and climate, and how life could have evolved to use those compounds to regulate the environment to its benefit in Gaian ways.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n A bit freaky and maybe not entirely my thing but at least it\u2019s actually promising to be about something<\/em> interesting. Something you and\/or I didn\u2019t know much about yet. What else is there to learn about? BrewDog<\/a> (ie \u201cwho cares\u201d) is claiming its changing its brand and vision \u2013 as if Martin Dickie hasn\u2019t been there all along:<\/p>\n \u201c2025 marks a new era for BrewDog,\u201d the site states. \u201cA fresh look for our beers. Fresh faces at the heart of the company.\u201d\u00a0The erstwhile Caledonian revolutionaries are now the official beer suppliers to Lord\u2019s, the home of English cricket, where blazers rather than baseball caps are de rigueur.\u00a0Lauren Carrol, the newly-installed chief operating officer, confirmed that the UK\u2019s most unruly company has been tamed. \u201cWhen people hear the name BrewDog they expect us to shock, disrupt and, let\u2019s be honest, probably offend,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we wanted to do something even more radical.<\/em><\/p>\n Yawn. Didn\u2019t need to know that. Much more interesting was watching the family of a contestant for Britain\u2019s best pub pianist of over four decades ago, one Peggy Fullerton<\/a>:<\/p>\n It was absolutely mind blowing. The family of Peggy Fullerton spoke to <\/span>#BBCBreakfast<\/span> after watching footage found by BBC Archive of her playing the piano and being interviewed by BBC Look North in 1981\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Watch the video under that link: \u201cThere\u2019s Grannie Peg!<\/em>\u201d Fabulous.\u00a0Speaking of fabulous, there has been actual jostling<\/a> to get a place as the host<\/a> for the June edititon The Session<\/em>, thanks to the whipping up of frenzy by Boak and Bailey:<\/p>\n @morrighani.bsky.social has bagged this month but you should definitely get lined up for next month, or the month after. @beerinthecity.bsky.social is also interested in hosting a future session.<\/em><\/p>\n And I liked Jeff\u2019s complaint<\/a> about the cacophony of styles being pushed by the Brewers Association for the 2025 Great American Beer Festival:<\/p>\n No one needs 108 categories! No one needs 108 categories that balloons to around 200 styles with sub categories! The ever-finer slicing and dicing does not result in clarity, it results in six (!) types of smoked beers\u2026 Style fragmentation also leads to an inevitable auroboros<\/em>\u00a0exemplified by a category like \u201cinternational amber lagers\u201d in which Mexican amber lagers will be judged with polotmav\u00fd and Franconian rotbier. What?<\/em><\/p>\n Remember, as Stan<\/a> recently reminded us, when folk said styles were important to help consumers understand what they were buying? Not so much now. Elsewhere, someone wrap Jessica Mason in asbestos* as she has been on fire this week asking all sorts of clear questions. Like \u201cwhy have Belgians<\/a> stopped drinking as much beer?<\/em>\u201d and \u201cwhy have the Irish<\/a> stopped drinking as much beer?<\/em>\u201d and \u201cwhy are UK<\/a> drinks makers enjoying a rise in profits?<\/em>\u201c:<\/p>\n \u201cAnecdotally, what we\u2019re hearing from some of our customers is that Q1 brought welcome windfalls. Some tariff-affected international customers have turned to UK firms to do business, while others raced to order more before tariff pauses came off. That\u2019s delivered a shot in the arm for some firms, but more importantly we\u2019re hearing that steadily falling bank rates are starting to stimulate the economy, which obviously is very welcome to UK manufacturers who\u2019ve posted a really strong start to the year.