The Pellicle Podcast

Look, here’s the truth. I would love it if more of you listened to my podcast, and so please accept this episode as a bribe. I want you to know what my favourite beers, wines and ciders of the year are, and I want you to revel in the joy of experiencing them as much as I did. But if you want to find out what they are, which includes no less than 17 beers (in hindsight, post-edit, I will make this smaller next year) then you’ve got to tune in. I won’t be sharing this list anywhere else.

I love making this podcast, it’s become one of my favourite mediums for creativity. This has become especially the case since I switched up the format of the show towards the end of 2020. I’m stoked that those who listen to it enjoy the style, and my off the cuff riffing on our favourite beverages, and I pledge to try and record as many as I’m physically capable of in 2022.

I’m especially thankful of the support of both our new sponsor, Hand & Heart, along with our generous Patreon subscribers. Thanks to them I’ve got a bit more time and space to spend more time producing podcasts this year, which means more episodes for you to enjoy! If you’re able to support our content at Pellicle, then please consider signing up to our Patreon. Every penny goes back into making more features and podcasts.

Please enjoy this list of things I really enjoyed over the past 12 months, and stay tuned, because we’ve already got more episodes in post production that should be released soon!

This episode of The Pellicle Podcast is sponsored by Hand & Heart. We’ve partnered with them to offer listeners of The Pellicle Podcast a free 30-minute advice session. You could be a business owner wondering what the hell DEI means, an employee wanting to upskill, thinking about starting a business, or at a loss of how to develop your current business. To sign up head to www.handandheart.eu/pellicle

A small piece of me permanently exists in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado. Ever since my dad emigrated from the UK and took a job here in 2010 I have visited often, and become more enamoured with the place each time I do so. 

While it was the beer that first made me form an attachment with Fort Collins (and, indeed, start writing about it) over the years it became more to me than simply a place I visited. Trips were about seeing friends, hiking, relaxing by the Poudre River, and, over time, the beer became less central to each visit. 

At least, that’s what I convinced myself.

The truth is, as a true beer enthusiast it was always about the beer. And I was reminded about how much this matters to me when New Belgium—headquartered in Fort Collins and once the fourth largest craft brewer in the United States—announced its sale to Australian firm Lion in November 2019. The news of this triggered in me a deeply emotional response. So tied had I become to the story, the people and the product of this place that I could not figure out how to deal with it.

I had hoped to reconcile these feelings on a scheduled visit in April 2020, but when the inevitable happened and my flights were cancelled, this thought process had to be temporarily paused. Thankfully I was finally able to make my way back to Colorado in November 2021 (and I reflect on this trip during the episode.) This meant I was finally able to visit the New Belgium Taproom, enjoy a pint, chat to my friends who work there, and try and figure out how I feel about the next stage in this brewery’s journey. 

Those thoughts stowed away, once I returned home I turned on the mic and riffed on those feelings. Is it truly irrational to have a strong emotional response when a brewery you’re fond of sells out? In this episode, I make my best attempt to answer that question.

I’m also thrilled to welcome on board a brand new sponsor for this episode. Hand and Heart is a business consultancy focussed on supporting industries including hospitality—and that includes breweries and other beer-centric firms. We’ve partnered with them to offer listeners of The Pellicle Podcast a free 30 minute advice session. You could be a business owner wondering what the hell DEI means, an employee wanting to upskill, thinking about starting a business, or at a loss of how to develop your current business. To sign up head to www.handandheart.eu/pellicle

If the Hand and Heart sound familiar, it’s because they recently published the documentary podcast Super Cool Toxic Workplace, investigating the allegations of abuse and toxic workplace culture at the Danish brewery, Mikkeller. We’re thrilled to partner with a business that shares the values we have at Pellicle, and thank them for their support in helping our own podcast to flourish.

I couldn’t imagine Burning Sky Brewery and Blendery being located anywhere else. Situated in the village of Firle, nestled amid the rolling South Downs National Park, here is a brewery that’s very much of time and a place. The beers it produces—from traditional cask ales, to US-inspired IPAs, and the sublime beverages that come from its barrel ageing program—are a reflection of this, and of the people who brew and blend them. 

In the latest episode of the podcast, I sat down for a chat with the brewery’s founder, Mark Tranter. With over two decades experience in the beer industry, it was wonderful to get the opportunity to pick his brains, reminisce about some of these experiences, and to find out what the future has in store for Burning Sky.

Visiting Firle, and the neighbouring town of Lewes, has become something of an annual pilgrimage for me. The first time I travelled there in 2017, Mark kindly arranged for me to visit the magical Harvey’s Brewery, as well as some of the amazing pubs the town has to offer. On subsequent visits I’ve discovered new treasures, including Beak and Abyss brewery, as well as deciding on my definitive Lewes beer destinations. (The Brewers Arms, The Gardners, and Patch Beer Café, for those interested.) 

On this trip I was also lucky enough to brew a beer with Burning Sky which we called The Broad Spectrum of Joy, after the first chapter of my recent book, Modern British Beer. The beer was subsequently released a few months later to celebrate its launch. It was during this arduous day of brewing, on a scorching hot July day, that I found the chance to catch up with Mark, and record this conversation, which I hope you enjoy. 

