Well, I’ve been in several pubs and enjoyed the cask beer and the company enormously. I have even been to some local restaurants and enjoyed some great food. Everywhere I have been has looked busy so some semblance of normality has returned.

Well, I’ve been in several pubs and enjoyed the cask beer and the company enormously. I have even been to some local restaurants and enjoyed some great food. Everywhere I have been has looked busy so some semblance of normality has returned.

However, I write this before Boris has made his mind up regarding June 21^st. It does feel like the finishing line is getting further away but I am forever hopeful.

I have never really enjoyed propping the bar up preferring to sit down. Well, it is my age, comfort before everything.

Which reminds me I need some new slippers and a pair of trousers with an elasticated waistband. I do know that for a lot of pubs this last stage is vital for them and if it is vital for pubs it is vital for breweries too.

I am even thinking about travelling again and have booked a little trip to Cambridge in July. It will be good to get away from the house for a few days.

When I was an employed brewer, I used to plan my holidays around my beer judging commitments.

In those days I used to get lots of invitations from overseas and provided my lords and masters were ok with my expenses then off I would go and be the beer ambassador for Fuller’s. A good job it was too.

Sadly, those days are behind me so I have to be more selective over my commitments. I am really enjoying my retirement but I do miss some things about working and travelling around, being Fuller’s Beer Ambassador is one.

My two favourites were the Australian International Beer awards and the Beer World Cup, which is always held in the USA.

Travelling to those events then I could really plan a holiday alongside as well. My holidays tend to be “busman’s holidays” i.e., visiting breweries and the like.

I would also do some work and meet up with the local distributors for Fuller’s and do some beer events. All great fun and I keep in touch with those distributors today. As you can imagine I really enjoyed this aspect of my job

I also loved any that were judged in this country and especially London but they tended to be overnight stop-outs or back home in the evening. These are easier to do but there is less socialising, but still hooking up with friends is always enjoyable.

“Whilst I do miss some aspects of my old job other aspects I do not. Management training courses were particularly loathsome,” John Keeling.

The main reason I enjoyed judging was the people, it was so good meeting up with my beery mates and having a good chin wag however, it was equally good to meet new friends as well.

To be in a room with hundreds of beer judges is quite a thing. Unfortunately, under current restrictions I know of no beer competition doing “live “judging.

However, a number of competitions have decided to run them using Zoom. Two competitions have just asked me to participate and this is how they work. They send you the beer through the post and then hook you up with your table of judges using Zoom and then you judge the beers together at the same time.

Well, this seemed like fun so I signed up this year. Last year unfortunately I couldn’t because my house was being upgraded and I couldn’t trust my Wi-Fi or the builders. Apparently, you get to keep any unused samples too.

The two competitions are both run by friends, Jeff Evans who runs the International Beer Challenge and Adrian Tierney-Jones who runs the World Beer Awards. In my early days, brewers did not really mix with journalists. 

Thank goodness those days are long gone and even brewers admit that it is very useful to admit journalists into the fold. In fact, some of my best ideas were stolen from them.

Whilst I do miss some aspects of my old job other aspects I do not. Management training courses were particularly loathsome. I never went on one I particularly enjoyed.

I remember one where the course instructor asked the room what each individual got out of the course.

I was sat at the back of course and after listening to the complementary bull from my fellow students when asked I merely stated, “a pen and a folder”.

I always was a difficult bugger to teach.