Hopulist issue 5

WRITERS OF
CRAFT
SOPHIE
ATHERTON
IN THE FIRST OF A NEW SERIES WE
SPEAK TO SOME OF THE BEST BEER
WRITERS IN THE GAME – JOURNALIST
AND BEER SOMELIER SOPHIE
ATHERTON IS FIRST IN THE HOT SEAT
How did you get into beer writing? What
inspired you?
Beer inspired me! Seriously, I’d already been a
journalist for quite a long time when I started writing
about beer. I trained and qualified as a broadcast
journalist, worked on a newspaper for a while, went
on to producing, reading and presenting radio news
and then did a stint running a regional press office for
the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
While I was doing the latter both my parents died and
it made me re-evaluate a lot of stuff. I decided to go
freelance and because I’ve always loved beer, and been
pretty particular about what I’ll drink, it wasn’t a huge
jump to start writing about it. It also coincided with
all these exciting changes in the beer world, so there
was lots to write about.
Give us a brief overview of your
experience and work in beer writing?
Because I was already quite an
experienced journo, it didn’t take me
long to get my first commission. It was a
small piece for The Times. I interviewed
Sara Barton of Brewster’s Brewery for
a slot called Local Hero. I also had a
blog (although I loathe being called a
blogger) which I used for practice. I also
decided I ought to make a concerted
effort to learn more about beer so I had a
thorough understanding of my specialist
subject. That’s how I ended up becoming
an Accredited Beer Sommelier - the
first woman in the UK to achieve the
qualification. I’d already been writing
about beer for a couple of years by then.
After that I split my time between writing
and doing events – like running a beer
section for the London Wine Fair or
hosting tastings for the Eden Project –
but I’ve always been a writer at heart. If
I have an idea that I think will make a
good piece I work out the sort of place I
might read something similar and then
pitch it based on that. I’ve managed to get
a fair bit into the broadsheet press that
way. Dedicated beer and pub trade mags
are also fertile ground and the Morning
Advertiser and CAMRA’s BEER magazine
remain outlets I write for regularly. I’m
also just putting the finishing touches to
my first book, of which I’m consultant
editor and co-author along with five other
beer writers I commissioned. It’s due out
next year.