Mostly in my life, I’ve not made a huge number of conscious decisions that have led to ongoing happiness. Mostly happiness happens by accident.
Asking Deirdre to marry me was the biggest of those decisions and it’s been a roaring success. Earlier in life, I was determined to go to Phys Ed school in Dunedin and set my sights on that without any doubt it would happen.
From there I stumbled into journalism through an unlocked back door to the Otago Daily Times sports department; from there it was a matter of following my instincts as various opportunities presented themselves.
One of the handful of critical, conscious, decisions in my life was made around six years when I went to the editor at the Sunday Star-Times and told him: “I reckon we need a beer writer and I’m just the person for the job.” I may have suggesting sacking the wine writer to make room for my column …
Thankfully my boss was open to trying to something new. So, at a time when mainstream media wasn’t exactly replete with beer writing (Geoff Griggs’ regular column in the Fairfax regional papers was the rare exception to the rule), I found myself with a national platform to talk about beer, which I did haltingly, hesistantly, at first until I found my voice.
That gig opened various other doors, such as the chance to write Beer Nation – The Art and Heart of Kiwi Beer, and more recently The Big Book of Home Brew – A Kiwi Guide.
On Saturday, at the Brewers Guild of New Zealand Awards, I was rapt to be named the Beer Writer of the Year for the second time. And in some ways this was more special because the field of beer writing is way more competitive than when I picked up the award four years ago.
There’s the ever-amusing and incredibly supportive Neil Miller; the doyen, Geoff Griggs, the most knowledgable beer scribe in New Zealand who is unfailing helpful and happy to pass on his knowledge; Jono Galuszka, last year’s winner, who has huge writing talent coupled with an unfair degree of handsomeness PLUS musical ability; Phil Cook, who remains a real inspiration with his incisive commentary and wary-eyed wisdom; Dylan Jauslin with his fearless honesty and sharp wit; Alice Galletly, possibly the most talented writer of us all as you’ll see when you read her book; Martin Craig, with his acute business sense and commitment to getting around the regions with his beertown.nz website; the boys at The Beerhive, Shane Cowlishaw and Michael Forbes; Jules van Cruysen, Yvonne Lorkin, Amanda Nally, Britt Mann … honestly the list of great beer-writing people is phenomenal.
Then there are the people in the industry, who’ve helped make me better at this. There are far too many to mention but I have to say make a special shout out to a few who are continuouly helpful, informative and free with the their time, knowledge and support: Kelly Ryan, Luke Nicholas, Stu McKinlay, Steve Plowman, Joseph Wood, Jos Ruffell, Richard Emerson, Steve Nally, Dominic Kelly, Craig Bowen, Dave Pearce … there are others but I could be here all day listing names! And if I have forgotten anyone, I apologise … my head’s still spinning a wee bit.
Finally, my wife asked me the other day if I had any beer heroes … and the first person I thought of was Pat Lawlor, the journalist who wrote The Froth-blower’s Manual. He was reviewing New Zealand beer in the early 20th century and had a turn of phrase I still aspire to … a beer as “soft as a cat’s ear” for crying out loud.
The bottom line is that I’m just rapt to be part of, and to represent and reflect such an amazing community. Thanks to everyone who makes, or drinks, beer.
