They say…

Des de Moor
Best beer and travel writing award 2015, 2011 -- British Guild of Beer Writers Awards
Accredited Beer Sommelier
Writer of "Probably the best book about beer in London" - Londonist
"A necessity if you're a beer geek travelling to London town" - Beer Advocate
"A joy to read" - Roger Protz
"Very authoritative" - Tim Webb.
"One of the top beer writers in the UK" - Mark Dredge.
"A beer guru" - Popbitch.
Des de Moor

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From the cellar: Swale Whitstable Oyster Stout / Schelde Oesterstout

Whitstable oysters.

ABV: 4.5% / 8.5% Origin: Newham, Kent, England / Bergen op Zoom, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands Website: www.scheldebrouwerij.com / http://whitstablebrewery.co.uk Date: 9 October 2000

Two more reviews from the archive written for the pioneering Oxford Bottled Beer Database (OBBD). This was my first attempt at a comparative tasting, but to fit the OBBD […]

Shepherd Neame Double Stout and India Pale Ale

Shepherd Neame Double Stout

Top Tastings 2012 (India Pale Ale)

ABV: 5.2% and 6.1% Origin: Faversham, Kent, England Website: www.shepherd-neame.co.uk

When I was rediscovering beer back in the mid-1990s, one of my favourites was bottle conditioned Shepherd Neame Spitfire, regularly available in my local supermarket. Its classic combination of rich malts and moist, […]

Harveys Christmas Ale

Top Tastings 2011

ABV: 8.1% Origin: Lewes, East Sussex, England Website: www.harveys.org.uk

Harveys Christmas Ale

The end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 found me tasting an unusually large number of British cask ales as I worked my way round potential places to drink for my London guide. Normally, to preserve as […]

Appleford Power Station

Beer sellers: Westholme Store

ABV: 4.2% Origin: Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England Website: www.applefordbrewery.co.uk

Appleford Brewery Co

Based on a farm in rural Oxfordshire at Brightwell-cum-Sotwell near Wallingford, Appleford was founded in 2006 by Andrew Torrance, formerly an accountant at the Morland brewery which was bought and closed by Greene King. Beers tend to be […]

Hepworth Ridgeway Oxfordshire Blue

Beer sellers: Westholme Store

ABV: 5% Origin: Horsham, West Sussex, England

Hepworth Ridgeway Oxfordshire Blue

Ridgeway, based at South Stoke just south of Wallingford in Oxfordshire, is a beer firm set up by former Brakspear brewer Peter Scholey when that historic company pulled out of brewing. The brand name references the prehistoric […]

West Berkshire Dr Hexter’s Healer

Beer sellers: Westholme Store

ABV: 5% Origin: Yattendon, West Berkshire, England Website: www.wbbrew.com

West Berkshire Dr Hexter's Healer

From the image on the label, you might guess that Dr Hexter was some eccentric Victorian quack, but he turns out to be a more contemporary local character — the landlord of a pub in […]

Itchen Valley Pure Gold

ABV: 4.8% Origin: Alresford, Hampshire, England Website: www.itchenvalley.com

This beer featured in a piece about the influence of different malts on beer flavour on the bottled beer review page in the May 2011 issue of BEER magazine, sent free every quarter to CAMRA members, who can also view it online. The magazine is also available […]

George Gale Prize Old Ale 2007

Top Tastings 2010

ABV: 9% Origin: Horndean, Hampshire, England

George Gale Prize Old Ale 2007

Gale’s Prize Old Ale is a real slice of British brewing heritage. Created by a Yorkshireman who worked at the company’s 1860s tower brewery in the early 20th century, it perpetuated an already declining technique in British brewing, […]

Rebellion IPA

Great British Beer Festival 2010

ABV: 3.7% Origin: Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England Website: http://www.rebellionbeer.co.uk/

Rebellion IPA

Rebellion, founded in 1993 and now a decently sized and highly respected micro, has kept the flag flying for brewing in the Thamesside town of Marlow since Whitbread closed the historic Wethereds brewery –its founders originally hoped it […]

Vale Black Swan Dark Mild

Featured as a mild for May in BEER May 2009. To read the beginning of this piece see under Hobsons Postman’s Knock. The beer also featured in BEER May 2011 as part of a piece on the influence of different malts on beer flavour. See additional text below, and to read about other beers featured […]