\u201d\u00a0The data has also highlighted how profitability is improving as manufacturers have held off from buying new stock, instead preferring to use up inventory reserves where possible.<\/em><\/p>\n That\u2019s interesting. And David, also in TDB, has added his own question \u2013 \u201cwhat\u2019s wrong with cheap beer<\/a>?<\/em>\u201c:<\/p>\n \u2026\u00a0with my honest hat on, most beer drinkers under retirement age know there\u2019s better options at the bar. And I really wished that those who write about problematic drinking in the media showed the same discernment. Because it isn\u2019t sessionable pints that are the issue here but how pub chains profit from alcoholism. That substance abuse might be from excess beer drinking but it\u2019s also more likely from much higher ABV drinks. Especially because I see morning drinkers drinking their Bells but I rarely see them \u2018enjoying\u2019 it.<\/em><\/p>\n That\u2019s also a bit of clear observation right there. I like how TDB has been exploring all angles of the trade \u2013 the good news and the not so good news \u2013 without necessarily making a lot of noise about how that they doing just that. What else is going on? I really liked this observation<\/a> by Steve of Beer Nouveau <\/em>in reponse to Katie<\/a> on gastropubs:<\/p>\n It\u2019s fair to say I don\u2019t like them. But my 81 year old dad does. And his new 82 year old wife (yeah, they got married last year!) does\u2026 They know when they go in that there\u2019ll be a menu with favourites like cod and chips, beef wellington, steak, roast chicken and maybe a sticky toffee pudding to follow. They know they won\u2019t be confronted and bamboozled by \u201cdirty fries\u201d whatever the frag they are. They know they won\u2019t need a spoon to help them eat a burger. And they know that they can order a pint of \u201cbitter\u201d and not be interrogated as to which variety of yeast they want that fermented with. Oh, and they\u2019ll also sell Chardonnay as a standard. These are not places for us. These are places for them.<\/em><\/p>\n Yup. It\u2019s OK that people don\u2019t like the same things. I like how \u201cit\u2019s not for me<\/em>\u201d can mean a quick judgement or, more usefully, a realization. Knowing that makes life easier. For example, I had a bit of a moment realizing I wasn\u2019t warming to the tale told by Will Hawkes<\/a> this week in Pellicle<\/em> about the brewery German Kraft at London\u2019s\u00a0 Elephant and Castle food hall called Mercato Metropolitano. Was it phrases like \u201ca no-holds-barred business<\/em>\u201d and \u201cthis is our USP<\/em>\u201d that reminded me a bit of something I didn\u2019t like? I really don\u2019t think so. I think it\u2019s just a good description of a place that\u2019s probably just not for me. Which is fine.<\/p>\n Speaking of fine, there was some plain speaking<\/a> over in one corner of the wine world that could equally apply to good beer:<\/p>\n There is no question that wine faces significant issues. I was talking to a leading port producer, who is in a state of near panic (not without good reason, I\u2019d be panicking if I made port!). He was convinced that the anti-alcohol lobby would put him out of business. I suppose that\u2019s easier than admitting you make something that nobody seems to wants to drink any more, but there is no question that the health lobby is reducing wine sales, especially with young professionals, where, if they don\u2019t stay alcohol free they are often turning to cocktails.<\/em><\/p>\n And, finally, the details of memorial services for the late Martyn Cornell<\/a> were posted at his website by his brother David:<\/p>\n For those that wish to attend his funeral it will be held at:\u00a0Hanworth Crematorium (TW13 5JH) Monday 30th June 2025 @ 12.20 with a small wake at a local pub afterwards to celebrate Martyn\u2019s life.\u00a0For those that can\u2019t make it we will be having a small wake at Poppyland Brewery, Cromer on Sunday 06 July between 13.30 \u2013 16.30.