Pete Brown – beer writer and marketer

Picking our first post of the New Year was easy. The ‘Bill Bryson of the beer world’, Pete Brown is one of the UK’s best loved beer writers, his three books Man Walks Into A Pub, Three Sheets To The Wind and the much celebrated Hops & Glory are responsible for much laughing, beer drinking and fits of coughing when we do both at the same time.

Fresh from his coronation as The British Guild of Beer Writers Beer Writer of the Year, 2010 is Pete’s year to enjoy so what better way to nestle up with one of his books and try some of his favourite tipples too.

A quick reminder on the island rules: Pete can pick three beers to take and a meal to eat with the beers, plus a handful of personal effects to keep boredom at arms length: a book to read, a record to listen to and a luxury item. For the pedants amongst you we’re going to assume that the friendly island gods will take care of opening your beer bottle (or cask!) and the playing of your selected music…

Pete Brown reads from Hops & Glory on his book launch tour in 2009

The beers

Pete, which 3 beers would you want to have with you if you were stranded on a desert island?

Goose Island IPA - a fine example of a North America IPA

Goose Island IPA

“Because there’s never a time when it doesn’t feel right – you can take it anywhere and it always delights. If I was to encounter a tribe of Amazonian warrior women on my island, previously unknown to western civilisation, Goose Island India Pale Ale would convert them to beer and they would proclaim me their king”.

Worthington White Shield

“Watching tropical sunset with a very lightly chilled White Shield in my hand, as the local wildlife turns slowly on a spit over my expertly built fire, the anticipation of how well the beer would marry with the caramelisation on the meat would make me feel my island was the best place in the world”.

Thornbridge Bracia

“After dinner, as the cicadas chip in the grass and the fire burns low, the richness and warmth of this beer just before turning into the sound of the waves would be the perfect end to a hard day trying to build a boat.  It might even make me change my mind about building the boat”.

The meal

You can also take one meal to go with your beers, what would it be?

“The first proper curry I ever tasted – chicken pathia from the New Balaka, St Andrews, Fife (if it’s still there)”.

The record

What record would you take?

“Only one? That’s not fair! If I could only listen to one album ever again it would probably be Elbow’s Seldom Seen Kid – the variety and inventiveness on there means it would never get monotonous”.

The book

What book would you take?

“The Life of Samuel Johnson, by Boswell. I’ve been wanting to read it for years. It’s so big I think being stranded on a desert island is the only scenario in which I’d ever have time to do it justice. If the Amazonians leave me alone long enough”.

The luxury item

What luxury item would you take?

“A fridge for the beer, perhaps with a bicycle contraption attached to the side to generate electricity if we’re going to get fussy about it”.

Thanks Pete, we admire your Ray Mears attitude and particularly your consideration of Mrs Pete Brown, running your beer fridge with pedal power and keeping you beer belly at bay so you’re fit as a fiddle on your return home (unless of course you take enough Bracia to avoid any escape attempts of course!)