Will Hawkes

Des de Moor obituary Other lives: Cabaret club entrepreneur, singer and performer who also wrote extensively about real ale

Obituary for Des de Moor now online at the Guardian

www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/m...

Manchester’s Best Beers, Pubs and Bars 2nd edition (2026) - CAMRA shop Guidebook to more than 220 pubs, bars, tap rooms and bottleshops in Manchester and its boroughs such as Bolton, Trafford and Rochdale. Available April 2, 2026

Pre-orders are the lifeblood for authors, especially for niche titles from small publishers like @camraofficial.bsky.social. You can now order the 2nd edition of Manchester's Best Beer, Pubs and Bars direct here:

shop1.camra.org.uk/product/manc...

A Friary Meux logo on Godalming Station in Surrey. Friary Meux was a significant regional brewery, based in Guildford until (I think) the late Sixties

They haven’t forgotten Friary Meux in the heart of Surrey 🫡

A bottle of Scäffler’s Dunkler Bock

This turned up at the local shop. V nice. Heller Bock not so good

That is 👌🏽

Manchesters best beer pubs and bars second edition, by Matthew Curtis

This is exciting isn’t it. Art by David Bailey, foreword by Matty White, 50 new additions, out April 2nd. I imagine you might want a pre order link, eh?

Can Sadiq Khan stop Asif Aziz's mass evictions? We went to the billionaire's home to get answers, as a leading homelessness charity cut ties with the landlord and tenants begged the mayor to save their homes.

Breaking:
*Asif Aziz's mass evictions of Londoners appear to be BACK ON
*Sadiq Khan personally demands immediate response from the landlord
*Leading homelessness charity cuts ties with the Aziz family and refuses donation
*Questions over legality of paperwork
www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-...

“We were really pleased with Christmas … a lot of people decided they were not going to go out for food and were more likely to go out for a beer with friends and family.” Chris Jowsey, chief exec of Admiral Taverns, on record Christmas turnover of £210.4m (Times/Propel)

Who's the billionaire behind London’s biggest mass eviction? He's the London philanthropist who says he's committed to solving homelessness. So why is Asif Aziz's Criterion Capital rushing to make hundreds of Londoners homeless in the coming weeks?

London’s “worst mass eviction in recent history” is underway; hundreds of households across London told to get out of their homes this week by the same landlord, ahead of the renters rights act. The landlord? Billionaire Asif Aziz’s Criterion Capital. www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-...

“She has a message for other tourists considering a trip to America:

“‘Don’t go – not with Trump in charge. It’s totally out of control over there. There’s no accountability. They don’t seem to need a reason for detaining you.’”

Drinks, darts, DJs and drag queens: the artwork that’s a fully-functioning pub – with the artist pulling pints Young Glasgow artist Trackie McLeod talks us through Utopia, the boozer he built from scratch where punters can sink a beer, throw darts at Thatcher or Trump – and win chocolate coins from one-armed b...

Please. And no.

This oversaturated Londoner says try opening a real pub. That’s where the art is.

www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

Yes, that too. I always forget that. Suspect you’re in Belgium by now 😂

Nothing that close, except Spoons in St Pancras. King Charles 1 in Northdown Street is great but further

Really interesting. The co-op model is not new in England - e.g working men’s clubs, which are roughly analogous to RSL clubs I think. They’re struggling too though

If you want to contribute towards Des’s funeral, you can do so here: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/funeral-fo...

BrewDog owners call time on craft beer pioneer The producer of Punk IPA and Elvis Juice has called in AlixPartners to run a sale process which could prompt the break-up of one of Scotland's best-known consumer businesses, Sky News learns.

Looks like it's over for the Punks...

If you want to contribute towards Des’s funeral, you can do so here: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/funeral-fo...

A Guinness/St Patricks Day sticker on the window of the Blythe Hill Tavern in SE London

New @londonbeercity.bsky.social out this weekend. Featuring:
- what does ‘Irish pub’ mean in modern London?
- crunch-time for Ye Olde Swiss Cottage
- who is London’s top porter producer?
- trifle and darts in East Dulwich
Sign up here: www.willhawkes.net/london-beer-...

A Guinness/St Patricks Day sticker on the window of the Blythe Hill Tavern in SE London

New @londonbeercity.bsky.social out this weekend. Featuring:
- what does ‘Irish pub’ mean in modern London?
- crunch-time for Ye Olde Swiss Cottage
- who is London’s top porter producer?
- trifle and darts in East Dulwich
Sign up here: www.willhawkes.net/london-beer-...

Home Cologne A brief visit to the city of Kölsch

A brief spot of time in Cologne atjpubs.substack.com/p/home-cologne

Is there more money in the economy than commonly thought? Seems to be a bit more economic positivity around than for a while.

As promised, here’s the first part of the three part ‘mini-documentary’ I captured during a two-day visit to Thornbridge last October. Soon to be followed by a podcast and write up, also.

Glad to hear it, it’s a great tomato!

If I ever needed to check something about London beer, it was always - what does Des say/what has he written? He was the most reliable of sources.

So sorry to hear about Des De Moor. He was a lovely man and, as a beer writer, without parallel in his commitment to accuracy and delightfully straightforward language. He will be sorely missed.

Pretty sure they’re still around, albeit not many of them. Queen’s Head Limehouse? There used to be a lot more regional variation before the game was standardised in the 1920s. You must still be able to find Yorkshire boards, and I’m sure I’ve seen a Kent board somewhere

Ailsa Craig seems to fit your requirements - really good flavour.

I don't pester often. Hosting has to be paid for & I want to keep the Guide free for everyone + grow!

I've been humbled by the donations received in the last 12 months 🤗

If you've found us valuable for great bars, please consider a donation to keep us going 👍🙏

theeuropeanbarguide.com

Style guides be damned, it looks awful

Fuggle should be capped up, tsk