\u00a0The family request no flowers.<\/em><\/p>\n Still\u2026 being that I was raised by a florist and worked in the shop myself perhaps I will still plant something good looking out in the yard in remembrance, something nearby when I need to have a shady sitting spot to sip a beer this summer.<\/p>\n Next week I am on the road so who knows what will be please check out Boak and Bailey every Saturday<\/a>. Look out for Stan when he feels the urge now that he\u2019s retired<\/a> from Monday slot. Then listen to a few of the now rarely refreshed\u00a0Lew\u2019s podcasts<\/a>\u00a0and get your emailed issue of\u00a0Episodes of my Pub Life<\/em><\/a>\u00a0by David Jesudason on the (sometimes even but never) odd Fridays. And maybe\u00a0The British Food History Podcast<\/a>. Maybe? And Phil Mellows is at the\u00a0BritishBeerBreaks<\/em><\/a>. Once a month, Will Hawkes issues his\u00a0London Beer City<\/em><\/a>\u00a0newsletter and do sign up for Katie\u2019s wonderful\u00a0newsletter<\/a>,\u00a0The Gulp<\/em>, too. \u00a0Ben\u2019s\u00a0Beer and Badword<\/a><\/em>\u00a0is out there with the all the sweary Mary! And check out the\u00a0Atlantic Canada Beer Blog<\/em><\/a>\u2018s weekly roundup. There is new reading at\u00a0The Glass<\/a>\u00a0which is going back to being\u00a0a blog<\/a>. Any more? We have\u00a0Ontario\u2019s own\u00a0A Quick Beer<\/em><\/a>\u00a0featuring visits to places like\u2026\u00a0Michigan<\/a>!\u00a0All About Beer<\/em>\u00a0has given space to some trade possy\u00a0podcasts<\/a>\u00a0and there\u2019s also\u00a0The Perfect Pour<\/a>. Plus follow the venerable\u00a0Full Pint<\/em>\u00a0podcast<\/a>\u00a0with an episode just last month!. And there\u2019s the\u00a0Craft Beer Channel<\/a>\u00a0on Youtube. Check out the archives of the\u00a0Beer Ladies Podcast<\/a>. That\u2019s quite good but, hmm, they\u2019ve also gone quiet this year. The rest of these are largely dead. And the long standing\u00a0Beervana podcast<\/a>\u00a0\u2026except they have now\u00a0stood down<\/a>.\u00a0 As has\u00a0We Are Beer People<\/a>.<\/em>\u00a0The Share<\/em><\/a>\u00a0looked to be back with a revival but now its gone quiet. And the\u00a0Boys Are From M\u00e4rzen<\/em><\/a>\u00a0podcast appears suspended as does\u00a0BeerEdge<\/a>, too.\u00a0VinePair<\/em>\u00a0packed in\u00a0Taplines<\/em><\/a>\u00a0as well. All dead and gone. \u00a0There is more from the\u00a0DaftAboutCraft<\/a>\u00a0podcast, too. Nope \u2013 that ended a year ago.\u00a0 \u00a0The Moon Under Water<\/a>\u00a0is gone \u2013 which is not surprising as the ask was $10 a month.\u00a0Pete Brown<\/a>\u2019s one cost a fifth of that \u2013 but only had the one post. Such is life. Such is beer podcasting and newlettering!<\/p>\n *Please don\u2019t. It\u2019s actually not very good for you. Though, to be fair, neither is actually being on fire. So perhaps we can agree that you will deal with the situation as necessary should the occassion arise.\u00a0<\/small><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/abetterbeerblog427.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BarryScythes.jpg\")
<\/a>Yup. The weather this spring has been good so far, thanks for asking.\u00a0 The air has stayed cool. And a wobbly fence has been replaced and a basement corner refit turned into the revelation that we owned a cast iron heritage sink needing keeping after all. The bugs have yet to hit and I bought that new lawn mower. One that isn\u2019t powered by me<\/a>. It still feels very twentieth century if I am honest. Power tools always do. This week, Barry<\/a> has taken us in another direction, pulling some lovely old examples of scythes out of his barn:<\/p>\n