During the intro of this podcast I also mention another podcast by Kate Bailey, called Super Cool Toxic Workplace. As I alluded to during the episode, this is an essential listen, and more context can be found on episode 25 of The Pellicle Podcast. Find Super Cool Toxic Workplace here.

The start of 2020 was an especially weird time for me—not just for the obvious reasons with the pandemic swirling around us in those early stages—but because right at the cusp of it I signed a book deal. 

I’d come up with the rough idea and concept for Modern British Beer in 2018, having thought at length about how the emergence of well over 1000 new breweries in the UK had changed our beer culture forever. But what I didn’t realise then was the idea needed time. Some of that was to allow the idea to properly gestate and to become fully formed, but the rest of it was waiting to find the right home for it. That home turned out to be the capable hands of CAMRA Books; the publishing arm of the Campaign for Real Ale, and the gracious editing of Alan Murphy and Katie Button, to whom I am incredibly thankful. 

In this episode I work through the ideas at the book’s core. I explore how I created my own personal beer philosophy, which I call “the broad spectrum of joy” as well as explaining why my definition of what constitutes beer as being “modern”, at least, in context of the book and how I think about beer these days. I then try to explain (or make excuses for) how I selected the 86 beers to use as case studies which, together, I hope form a solid case for how I feel beer in the UK has changed so dramatically over the past 20 years—but also, in many ways, has stayed exactly the same as it has always been.

I’ve also used this episode as a chance to pick up on some current affairs—namely, the controversy presently surrounding Denmark’s Mikkeller Brewing company in the wake of numerous accusations of sexual harassment and toxic workplace culture from several former employees. This situation escalated on the eve of the brewery’s annual Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen (MBCC) event in late October, which saw over 40 breweries pull out at the 11th hour so as not to associate their brand with the accused. 

Kate Bernot at Good Beer Hunting has been covering this in some detail for several months, and I recommend catching up on what’s happening by reading her excellent reporting here:

https://www.goodbeerhunting.com/sightlines/2021/7/1/former-mikkeller-employees-allege-culture-of-bullying-harassment-and-indifference

https://www.goodbeerhunting.com/sightlines/2021/10/29/mikkeller-meetings-a-chaotic-situation-as-brewery-focuses-on-hr-issues-not-survivors-voices

Modern British Beer is available now from all good retailers, including several brewery tap rooms and bottle shops. You can get yours direct from the publisher here:

https://shop1.camra.org.uk/product-category/modern-british-beer/

It’s been a hot minute since our last episode and for this I can only apologise. Work and life has gotten in the way for too long, however, and I’m pleased to present our latest episode at last. Over the next hour you’ll hear Pellicle co-founder Jonny Hamilton chat to long time friend, and regular Pellicle contributor James Albon. 

An exceptionally talented illustrator, James has illustrated for the likes of the Wall Street Journal, CAMRA’s Beer Magazine, and for us at Pellicle. You might recognise his work from Eoghan Walsh’s piece on Brasserie de la Senne Zinnebir, or Hollie Stevens’ recent missive on catering, catharsis and collapse. He’s also recently released his latest graphic novel, The Delicacy, which charts a pair of young, ambitious restaurateurs who struggle with the relentless demand of the high end dining world.

Jonny and James talk about the book, as well as some of the real world stories in food and dining that draw eerie parallels. It’s a wonderful chat we sincerely hope you enjoy. Stay tuned, as we’ve got another bunch of episodes in the pipeline that we’ll try to get with you as soon as possible.

Buy The Delicacy here.

Ever since I first tried the vibrant, deliciously spiced food at its original Leeds site back in 2014, I have been besotted with Bundobust. It’s 100% vegetarian/vegan menu changed my preconceptions of what a modern Indian restaurant offering could look like. Especially one with such a focus on craft beer—which is more often associated with food such as American barbecue (and its many regional variants) or other meat-focused fare. 

Although it was definitely the eclectic beer offering that first drew me in—and has made me something of a regular—Bundobust helped me understand, and get excited about regional variances in traditional Indian cuisine. A few years ago I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell you what bhel puri was, or about the delights of the (now albeit somewhat ubiquitous) vada pav. But now this style of cuisine feels familiar, and comforting. Perfectly at home in the lively, modern surroundings Bundobust has set it within. 

But Bundobust founders Mayur Patel and Marko Husak are not content with operating just three successful restaurants. Venues that have received seriously high acclaim in the national press. In 2021 they’re expanding by opening their own brewery, which is housed in a soon to open fourth site on Manchester’s busy Oxford Street. For the past eight months, recently hired head brewer Dan Hocking has been toiling away on a brand new brewing system, fine tuning recipes which finally saw the light at the end of June 2021. 

I was delighted to have the opportunity to catch up with Mayur, Marko and Dan, and find out why they’ve decided to move into this direction. It was also the perfect opportunity to dig into the origins of the restaurant, as well as ask a few questions about the bigger picture, such as the gentrification of Indian food, and where Bundobust sees itself in relation to that. We also dig into the beers themselves, and where the restaurant sees itself going in the future. 

