Trying this fruit beer from Three Bears, Canada. Enjoyed the IPA - but everything’s served so cold.

Debate on gravy on Radio 2 right now. Perfect time for pubs to promote their roasts and delicious gravy. Should all pubs have to give free extra gravy? What’s your view?

Never had to queue so much than today, shopping in Birmingham’s city centre. Everywhere is rammed. Good news for retailers.

I know huge labour and ever higher operating costs are forcing businesses to use tech/automation more, but I struggle with self service in a restaurant environment. It just makes it less about hospitality, more DIY. And should a service charge (12.5%) be automatically added to the bill?

The Hospitality Apprenticeship Showcase inspires me, thanks to people like Ben, who joined Fuller’s at 16 after being failed by his school. A passion for work & learning has seen him grow into a confident, incredible young man, sharing his story with MPs/leaders. Hospitality is a true meritocracy.

A lovely Sheps tenancy in the heart of London. Beautifully refurbished, good food and beer. Described as a hidden treasure and it really is - a stone’s throw from the Old Bailey, if you’re visiting 😉. Cheshire Cheese, Little Essex Street @shepherdneame.bsky.social

Visiting BrewDog at Waterloo Sidings - massive but super cool space, with bowling, slide, private meeting rooms, Grind coffee and more.

Train’s delayed, so time for a quick pint 🍻

Fellow passenger on tonight’s tube engrossed in a good book @petebrownbeer.bsky.social

PSA: The train ticket sale has started today. I've just mass booked everything I need to March and I think I've saved a bit of cash 🤷

BII News is out! Full of great stories featuring fantastic operators, with exclusive research & industry advice. Thanks KAM, Philip Thorley, Rob Pitcher, Annabel Smith, Paul Rankin, Mark Robson & others, plus NITAs winners, inc Apprentices of the Year cover stars, Alex Marshall & Handerline Morency.

Lots of events coming up this January: tastings at Majestic stores across the UK, plus Wine & Cheese Club, poetry, Queers Without Beers monthly LGBTQI+ social and more at the Tasting Room in London: joinclubsoda.com/events/

Love having the family back together for Christmas, but makes me realise/remember what running around after, and feeding, three children feels like. It’s non- stop. Not sure whose fault it is that they revert to little kids again, but I’m loving it… for a limited time. Bloody knackered though. 🤣

Great article about six great pub landladies in The Standard. A pub is not just a pub. It’s a calling. Thanks to @thedodomicropub.bsky.social for sharing.

When print was print. ‘Printing Types’ book from the London College of Printing, now London College of Communication. 1985-1987

Just rummaging through a big box of old photos I saved from my mum’s and old family home. Such happy memories, but wonder whether my kids will ever get to do the same. All my photos are uploaded onto the cloud with only a few printed and framed.

Crazy busy on the tubes tonight.

Having listened to Alison Battisby, Avocado Social’s top tips for 2025, I had a go at a vertical video last night. Not sure it’ll win me any awards. 🤣@avocadosocial.bsky.social

Often, when I have a dark beer. someone will ask; "Is that Guinness?" It never is. I say it is a fresh cask-conditioned locally made stout (or porter). Here is a highly selective list of the many gems you can find in lieu of the "shortage" of the heavily-marketed stuff; camra.org.uk/media-centre...

So when a pub is short of Guinness, can the brilliant bar team introduce the lucky customer to their range of lovely real ales instead? There’s got to be a big opportunity for cask as a solution to the shortage.

Just watching Black Doves on Netflix and thinking we need to see a resurrection of pianos in pubs. Many happy memories of sing-alongs the piano.

I’m going to be completely honest. December so far is a strange one. It’s either absolutely dead (worse than post covid era) or absolutely glorious vibes. There’s no in between. Anyone else having a rollercoaster of a season?

Great to hear pubs getting lots of positive PR on Radio 2 this afternoon. The story was about GenZ loving trad boozers - mentions of cosy spaces and cheap beer (compared to upmarket bars). Shout out to @melissacolebeer.bsky.social for her brilliant contribution. @bbcradio2.bsky.social