2014 was the year that saw us start to blog.
It was also the year we started reading a lot of other blogs about beer.
One of the online writers we regularly read is Chris Hall.
Inspired by the annual online round-up of the year’s beers captured in Mark Dredge and Andy Mogg’s ‘Golden Pints’, Chris sought to measure the development and celebrate the breadth of online beer writing in a new initiative which he is calling the ‘Golden Posts’.
Whilst we all generally get along and say “good post!” and argue in each others’ comments feeds, there’s not that much actual feedback in the blogoshire, or indeed any formal celebration of particular blog posts.
Chris Hall
GOLDEN POSTS 2014
The idea of the ‘Golden Posts’ is that beer writers suggest blog posts in a variety of pre-agreed categories to help others find good writing with Chris collating responses and trends in a round-up post.
Without further ado, our ‘Golden Posts’ are:
1. BEST HISTORY POST
PLACE-BASED BEER, A WORLD-WIDE LOCAL MOVEMENT
By MARTYN CORNELL of ZYTHOPHILE
This category seeks to celebrate a post that covers, explains or unveils a fascinating bit of beer- or pub-related history and there can be few whose research goes as deep or who write as well on beer history as Martyn Cornell.
This particular post is an exploration of how the concept of place impacts on beer, from an examination of ingredients and brewing methods through to thoughts on the origin of beer styles.
Every brewing style we have inherited started as a local beer somewhere, reflecting local ingredients, local brewing methods, local tastes and local requirements for food matching and the like.
Using his wide-ranging knowledge and carefully deployed case studies and examples, he tweaks a presentation on ‘beer and terroir – an international perspective’ so that it becomes an accessible blog resource on ‘the essence of here’ in beer.
It’s also an important article given the growing global phenomena of ‘place-based beer’ and the emergence of ‘drink local’ movements around the world, and raises interesting questions about the future of ‘craft’ beer.
Read the post here: https://zythophile.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/place-based-beer-a-world-wide-local-movement/
2. BEST IMPASSIONED RANT / OP-ED
IT’S NOT “BELGIAN” OR EVEN “BELGIAN-STYLE”
By STEPHEN BEAUMONT of WORLD OF BEER
Stephen Beaumont bemoans the incorrect use of the phrases ‘Belgian Beer’ and ‘Belgian Style Beer’. It is both an impassioned rant and a tongue-in-cheek lesson for those who bandy around such terms.
Belgian beer is NOT beer fermented with Wyeast #1214 or White Labs WLP550. It is NOT beer affected by Brettanomyces or any odd variety of yeast or bacteria. It is NOT wheat beer spiced with coriander and orange peel. And it is NOT beer fermented with cherries or dosed with cherry juice. Belgian beer is beer that is brewed and fermented in Belgium. Period.
Honourable mention in this category might also go to Peter Brissenden of Beer Soaked Boy for his quite interesting ‘rant’ against both the perceived snobbery of old-school CAMRA members and the ‘list-ticking’ tendencies of Ratebeer users. Since publication, however, it has sadly been taken down due to complaints made by a disgruntled reader to Peter’s brewery employer.
Read the post here: https://worldofbeer.wordpress.com/2014/08/20/its-not-belgian-or-even-belgian-style/
3. BEST PUB POST
EVOLUTION NOT REVOLUTION
By MATT CURTIS of TOTAL ALES
The meal Matt enjoyed at Duke’s Brew and Que brewpub earlier this year, home of Beavertown brewery, inspired a post which showed his finger is on the pulse when it comes to the development of the ‘craft’ scene in London.
This represented more than just a meeting of minds, more than just a business finding new ways to reach its customers and satisfy and entertain them. This was a nod to both British and American brewing tradition and to its bright future. This was a brewery, not even five years old, pushing forward, kicking on and transforming into something better. The time for revolution is over, now is the time for evolution, not revolution.
The category asks us to choose a post that shines a light onto a particular pub and makes us want to be there with the author. I was waiting for Matt to pass me a Gamma Ray.
Read the post here: https://totalales.blogspot.be/2014/11/evolution-not-revolution.html
4. BEST PALATE POST
THE EMPEROR’S NEW ZWANZE
By CHRIS HALL of CHRIS HALL BEER
Chris Hall’s blog posts are well thought out, informative and entertaining.
Not only does his post about Zwanze Day – a day when the legendary Cantillon brewery releases a limited edition beer at specific locations around the globe – shine a light on the strange phenomenon of and fanatical fervour for Cantillon, but Chris’ use of his eyes, nose and mouth to describe that particular beer is engaging and authentic.