Here’s a couple of links to pieces mentioned in this episode:

Jaega Wise talking about sexism in the drinks industry for BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme

Zarina Muhammad’s article “I Hate Dishoom” for The White Pube

It often dawns on me that, as cool as my job of being a writer is, it’s also pretty-fucking-weird. This never felt more the case than over the past nine months where I worked on not one, but two very different books. Not only is having a self-defined career writing (predominantly) about beer, cider and wine strange, but it’s also quite a lonely experience, and largely revolves around working solo. This has felt especially true over the past 18 months. 

This—incredibly self-indulgent episode—is part explainer, part therapy session, where I talk about the idiosyncrasies of what I do for a living, my process as a writer, and what it’s really like on my side of the screen. It’s something that I’ve wanted to talk about for a long time, and honestly it felt really good getting it out there. To round out this episode I also read what I consider to be my personal favourite piece of feature writing of my career so far: my profile of Sheffield’s Brewery of St. Mars of the Desert. 

If you’re interested in writing, especially regarding food and drink, then this episode is for you.

You can pre-order Matthew's new book Modern British Beer here. 

When Cloudwater Brew Co. was founded in Manchester six years ago I was desperate to be the first to get the scoop on this exciting new brewery. This opportunity came in September 2015, when on a typically rainy Manchester day I met a smiling Paul Jones—the brewery’s often outspoken owner and founder—at the entrance of his brewery for a tour, tasting and interview. The article I would subsequently write was published by Good Beer Hunting in January 2016, and was one of the first proper dives into what motivates Jones and his brewery, which at the time was single-mindedly focused on producing what it described as “Modern Seasonal Beer.”

On re-reading the article in late 2020 it felt to me like it was written about what could be a different brewery. Yes, Cloudwater is still focused on producing high-quality, seasonally reflective beer, but in the years that have passed since, they’ve become something more. Not only has Jones grown his workforce from just six to over 50 people, but the brewery pays what is an industry-leading wage and is heavily invested in activism. From supporting charities like The Racial Justice Network, to giving breweries like Rock Leopard, Eko and Queer Brewing what Jones describes as a “leg up” by giving them time and space to make beer on its equipment, to its groundbreaking Wayfinder scheme, Cloudwater has since become a great deal more than merely the sum of its parts. 

This is not without some controversy. The decision to bring sales in house during the pandemic to, as Jones puts it “protect his staff” temporarily cutting off independent retailers from its beers caused a certain amount of ire. This was amplified in early 2021 when the brewery reversed its decision to list in national grocery chains, listing four beers contract brewed by BrewDog, no less, into Tesco. However, this also gave it the opportunity to further the platform of the Black and LGTBQ+ owned breweries it was working with by also giving them a national supermarket listing, the first instance of this happening in the UK. If you also consider that Cloudwater did not make a single redundancy during the pandemic, Paul’s malleability in terms of his decision making might not seem so controversial to some.  

In this interview we discuss all of this and more. It’s been a busy few years for Paul Jones and Cloudwater, so this felt like the ideal way to reflect on them, on the Manchester scene, and how its own beers have changed and developed during this time. Please enjoy this fascinating, hour long conversation with one of the most vocal members of the UK beer industry.

In October 2016, six months into being a full-time beer writer, I waded into the murky waters of cider writing. On publishing my first piece I was—a little surprisingly—met with a considerable amount of resistance to my view that “cider had an image problem” but there were also positives, which kick-started my journey into cider in earnest. 

This episode takes a dive into that piece, in which I said that “there needs to be more British cider that takes itself seriously in terms of both flavour and the way in which it presents itself.” It could be argued that we have that now. However, the further I dig to cider culture, the more it feels evident that divisions remain. In this episode I attempt to work out why that is, while also considering that when most people think about cider, they still consider it to be something fizzy and sweet that comes in cans or pints—certainly not 750ml bottles or bag-in-boxes. 

Consider this a thought experiment in trying to work all of this out, and where UK cider is now compared to where it was five years ago. All opinions within are to be taken with a pinch or two of salt. Listen in to hear what might be next for cider culture, and try to figure out why we can’t all just get along.

Read the original cider article from 2016 here: totalales.co.uk/blog/2016/10/23/the-skys-the-limit-cidre-latypique-and-the-uks-cider-renaissance

Dig into Pellicle’s cider archive here: pelliclemag.com/home?category=Cider

Support Pellicle on Patreon here: patreon.com/pelliclemag

Episode Host: Matthew Curtis

It's that time of the year where we're making our lists and checking them twice. No, not for Christmas, but for our annual best-of's! In this drink-along Christmas special, join Matthew as he recounts his favourite beers, wines, ciders and meals of 2020 over a couple of cans. It's been a rough year for many of us, but hopefully this will help spread a little bit of Christmas cheer. 

Thanks again to our Patreon subscribers for making this podcast possible throughout this tumultuous year. If you’re able to support Pellicle with a monthly donation, please head to patreon.com/pelliclemag.

Episode Host: Matthew Curtis
Read more at www.pelliclemag.com