![Stan<\/a> recently reminded us, when folk said styles were important to help consumers understand what they were buying? Not so much now. Elsewhere, someone wrap Jessica Mason in asbestos* as she has been on fire this week asking all sorts of clear questions. Like \u201cwhy have Belgians<\/a> stopped drinking as much beer?<\/em>\u201d and \u201cwhy have the Irish<\/a> stopped drinking as much beer?<\/em>\u201d and \u201cwhy are UK<\/a> drinks makers enjoying a rise in profits?<\/em>\u201c:<\/p>\n\u201cAnecdotally, what we\u2019re hearing from some of our customers is that Q1 brought welcome windfalls. Some tariff-affected international customers have turned to UK firms to do business, while others raced to order more before tariff pauses came off. That\u2019s delivered a shot in the arm for some firms, but more importantly we\u2019re hearing that steadily falling bank rates are starting to stimulate the economy, which obviously is very welcome to UK manufacturers who\u2019ve posted a really strong start to the year.\u201d\u00a0The data has also highlighted how profitability is improving as manufacturers have held off from buying new stock, instead preferring to use up inventory reserves where possible.<\/em><\/p>\nThat\u2019s interesting. And David, also in TDB, has added his own question \u2013 \u201cwhat\u2019s wrong with cheap beer<\/a>?<\/em>\u201c:<\/p>\n\u2026\u00a0with my honest hat on, most beer drinkers under retirement age know there\u2019s better options at the bar. And I really wished that those who write about problematic drinking in the media showed the same discernment. Because it isn\u2019t sessionable pints that are the issue here but how pub chains profit from alcoholism. That substance abuse might be from excess beer drinking but it\u2019s also more likely from much higher ABV drinks. Especially because I see morning drinkers drinking their Bells but I rarely see them \u2018enjoying\u2019 it.<\/em><\/p>\nThat\u2019s also a bit of clear observation right there. I like how TDB has been exploring all angles of the trade \u2013 the good news and the not so good news \u2013 without necessarily making a lot of noise about how that they doing just that. What else is going on? I really liked this observation<\/a> by Steve of Beer Nouveau <\/em>in reponse to Katie<\/a> on gastropubs:<\/p>\nIt\u2019s fair to say I don\u2019t like them. But my 81 year old dad does. And his new 82 year old wife (yeah, they got married last year!) does\u2026 They know when they go in that there\u2019ll be a menu with favourites like cod and chips, beef wellington, steak, roast chicken and maybe a sticky toffee pudding to follow. They know they won\u2019t be confronted and bamboozled by \u201cdirty fries\u201d whatever the frag they are. They know they won\u2019t need a spoon to help them eat a burger. And they know that they can order a pint of \u201cbitter\u201d and not be interrogated as to which variety of yeast they want that fermented with. Oh, and they\u2019ll also sell Chardonnay as a standard. These are not places for us. These are places for them.<\/em><\/p>\nYup. It\u2019s OK that people don\u2019t like the same things. I like how \u201cit\u2019s not for me<\/em>\u201d can mean a quick judgement or, more usefully, a realization. Knowing that makes life easier. For example, I had a bit of a moment realizing I wasn\u2019t warming to the tale told by Will Hawkes<\/a> this week in Pellicle<\/em> about the brewery German Kraft at London\u2019s\u00a0 Elephant and Castle food hall called Mercato Metropolitano. Was it phrases like \u201ca no-holds-barred business<\/em>\u201d and \u201cthis is our USP<\/em>\u201d that reminded me a bit of something I didn\u2019t like? I really don\u2019t think so. I think it\u2019s just a good description of a place that\u2019s probably just not for me. Which is fine.<\/p>\nSpeaking of fine, there was some plain speaking<\/a> over in one corner of the wine world that could equally apply to good beer:<\/p>\nThere is no question that wine faces significant issues. I was talking to a leading port producer, who is in a state of near panic (not without good reason, I\u2019d be panicking if I made port!). He was convinced that the anti-alcohol lobby would put him out of business. I suppose that\u2019s easier than admitting you make something that nobody seems to wants to drink any more, but there is no question that the health lobby is reducing wine sales, especially with young professionals, where, if they don\u2019t stay alcohol free they are often turning to cocktails.