Golden Pints 2025

Golden Pint, texture like sun...

Think I may have used that song to start a previous Golden Pints post, but I saw The Stranglers for the first time in ages this year so what the hell. 

I'm also ditching some of the categories I can't be bothered with, as the Golden Pints are a bit more free form nowadays compared to when it started. 

Best UK Cask Beer:

This year the stand out pint was Theakston's Old Peculier at the Old Dungeon Ghyll. 

OP at the ODG

The pub is very handily placed for a pint after a hard day's heroism high on the hills and sometimes cask beer can reach highs that other lesser forms of beer dispense cannot. Speaking of which:

Best Overseas Cask Beer:

Landlord in Germany! Yes! YES!

Was it better than any of the keg beers I had at Drinktec or elsewhere in Munich? Too right it was!

Best UK Keg Beer:

Can't be doing with this. Yes, I drink it when I have to but I just prefer cask.

Best UK Bottled Beer:

Let's go with Tynt Meadow English Trappist Ale. 

Best UK Canned Beer:

My favourite sister got me Siren's breakfast stout, which I had for breakfast on xmas day. Bit sweet for my taste but a breakfast beer was fun, even if I'm not going to be making a habit of it. 

Best Overseas Bottled Beer:

St Bernadus Abt 12. 

Best Overall Beer:

It'll have to be the OP

Best UK Brewery: 

Thurstons Horsell Gold is by far the beer I've drunk the most of, but that Theaksons OP was great so them.

Best Overseas Brewery: 

Timothy Taylors ;-)

Pub/Bar of the Year:

Still The Crown of course. 

Beer Festival of the Year:

Got to be the last stand of the GBBF. The trek to Birmingham was more expense and effort for me, but I got home fine so it was no big deal. Sadly the turn out was no big deal either so the festival made a big financial loss, to the extent CAMRA have even sent out begging letters and laid off staff. The festival was much as ever for me though, met up with loads of people and drank far too much beer. 

Supermarket of the Year:

Hmmm...mostly been Waitrose for me when I've needed supermarket beer. The ceiling on premium bottled ale prices may have been finally broken but they do at times have Fuller's Golden Pride going at a bargain price, and ESB is often in a multi-buy discount.

Independent Retailer of the Year:

Cobbetts is still the place I got to if I need something special. 

Best Beer Book or Magazine:

I haven't yet read, and don't even have a copy of this year's winner. Anther break from tradition there. Sadly there's no fooling Santa and he knew I'd been too naughty to put Martyn Cornell's Porter and Stout: A Complete History in my stocking. But I know when I do get the book it will be great. 

Martyn had a positive influence on my life, as it was his questioning details of hop history I'd put on my blog that made me write my magnum opus on the the Farnham Whitebine hop as a properly referenced article, which the Brewery History Society (BHS) then published in their journal. I then joined the committee of the BHS, and became a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers (BGBW), though which I've met many wonderful people. And I'm glad to say I as able to give at least something back as he came on a trip to the Czech republic I organised for the BHS, and got to tick off the Pilsner Urquell brewery amongst others. 

Picture from the BHS Czech trip

His meticulous research has done much to dispel myths about beer history and replace it with actual facts. Much as I enjoyed some of the myths I still prefer facts. At times he did seem to get into pointless arguments, and perhaps unsurprisingly when I pointed out he'd got something wrong he wasn't having it. Though he did of course have a (fallacious) reference to support his claim. I last saw him at last year's BGBW dinner where he didn't look well, and he was not best pleased he didn't win anything. But I'm glad I was able to tell him how much I valued his writing compared to one of the writers that had! I'll miss him. 

Best Beer Blog or Website:

Boak and Bailey's are the winner, their weekly roundup of beer writing is still a welcome fixture every Saturday morning and I enjoy their other posts too. 

Simon Johnson Award for Best Beer Twitterer Blueskyer

Most of beer twitter seems to have migrated to bluesky so fuck that fascist prick's site. I've been impressed by Beer Today, so them.