It’s that odd time between Christmas and New Year, so whilst I’d probably not have any beers on a Sunday, there’s no work tomorrow, so I’ve cracked open a couple of Brasserie de la Senne beers (very good, both of them!) and a gorgeous festive stout from Anspach & Hobday.

We’re back home from a great family Christmas and have decided to take away fish and chips. To go with it, I’ve had two very nice beers from @verdantbrew.bsky.social x Birrificio Italiano (two pics of the can) and @unbarredbrewery.bsky.social.

Today’s beers were from Anspach & Hobday, Brasserie de la Senne and Vault City. Only three beers but cocktails and bourbon galore! I’m rather squiffy today!

Merry Christmas!! Thanks for a cracking 2025, and here’s to a great 2026!!

Top quality Christmas Eve beers from Amundsen Brewery @sierranevadabeer.bsky.social, Vault City and @cloudwaterbrew.bsky.social. Merry Christmas!

Christmas movies … done ✅

My last visit to Hop Stop before Christmas featured a Beak IPA and then a couple of Christmas beers from Delirium and Lervig.

Went to pick up a Christmas present at the winery next door, so it would have been rude not to visit Westerham Brewery for a couple of beers and lunch. Beers as good as ever!

Prior to dinner we had some drinks at The Blue Maid and I was happy to have a couple of lovely beers from @elusivebrewing.com, including the incredible Oregon Trail.

I’m up in London for the cinema and dinner later on. A swift half of Ilkley Brewery Lotus at The Harp, Chandos Place before the movie.

This evening’s beers - two from @unbarredbrewery.bsky.social and one from @durationbeer.bsky.social. All three were great. Nice to have a Belgian inspired beer after being in the country last weekend.

The Christmas Special 2025 is now available! There’s a chat with UK breweries @thornbridge.bsky.social @unbarredbrewery.bsky.social and @indierabble.bsky.social about the year in beer; plus a chat with Yvan from Brasserie de la Senne. 🎧 tinyurl.com/mr87bvs4

The Christmas episode of Beer Prime will be out soon. It’s slightly delayed due to it being jam packed full of stuff that takes time to edit! It will be out soon.

Two thirds of the latest Destination IPA from @elusivebrewing.com @burningskybeer.bsky.social & @kernelbrewery.bsky.social. Sadly a bottling line issue at The Kernel meant that their beer only made it into keg. I had it at their taproom, and also took these two away - a session version and a DIPA.

After a very boozy work Christmas lunch I dropped by Hop Stop for a few beers. First off was a comparison of @verdantbrew.bsky.social Porter on cask and the coffee version on keg. Both amazing. Then their Christmas pale and a Belgian classic.

My last morning in Brussels before heading back home this afternoon. Of the suggested bars to visit, I’ve come to Les Brasseurs and sampled a couple of the festive selection - first Gingerbread Hermit from Brasserie L’Ermitage, followed by St Bernardus Christmas Ale.

Popped into a couple of bars where the only interesting beers were BIG hitting beers in bottles, so I am now at Billie and am trying a beer from a brewery I’ve not heard of - Belgoo Brewery.

Next up in Brussels - the suggestion mentioned most - La Fleur en Papier Dore. Lovely. I went for another De Ranke beer, this time a Saison.

Thanks for all the great suggestions for Brussels. I won’t be able to get around them all, but I’ve started with @tabamatu.bsky.social’s favourite, La Porte Noire where I had a De Ranke XX Bitter.

What a great visit to Brasserie de la Senne to interview Yvan for the Christmas special of the podcast! We sat down for a great chat and - despite tech issues - put an hour on record. What a great bunch of beers too, starting with Taras Boulba and Brussels Calling.

First couple of beers in Brussels. First one at À la Morte Subite - Westmalle Dubbel on draft!! Sublime! Then a gorgeous Orval at the hotel bar, before we head off to dinner.

A pre-cinema visit to a very busy Hop Stop and they’ve got plenty of Beak beers on. Only had time for two, but they were both gorgeous.

Enjoyed a couple of @unbarredbrewery.bsky.social beers this eve while chatting with their owner & Head Brewer Jordan, as well as Dave from @indierabble.bsky.social, and @thornbridgedom.bsky.social of @thornbridge.bsky.social for the Christmas Special coming out next week. You’re all in for a treat!

A couple of @durationbeer.bsky.social beers this evening, starting with Deep Fried, and followed by Fishermen. Deep Fried is a big, punchy, juicy hazy IPA. Fisherman, on the other hand, is a bright, zesty, crisp Pale Ale. Great stuff!

It’s been too long since my last visit to Hop Stop so it was great to go today. Very happy to see that they still had @sierranevadabeer.bsky.social Celebration on tap, as well as a Fuerst Wiacek collaboration with @verdantbrew.bsky.social Finished off with a Vault City pastry sour.

The #Collabageddon episode is now available. Featuring @elusivebrewing.com @durationbeer.bsky.social and @brollybrewing.bsky.social, I take a deep dive into the processes of the annual collaboration extravaganza. Listen now —> 🎧 tinyurl.com/2nvvyh2z

I’ve had a couple more beers tonight after the Destinatiom trilogy. Another @kernelbrewery.bsky.social beer - IPA Nectaron in their taproom; then Floc Brewing Whisper at Craft Beer Junction.