<\/em><\/p>\nAnd, finally, the details of memorial services for the late Martyn Cornell<\/a> were posted at his website by his brother David:<\/p>\nFor those that wish to attend his funeral it will be held at:\u00a0Hanworth Crematorium (TW13 5JH) Monday 30th June 2025 @ 12.20 with a small wake at a local pub afterwards to celebrate Martyn\u2019s life.\u00a0For those that can\u2019t make it we will be having a small wake at Poppyland Brewery, Cromer on Sunday 06 July between 13.30 \u2013 16.30.\u00a0The family request no flowers.<\/em><\/p>\nStill\u2026 being that I was raised by a florist and worked in the shop myself perhaps I will still plant something good looking out in the yard in remembrance, something nearby when I need to have a shady sitting spot to sip a beer this summer.<\/p>\nNext week I am on the road so who knows what will be please check out Boak and Bailey every Saturday<\/a>. Look out for Stan when he feels the urge now that he\u2019s retired<\/a> from Monday slot. Then listen to a few of the now rarely refreshed\u00a0Lew\u2019s podcasts<\/a>\u00a0and get your emailed issue of\u00a0Episodes of my Pub Life<\/em><\/a>\u00a0by David Jesudason on the (sometimes even but never) odd Fridays. And maybe\u00a0The British Food History Podcast<\/a>. Maybe? And Phil Mellows is at the\u00a0BritishBeerBreaks<\/em><\/a>. Once a month, Will Hawkes issues his\u00a0London Beer City<\/em><\/a>\u00a0newsletter and do sign up for Katie\u2019s wonderful\u00a0newsletter<\/a>,\u00a0The Gulp<\/em>, too. \u00a0Ben\u2019s\u00a0Beer and Badword<\/a><\/em>\u00a0is out there with the all the sweary Mary! And check out the\u00a0Atlantic Canada Beer Blog<\/em><\/a>\u2018s weekly roundup. There is new reading at\u00a0The Glass<\/a>\u00a0which is going back to being\u00a0a blog<\/a>. Any more? We have\u00a0Ontario\u2019s own\u00a0A Quick Beer<\/em><\/a>\u00a0featuring visits to places like\u2026\u00a0Michigan<\/a>!\u00a0All About Beer<\/em>\u00a0has given space to some trade possy\u00a0podcasts<\/a>\u00a0and there\u2019s also\u00a0The Perfect Pour<\/a>. Plus follow the venerable\u00a0Full Pint<\/em>\u00a0podcast<\/a>\u00a0with an episode just last month!. And there\u2019s the\u00a0Craft Beer Channel<\/a>\u00a0on Youtube. Check out the archives of the\u00a0Beer Ladies Podcast<\/a>. That\u2019s quite good but, hmm, they\u2019ve also gone quiet this year. The rest of these are largely dead. And the long standing\u00a0Beervana podcast<\/a>\u00a0\u2026except they have now\u00a0stood down<\/a>.\u00a0 As has\u00a0We Are Beer People<\/a>.<\/em>\u00a0The Share<\/em><\/a>\u00a0looked to be back with a revival but now its gone quiet. And the\u00a0Boys Are From M\u00e4rzen<\/em><\/a>\u00a0podcast appears suspended as does\u00a0BeerEdge<\/a>, too.\u00a0VinePair<\/em>\u00a0packed in\u00a0Taplines<\/em><\/a>\u00a0as well. All dead and gone. \u00a0There is more from the\u00a0DaftAboutCraft<\/a>\u00a0podcast, too. Nope \u2013 that ended a year ago.\u00a0 \u00a0The Moon Under Water<\/a>\u00a0is gone \u2013 which is not surprising as the ask was $10 a month.\u00a0Pete Brown<\/a>\u2019s one cost a fifth of that \u2013 but only had the one post. Such is life. Such is beer podcasting and newlettering!<\/p>\n*Please don\u2019t. It\u2019s actually not very good for you. Though, to be fair, neither is actually being on fire. So perhaps we can agree that you will deal with the situation as necessary should the occassion arise.\u00a0<\/small><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n](\"https:\/\/appellationbeer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250526-styles.jpg\"){kind=link}