Protz On Beer, by Roger Protz

Feature

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

News

UK brewers have biggest EU tax burden

Britain has the biggest number of breweries in Europe but producers are faced by a shocking tax burden. Research shows that while the UK is second only to Germany where beer production is concerned, the British industry is held back from growth by duty levels 12 times higher than in Germany. The UK pays almost 40 per cent of all beer duty in the EU, with 54p of a pint going in tax, compared to just 5p in Germany.

Added: Thursday, December 6th 2018

Feature

Beers that grow old gracefully

Most beers are meant for immediate consumption but there are some strong versions that should be treated with the same respect as vintage wine and which will improve with age. Two such recent additions are the latest Thomas Hardy's Ale and Fuller's Vintage Ale. It's claimed the Thomas Hardy's will improve over 25 years while samplings show the Fuller's beer with deepen its complexities if laid down for a few years

Added: Wednesday, December 5th 2018

Feature

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

Feature

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