Last night we won a gold tankard from the British Guild of Beer Writers for writing about pubs.
Though we’ve yet to receive the post-mortem notes we assume this was primarily for 20th Century Pub which, in case you haven’t heard, is a 230-page run through how pubs have changed in the past century or so.
Oscars™-style, we’d like take this opportunity to thank Jo Copestick and Tim Webb for taking a punt on publishing it, and Dale Tomlinson for his excellent work on the design.
We worked hard on it and would love people to read it. Please buy a copy, or ask your local library to get it in, or borrow it from a mate, or dip into the copy on the shelf at the Drapers Arms. There’s even an extract here you can read for free.
As well as the book, though, we also submitted:
- our piece for All About Beer on reading the English pub
- the article we wrote for Beer Advocate on micropubs
- a guest post at Municipal Dreams on pubs on council estates
- ‘Our advice on beer and pubs in Bristol’
- ‘An extraordinary gentleman: the brand new Victorian pubs of Roddy Gradidge’
We know that when this new category was announced there was some concern that, being sponsored by the pro-pub campaign Long Live the Local, it might reward only cheerfully uncritical writing about pubs but we think our win proves that fear unfounded.
Now, perhaps for 2019, we’ll pull the balance back from pubs to beer a bit.
And maybe, just maybe, we’ll have another think about that book on the history of lager in Britain we’ve been wanting to write for a few years. A trilogy sounds quite good right now.
8 replies on “Writing About Pubs”
congratulations
Congratulations! That’s terrific.
Congratulations!
First, congratulations to you both, on winning this award.
Second, I have been trying to buy a signed copy of 20th Century Pub, but it seems my communications with you have been going astray. I responded to your email the other week (16th November) forwarding my address, along with an offer to pay either by BACS or using an old-fashioned cheque.
Unfortunately I have heard nothing from you, although I know the email must have been delivered, as it didn’t bounce back. I sent another email chasing you on 22nd November.
So please can you sort out, so I can obtain a signed copy of your book, prior to Christmas.
Many thanks. Paul
Paul,
Not sure what’s going on with your comments on the blog — the spam filter really doesn’t seem to like your email address. Have marked your comments as NOT SPAM and hope that will ‘take’, as it were.
We haven’t seen your email so it’s possibly it’s also been quarantined. Will hunt around the folders when we get back to base later today.
Thanks Ray. I’ve experienced trouble posting to one or two other blogs (mainly those hosted by WordPress).
Your site has always been OK until now.
Well-deserved – loved the book and am going through the rest of the back catalogue now.
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