Protz On Beer.Founder British Guild of Beer Writers
Gold Award British Guild of Beer Writers 2020
Editor Good Beer Guide 2000-2018
Twice winner of Glenfiddich Drink Writer award
SIBA 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award
Pub News
A pint of history in Britain's oldest inns
The title of Britain's Oldest Pub is hotly contested but research shows that the most visited of the breed is the Clachan in Scotland (pictured), closely followed by the Skirrid Inn in Wales. Other popular watering holes include Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham and Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans
Added: Friday, June 14th 2019
Cash help for rural pubs if they expand
A cash injection of £188,000 will go from the government to boost rural pubs if they expand their services to include grocery shops, post offices and libraries. The announcement was made by Pubs Minister Jake Berry, who stressed the vital role played by rural pubs that offer more than just a drink but bring communities together. The funds will be administered by Pub is the Hub, the organisation set up by Prince Charles
Added: Wednesday, March 27th 2019
David & Goliath battle over historic inn
Gary Murphy runs the historic, listed Old Mitre Inne in Barnet, North-west London and is locked in a long-running battle with the Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) as a result of his plan to go free of tie with the pub's owner, Greene King. He has spent thousands of pounds of his own money on legal costs and has taken to crowd funding to finance a court hearing with the PCA.
Added: Monday, March 11th 2019
Rescued pub now Britain's top ale house
The Wonston Arms in Hampshire, that was derelict and closed four years ago, has won the prestigious title of National Pub of the Year in the annual competition staged by CAMRA -- the Campaign for Real Ale. Landlord Matt Todd not only serves a good range of local cask ales but also runs a series of events that involve the local community and raise funds for charities
Added: Thursday, February 28th 2019
Giant pubco has landlord over a barrel
Harry is the landlord of the Dock & Duck in rural southern England. He has a lease with Enterprise Inns, the country's biggest pub company, now known as Ei Group. Harry is not his real name as he wants to renew his lease but he is keen to show how difficult it is to run pubs when they are tied to their landlords for beer. Harry says he pays some £60,000 a year more than if he bought his beer on the open market.
Added: Thursday, February 14th 2019
Black Sheep saves York Brewery & pubs
Independent Yorkshire family brewer Black Sheep of Masham has bought York Brewery and its pubs, saving 40 jobs. York Brewery and its owner, Mitchells of Lancaster, went into administration earlier this month but now York will continue to brew and supply its pubs. Pictured are Rob Theakston and Andy Slee of Black Sheep, who have brought the brewery back into profit and are now pursuing a new retailing strategy
Added: Friday, December 21st 2018
Top landlord offers a Rye look at beer
Jeffrey John Bell is one of the best-known pub landlords in the country who built his reputation with two London pubs, the Gunmakers and the Finborough Arms. But now he's running the ancient Ypres Castle Inn in Rye on the Romney Marsh in Sussex where he offers a range of beers from local breweries, including Three Legs on a local farm.
Added: Friday, December 7th 2018
St Albans: great heritage pub crawl
A group of four beer lovers called The Completists take on the onerous task every year of visiting every pub listed in the Good Beer Guide.They visited St Albans, a small city with 50 pubs, and joined Roger Protz on a selection of some of the pubs in the 2019 guide. When news leaked out via social media, a few more drinkers came along for a crawl of pubs with not only good beer but also some fascinating history
Added: Tuesday, November 27th 2018
Small Essex town, big pub heritage
The small market town of Waltham Abbey in Essex once claimed, with 27 inns, to have the most pubs in Europe. The number has declined to 10 but they include the ancient Welsh Harp, with links to the abbey, the 17th century Sun, and the multi-award-winning Woodbine on the edge of Epping Forest that has won 27 awards from CAMRA for beer and cider and now plans its own brewery
Added: Monday, November 19th 2018
Newby: pubcos thwarting tenants' rights
The Pub Code Adjudicator Paul Newby is tackling the giant companies over the barriers they have created to stop publicans getting a better deal on rents and beer choice. The pub code was brought in in 2016 to ensure a better deal for landlords, including the right to go free of tie with a Market Rent Only option. But few landlords have won the right to MRO and Newby is concerned by the high number of pub seizures and closures
Added: Friday, August 31st 2018
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