Back in April 2007 I knew nothing about beer, drinking only what I recognised – which was invariably mass-produced and bland. Nothing inherently wrong with that, but I figured there must be an alternative I could try, at least once. So I did. I can’t remember what that beer was, but that was it. I was hooked.

I started The BeerCast to try and keep up with what was happening in the British brewing scene, and with a few friends in June of 2007 started what was the first UK beer podcast (hence the title of the blog). We recorded over 70 in the end, before life got in the way and our meet-ups dwindled.

Instead I had a new focus and over the twelve years the BeerCast has been going I’ve written extensively about the British, Scottish and Edinburgh beer scenes. My adopted home city is known for many things, but since this blog began it has justifiably become one of the best cities in the county for beer (as in the past, so it used to be). New breweries and pubs open all the time, and beers are released seemingly every week.

Would you want it any other way?

With this in mind,  I’ve been able to fully concentrate on what’s happening in Scotland, who is making a name for themselves, and why the British brewing industry is the best in the world.

Personally speaking, I’m a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers, and have written for several beer-related publications. I have judged at the World Beer Awards, and numerous SIBA and CAMRA beer competitions. In December 2013 the BeerCast won the Brains SA Gold Award for online media at the British Guild of Beer Writers’ Awards.

In November 2014 I left my day job and joined BrewDog, and now work full-time within the industry as a beer writer; producing BrewDog’s blog, magazine Hop Propaganda, label copy, beermats, pretty much anything involving clacking on a keyboard. In 2017 my first book Craft Beer for the People was released, peaking at 82 in the Amazon book charts.

I am still writing the BeerCast however, when I can, with a renewed focus on Scottish brewing and beer. If you’d like to ask me any questions about Edinburgh, or Scottish brewing in general, please get in touch by following me on Twitter @thebeercast.

Thanks for reading this bio, and for visiting the blog. Cheers!

Rich
The BeerCast