Boak & Bailey (Jess & Ray)

That Bass Pale Ale Label - Why It Wasn't the First Trade Mark Registered in the UK There is an enduring story that Bass’s Red Triangle was the first registered trade mark in the United Kingdom in 1876 – and with 2026 being the 150th

New Blog Post! Where I once again get lost in the backwoods of pedantry with just my torch of self-rightousness to guide me out ...

End of the Kid Gloves Era? Is it time for beer writers to stop acting as if they're part of the same 'movement' as brewers, publicans and marketing people, and begin landing punches?

There was a lot of discussion and debate about whether it was the role of writers/bloggers to critique the industry, or support it, e.g.:

boakandbailey.com/2013/08/end-...

The days of unquestioning fan behaviour seem to mostly be over, we think.

We went semi-pro (paid articles, books; always did other work, too) but stopped taking samples about a decade ago. We've since retreated from pro work and it's just the blog now, with a bit of "keep up the good work" income from eBooks and Patreon.

We definitely remember that! We started in 2007 shortly after, or at around the same time, as quite a few other beer bloggers. Probably for the past decade or so, we haven't had the impression that pro writers have been being especially polite. That debate got aired and honesty seemed to win out.

No! Looks interesting. We did get an email a while ago from someone asking if we could share our list of Bristol pubs. Wonder if it was to do with this?

Perhaps a symptom of the age of Guinness + Neck Oil.

You should start writing about beer and pubs There’s always room for more people visiting pubs, drinking beer, and sharing their thoughts and observations.

Our January newsletter is a pep talk: you – yes, you! – should write about beer and pubs.

boakandbailey.substack.com/p/you-should...

107 bottles of Stille Nacht. Just the caps are visible, plus the top of the boxes.

A list showing the number of each vintage of Stille Nacht currently in stock in my cellar.

The annual Stille Nacht stocktake shows good progress with the stock reduction programme: now just 107 bottles spanning the last 14 years. Though it's good to know I'll once again be able to do a 15 year vertical this coming November 🤣

A mound of assorted bits on sticks stuck to something to create a hedgehog of sorts.

In the Smithfield in Derby, wondering why pub hedgehogs aren't a thing.

A loyalty card for Five Points Beer: Five Pints of Five Points.

Five pints for a free sixth? That should be doable.

Where the strange ones go: a survey of the pubs of Stokes Croft We felt an itch to go drinking in Stokes Croft, to the north of Bristol’s city centre, because there’s at least one new pub, and several we’ve not visited for years.

BLOG POST: We visit a completely new pub, a pub we've not visited for a while, and one that's been taken over and reinvented, in a neighbourhood that arguably represents the spirit of Bristol. 🍻🍺

boakandbailey.com/2026/01/wher...

A map of bath showing the pub crawl route, ring o bells, the curfew, the star inn, coeur de lion and finally the trinity. It also has lots of orange lads dotted all over the route

It's Bath bass tour day, first stop Ring O Bells 🔺🔔🔺🔔🔺🔔🔺🔔🔺

But the main point of Patreon, in our minds, is as a way for people to say "Keep up the good work!" as we approach our 20th year of blogging about beer and pubs.

The footnotes, if you're curious, are basically an entire second round up with bonus links (four this time) and commentary on the main news, nuggets and longreads post. Patreon supporters get that + notes on the best beers we drink each weekend, along with additional extra posts between.

Footnotes on news, nuggets and longreads 24 January 2026 | Boak & Bailey Get more from Boak & Bailey on Patreon

And here are the footnotes for them wot supports us on Patreon. (Thank you, we appreciate it!)

www.patreon.com/posts/148993...

News, nuggets and longreads 24 January 2026: Nuts in May Every Saturday we round up the best writing about beer from the past week. This time, we’ve got retail groups, pub conversation and peach beer.

GOOD MORNING! Here's our regular round up of good writing about beer and pubs, which starts with 'retail groups' and ends with cask ale in New York. 🍺🍻

boakandbailey.com/2026/01/news...

St Mars of the Desert: an oasis in the industrial hinterlands Brewery taprooms often feel in conflict with their industrial surroundings, but few so much as The Brewery of St Mars of the Desert (SMOD).

Very much so!

boakandbailey.com/2026/01/st-m...

In somewhat hilarious news, we've accidentally swapped cities with @boakandbailey.bsky.social , so we'll be providing you with News, Nuggets & Long Reads tomorrow...

Image from a slideshow with an A-frame sign that says, “sparklers till we die”.

The owner is from Manchester. So, yeah, they’re a pro-sparkler pub.

Presenter speaking next to a screen at a cask beer event.

Forty people showed up last night to a northern New York suburb for a paid event to learn about cask beer. I think that’s good news. Great job, Ambleside Pub!

A glass of blonde beer on a wooden table.

Exterior of hôp[i] in Lille with blue painted frontage.

Brewing equipment in a brewpub in Lille.

1st stop in Lille = hôp[i]. First visit & I'm impressed. Despite a La Debauche TTO I went for one of their own beers, brewed on site - a very decent Belgian blonde. Hope to make it back here tomorrow.

Lovely blog about our Think While You Drink public events on beer, drinking, and drinking places in pubs last year if anyone is interested in how they worked and what we did:
humsimpact.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/2026/01/05/b...

Starting to plan for this year so watch this space or sign up to our list

Currently at a taproom that someone told us was as warm and characterful as Saint Mars of the Desert in Sheffield. It is not. It resembles the reception area of a trendy apartment hotel somewhere in Europe. Proper liminal space vibes.

Huh. Weird.

Thinking now about the other problem which is people who don't have any sense of how much space they're taking up. The Swan With Two Necks has seating for about [finger counting] 30 people on about six or seven tables but people do SPREAD. "Can we sit there or does your special hat need that chair?"

Saying anything too assertive would be a much bigger breach of etiquette than the encroachment. (To generalise.) We probably would these days.

Outrageous behaviour.

On my own I joined 2 men at a table for six & they involved me with their chat. We ended up getting rounds but I had to refuse Jager shots "I only drink beer". They got me shots anyway even though I said I wouldn't reciprocate.
It was good to break out of my echo chamber by talking to strangers.

I feel very guilty when occupying a table of 4, for example, in a busy pub. I try to give off a welcoming vibe but some people are so reluctant to ask to join the table so I almost feel obliged to leave and often do.

An example: 3pm opening time at U Zlatého tygra involves being placed at tables. If you're 3 or fewer you will be sharing space whether you like it or not. It acts as a great leveller though, promotes conversation and plays into this pub's mythology that "the real democracy is here in the pub".