by Ding | Jul 20, 2026 | Beer Culture, Beer Philosophy
Yesterday, Alan Sprints of Hair of the Dog (HotD) passed away aged 66. He had announced his illness publicly earlier this year. I never met Alan and I never went to any of the HotD locations – he and I were Facebook friends for a number of years FWIW. If... 
by Ding | Jun 28, 2026 | Beer Books, Beer Culture, Beer Philosophy, The Session, The Sessions
My bet (hope) is that you, dear reader will see the title of this post and assume that I am about to wax lyrical about Martyn Cornell’s exquisite research and knowledge, and how we should all receive a stern talking to regarding Porter and Stout from the master... 
by Ding | Jun 16, 2026 | Beer Culture, Beer Philosophy
Yes, I know I’ve said it before, but now is the time. Various reasons that don’t really matter much in terms of the details, but the beer cellar is being completely dismantled. The first stage of that is to work out exactly what I have, and that process... 
by Ding | Jan 1, 2026 | Beer Philosophy
The word itself, and indeed the whole idea of hope, has always struck me as somewhat paradoxical. Clearly, hope is a profoundly important concept to many people who find themselves in difficult, sometimes tragic circumstances, where it becomes the only thing that... 
by Ding | Nov 18, 2025 | Beer Culture, Beer Philosophy, Beer Thoughts, Beer Writing
I was recently asked by the good folks at The Beer Connoisseur Magazine to write a piece for their Holiday 2025, Issue 81 release that they felt I was uniquely positioned to deliver. I must admit that I was was absolutely delighted to be asked, and I agreed with their... 
by Ding | Apr 27, 2025 | Beer Philosophy, The Session
Here’s the round-up of April 2025’s Session (#146), announced here and with my contribution here. In addition to mine, I received notes from eleven others, here they are. If I’ve missed any, hit me up! Sean Inman at Beer Search Party is seeking what...