The colour alone, a mahogany-rich maroon with carmine edges, thrills the eyes. The sharp aroma of citrus pith, pepper, linseed oiled cricket bats, leather and overripe blackberries is, at first, baffling. You need a taste to complete the puzzle it presents. The first sip is an artillery barrage of harsh, flat, funk, wrapped in juicy, tart luscious raspberries and white grapes, thickened by the thick cut shred of orange peel in marmalade that gets stuck in your teeth. The finish, more of a crescendo really, is a machine-gun bitterness that sprays around the palate and dries everything it touches with lemon pith, apple skin and wood. Oh, and it is sour – sour like the sky is blue – but it was the dryness that really stuck with me, remarkable and utterly brow-furrowing in its assertiveness.
He has written previously about the irresistible fever created by a visit to Cantillon (see here) and his other original work this year has included an analysis of the usefulness of ‘Beer Apps’ as well as his proposal for a new style of beer – the ‘Juicy Banger’.
Read the post here: https://chrishallbeer.com/2014/10/01/the-emperors-new-zwanze/
5. BEST BEER TRAVEL POST
EXTREME BEER JUDGING
By PETE BROWN of PETE BROWN
Pete Brown begins this beer travel post under the September hillside sun of the Tuscan village of Buenconvento and ends it in a ball of sweat under the eyes of an irate Italian brewer.
Pete is one of the most well-known beer writers in the world and his storytelling skills come to the fore in a post which sees a disappointed brewer question his judgement and put Pete under pressure.
Around 4pm the judges are asked to assemble in a corner by the bar as the results of the competition are read out to the public. A combination of my being drunk and not understanding any Italian means it takes a little while before I figure out what’s going on. Then, with mounting discomfort, I recognise a sheet with my handwriting on it. I watch as the chair of the judges reads out an Italian translation of my comments – and then passes the sheet to a man who is obviously the brewer of the beer.
The post is both a warning to beer experts on the perils of travelling abroad to judge as well as an entertaining tale about his trip to Italy.
Read the post here: https://petebrown.blogspot.be/2014/11/extreme-beer-judging.html
6. FUNNIEST POST
EATING A MCDONALD’S? THERE’S A BEER FOR THAT
By CRAIG HEAP of CRAIG HEAP
While much of the online writing about the ‘There’s a Beer For That’ campaign went over our heads here in Belgium, one post on the subject that did stick out was Craig Heap’s clever comparison between the campaign’s promotional video and the generic “cheeky-chappy, warm and informal, yet ultimately classy tone of the McDonald’s advert.”
Well, why not imitate the McDonald’s approach? McDonald’s and big breweries like Coors, SABMiller and so on aren’t dissimilar – they mass produce a standardised product and they do it quickly. Here we have two mega-industries selling something that people principally love (burgers and beer) but they are both suffering from external attack by health campaigners and internal attack by smaller entrepreneurs who aim to offer something better (the artisanal burger outlets such as GBK and Byron, and the craft brewers).
The post is more than a persistent jab at the corporate video produced by the ‘Britain’s Beer Alliance’. It intelligently points out the differences between the success of the McDonald’s campaigns and what the breweries have tried to achieve.
Read the post here: https://craigheap.co/2014/11/01/eating-a-mcdonalds-theres-a-beer-for-that/
7. OPEN CATEGORY
GALWAY BAY BREWERY – OF FOAM AND FURY | IRISH CRAFT BEER REVIEW
By SIMON MARTIN of REAL ALE CRAFT BEER REVIEWS
Stone the Crows! Stone the Crows! This is unbelievable!
This category is an open one designed to celebrate anything posted online about beer that impressed and lends itself to the enthusiasm filled video reviews of Simon Martin.
In particular, it is his review of Galway Bay Brewery’s ‘Of Foam and Fury’ that I found most enjoyable: his Santa-like bellowing laughter after his ‘first proper IPA from Ireland’, his enthusiastic descriptions of the beer and his trademark ‘Stone the Crows’ catchphrase which gets a good run-out at 3.07 minutes when he first puts the beer to his lips.
The video is a joy to watch and shows that someone who has tasted thousands of beers can still be surprised and impressed by something new and flavoursome.
Honourable mentions in this category go to Rob Derbyshire of the Hopzine, who has a lazer sharp palette and extensive tasting vocabulary, and to Chris Steltz of Beer Geek Nation who is a pioneer of video reviews and a gifted taster and presenter.
LOOKING FORWARD TO 2015
During this year we have discovered a community of incredible writers creating impassioned, informative and entertaining content about beer.
We’re looking forward to discovering more online beer writing next year.
We’re particularly excited both by those who take the time to share their discoveries of the world of Belgian brewing and by those who are documenting the development of a maturing beer culture in Ireland right now.
In the meantime, however, there’s plenty to read.
But be careful. If you get too involved in these stories, you might be compelled to start your own beer blog in 2015.
And then, you’re in trouble.