Legends (plus me! 😊) @elusivebrewing.com @kernelbrewery.bsky.social

I’m at @kernelbrewery.bsky.social taproom for a taste of the Destination Trilogy - Session, “Standard”, and Double. The other breweries are @elusivebrewing.com and @burningskybeer.bsky.social. All three beers are amazing. Pitched perfectly in their respective levels (4%, 6%, and 8%). A masterclass!

More from @britbeerwriters.bsky.social Awards: Paul of Anspach & Hobday + Yvan of Brasserie de la Senne; @totalcurtis.bsky.social - another deserving winner; @thornbridgedom.bsky.social and the big winner of the night @davidjesudason.bsky.social - Beer Writer of the Year for the 2nd time in 3 years!

More pics from @britbeerwriters.bsky.social Awards: Here I am with winners Tori @awomansbrewpod.bsky.social & @braciatrix.bsky.social; Awards host @jaegawise.bsky.social & Lucy from @thedodomicropub.bsky.social; and the delightful @melissacolebeer.bsky.social and James of @littlepomona.bsky.social.

Great evening at the @britbeerwriters.bsky.social Awards. Lots of great beers, but mainly just nice to catch up with everyone and cheer friends on. So happy that @tabamatu.bsky.social @elusivebrewing.com won Brewer of the Year and Beer of the Year (for Oregon Trail) and Silver for his book.

On my way to @britbeerwriters.bsky.social Awards dinner, sporting appropriate headwear!

Well I totally forgot to post these last night! A couple of post dinner beers - first a clean, crisp, refreshing Helles from Brewpoint; then the awesome Turtles All The Way Down from @durationbeer.bsky.social l!

In addition to the Collabageddon beers at Fuggles Beer Cafe, I also seized the opportunity to try Anspach & Hobday Yulelaw - a Brown Ale with a nice hit of cinnamon and chocolate. A real cracking beer for Christmas, this. May have to grab some for the festive period.

Tracked down 3 of the 5 #Collabageddon beers that I didn’t have on Friday. The location was Fuggles and I started with @durationbeer.bsky.social x Tap Social’s Goatfell. A Mountain IPA, it’s got the juiciness of a NEIPA - pineapple and lychee - but some bready malt too. Great beer! 1/4

A couple of beers tonight. First up, my second can of Camberwell from @durationbeer.bsky.social. A lovely beer which really hits the spot. Then on to a stout (well, it is Stouterday after all!) from @redwillowbrewery.bsky.social which I picked up when I visited their taproom in September. Gorgeous!

Last night was spent in the company of Brook of @brollybrewing.bsky.social talking with him about his involvement in this year’s Collabageddon. While I was there, I was witness to Brook receiving a Gold award from @camraofficial.bsky.social for Little Pearl in the CBOB competition. Congrats Brolly!

It was #Collabageddon night last night and I was at @brollybrewing.bsky.social Taproom. They have a strict rotation system, so I had 7 out of the 12 beers, but I may pop back over the weekend to see if they’ve put any of the others on! So let’s break down what I had last night… 1/5

The I’m in London this evening, and I’ve tracked down a pub (Wenlock Arms) serving the innovative cask project from @unbarredbrewery.bsky.social & @elusivebrewing.com. They got together together to brew two beers - Player 1, a Black IPA; and Player 2, a Red IPA. 1/2

To celebrate the release of the Brewpoint episode, I had a couple of their beers yesterday. Both of them were great.

The latest episode of Beer Prime is now available, featuring Brewpoint. Have a listen now wherever you get your podcasts, and also here —> 🎧 tinyurl.com/bdp7am6z

2nd stop is a Berlin craft beer institution. You can’t say you’ve done craft in Berlin if you haven’t been to Hopfenreich! Delighted to finally see Fuerst Wiacek on tap, so naturally went for that, as well as a great stout from Gorilla (love their tagline - “No beer for Nazis”!)

It’s Saturday night and I’m still in Berlin, so after dinner we’ve come for some beers - firstly at Heidenpeters. It’s part of a food market, most stalls closed by the time we get there, except for their bar located right beside a large FV. I went for two beers, both very nice!

This evenings beers were taken at Manifest Taproom, where I had 3 beers from Protokoll (Tactile Poetics, Hysterical Strength, and Little Red Corvette) and Heidenpeters Stout. Four really good beers in a nice space.

I’ve enjoyed my first day in Berlin. I say “day” but by the time I’d cleared the 45 min passport control queue (thx Brexit!) & missed a train to the centre because we were waiting too far up the platform to notice that the train had arrived, it was 3:30 when we got to the hotel.

This beer pairs just as well with fajitas at home as it does with movies at the cinema! @sirencraftbrew.bsky.social @20thcenturystudios.bsky.social #PredatorBadlands

Any breweries out there got a Christmas beer coming out? Let me know the details so I can highlight them on the next podcast episode.

On the latest episode, I give you some suggestions for your Xmas wish list - several great recent beer books by @petebrownbeer.bsky.social @morrighani.bsky.social @atjbeer.bsky.social @jonnygarrett.bsky.social @philmellows.bsky.social & @samcullen.bsky.social. Find it here: 🎧 tinyurl.com/3nnxe73f

I had a great afternoon at Brewpoint today, recording a podcast episode with @beerwithtim.bsky.social, having a tour of the brewery, and sampling several of their beers - six after the tour and three over some lunch. Really impressed with the beers.