Copyright (c) 2026 Protz On Beer, by Roger Protz https://protzonbeer.co.uk/categories/obituary en-gb Wed, 04 Mar 2026 16:28:00 GMT Ted Bruning, who has died aged 68, was a leading writer on beer, breweries and pubs. He worked for the trade paper the Morning Advertiser and was then assistant editor and editor of CAMRA's paper What's Brewing. He wrote a number of books including the Microbrewers' Handbook and Historic Inns of England. Wed, 04 Mar 2026 16:28:00 GMT https://protzonbeer.co.uk/features/2026/03/04/ted-bruning-sad-loss-of-fine-writer https://protzonbeer.co.uk/features/2026/03/04/ted-bruning-sad-loss-of-fine-writer Martyn Cornell, a brilliant beer writer, researcher and historian of brewing, has died suddenly aged 72. He is pictured above left with his brother Dave. Martyn spent many years researching the origins of beer styles, in particular porter and stout from the 18th century. His blog Zythophile was a must-read for all lovers of beer. He died on the eve of a major new book on the history and revival of porter and stout Fri, 06 Jun 2025 16:12:00 BST https://protzonbeer.co.uk/comments/2025/06/06/martyn-cornell-brilliant-beer-historian https://protzonbeer.co.uk/comments/2025/06/06/martyn-cornell-brilliant-beer-historian Ken Don was head brewer at Young's from 1980 until it closed. He then spent many weeks at Charles Wells Brewery in Bedford where his beers were transferred. He had to train his yeast culture to work in Wells' conical vessels. The beers continued to be brewed at Bedford when Marston's bought the plant but it was then sold to Estrella Damm. Young's beer are now at Banks's but will find end at Marston's in Burton, a long way from their ancestral home Tue, 03 Jun 2025 12:22:00 BST https://protzonbeer.co.uk/comments/2025/06/03/ken-don-legendary-young-s-brewer https://protzonbeer.co.uk/comments/2025/06/03/ken-don-legendary-young-s-brewer Geoff Mumford (on the right) founded Burton Bridge Brewery in 1982, one of the first small independent breweries. He has died aged 82.He worked with his business partner Bruce Wilkinson and they had both worked for Ind Coope before starting their own brewery. Their beers included Bridge Bitter and the bottled Empire Pale Ale Thu, 01 Aug 2024 11:50:00 BST https://protzonbeer.co.uk/features/2024/08/01/geoff-mumford--beer-pioneer https://protzonbeer.co.uk/features/2024/08/01/geoff-mumford--beer-pioneer Bill Tidy, the legendary cartoonist, broadcaster and raconteur, has died aged 89. He kept the nation laughing for many years with his strips in the daily Mirror and Private Eye. He will be remembered by CAMRA members for his long-running strip Kegbuster in What's Brewing, in which an ale lover fought such mega brewers as Grotny and Twitbread and their attempts to foist keg beer on drinkers Tue, 21 Mar 2023 14:01:00 GMT https://protzonbeer.co.uk/features/2023/03/21/bill-tidy-laughing-all-the-way-to-the-pub https://protzonbeer.co.uk/features/2023/03/21/bill-tidy-laughing-all-the-way-to-the-pub Roger Ryman, who has died at the tragically early age of 52, turned round the fortunes of St Austell Brewery with two beers that have achieved national sales. Tribute, first called Daylight Robbery, was meant to be a one-off monthly brew but sales "went ballistic". It was followed by Proper Job, considered to be one of the finest of the new wave IPAs. Mon, 01 Jun 2020 11:26:00 BST https://protzonbeer.co.uk/comments/2020/06/01/roger-ryman-a-proper-job-brewer https://protzonbeer.co.uk/comments/2020/06/01/roger-ryman-a-proper-job-brewer Robert Neame, better known as Bobby Neame, former director of Shepherd Neame, Britain's oldest brewery, has died aged 85. In a long career with the family brewery, he helped safeguard its independence and introduced Spitfire ale that became the company's biggest-selling beer in cask and bottle Thu, 05 Dec 2019 12:44:00 GMT https://protzonbeer.co.uk/comments/2019/12/05/bobby-neame-stalwart-of-kent-beer https://protzonbeer.co.uk/comments/2019/12/05/bobby-neame-stalwart-of-kent-beer Phil Evans was a radical artist who drew hard-hitting cartoons for Socialist Worker but later worked with Roger Protz on three books about beer and pubs and also did sketches for the Good Beer Guide. He has died aged 68 Wed, 16 Apr 2014 09:10:00 BST https://protzonbeer.co.uk/news/2014/04/16/phil-evans-poet-of-the-pub https://protzonbeer.co.uk/news/2014/04/16/phil-evans-poet-of-the-pub Peter Austin is hailed as the Father of Micro-brewing. Starting with Ringwood in Hampshire in the late 1970s, he built specialist craft breweries throughout the world. His greatest impact was in the United States and Britain where his legacy can be counted on the large number of small breweries operating today Thu, 09 Jan 2014 19:14:00 GMT https://protzonbeer.co.uk/features/2014/01/09/peter-austin-father-of-micro-brewing https://protzonbeer.co.uk/features/2014/01/09/peter-austin-father-of-micro-brewing