Augustiner Helles in Sainsburys is an excellent thing. I never thought would happen. Happy New year guys.

I'm patiently waiting on a big craft brown ale uptick, still. Feel like I'll be waiting forever.

Love cask from indie brewers! Long live cask!

Anspach & Hobday make some very "normal" beer very well. I love that brewery

I now look forward to this video every year. I love the format you use and the length of the video is spot on. Covering a look back and a look ahead works great.

I was drinking a Guinness while watching this. I used to drink it a lot a number of years ago but moved away from it.  It seems like more bars in my area were selling more and more craft beers, so I gravitated towards those beers. I was in Atlantic City this past January and I was in the mood for a Guinness. It was the freshest I've had in years.

Your take on pubs is pretty accurate in the US too. There's a real old dive bar in my area that was historically where all the old men drank, but is now getting taken over by a younger crowd. Drinks are cheap and cash only, and it's walking distance for most people so you can get a few drinks affordably and not worry about a DUI.

Happy New Year, guys. As an ex-pat living in Canada I really miss the pub as an institution. We don’t have them here. Bars in North America are restaurants that specialize in alcohol but you are expected to buy food.

Pubs, on the other hand, are places where you can sit quietly on your own with a pint and read the paper or a book and not be bothered by waiting staff trying to sell you burger and fries…..or poutine as we have in Canadaland.

I really hope that there’s an increase in pub attendance in the UK this year and if it’s because some YouTubers or Instagrammers driving the increase, then all the better.

I wish you all the best with your campaign for cask ale recognition. It’s people like you who make the difference, fellas. Keep doing what you’re doing.

Still the best channel on YouTube. 😍🍺🍺😍

The Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was my beer of choice for Christmas Day 👌

This is probably peak cope but cask has always been cool! Edit: forgot to mention that cask sierra nevada celebration was probably my favourite beer of the year.

(Fan from the US here).  If I were to sum up my 2025 personal trends it was "back to basics".  Maybe I'm just getting older (hit 50).  But overall I just looked for average-to-below average alcohol level... simple... solid... drinkable beers.

I drank a lot of foreign lagers (mostly from Germany or US local,  but also some from Mexico and I took a trip to Denmark so Carlsberg was involved).  I was just looking for clean, crisp beers (and sought out German because also looking for non-adjuncts added).    There is also a local brewery named Human Robot that targets that style.  

I also was looking for "older" style IPA.  West Coast, East Coast, UK...  not hazy, not double... just "regular" IPAs.    And often I look for them at the breweries local to me (Other Half, Warwick Farms, Victory...)

Lastly, I was big into UK style ESB and bitter session type beers.  They are hard to find sometimes so had to find so go with the larger producers like Fullers often times but there are some craft breweries over here that dip their toe in that style.  (Shout out to Forest & Main in Ambler, PA as well as 3 Floyds, Kane, Perennial, Deschutes, Tree House, and Great Lakes).  You predict that for 2026, so MAYBE I am ahead of the curve!

I love Cask and will always order that if I am at a pub that has it, but somewhat harder to find over here.

I saw a lot of hoppy lagers in Georgia, USA

Worked my way through most of Braybeake’s offerings and their dunkel and Baltic porter are really good. Their range is solid but those two were real standouts - lots of identifiable flavours, depth and layers too

Funny you mentioned Bass, I just brewed a clone recipe last weekend!

Always enjoy the show. Bottom line, I’m always looking to try something new.

Great episode to start the new year. I'm happy to report that cask seems alive and well north of the border, with classics like J.W. Lees Harvest Ale sitting alongside local gems like Jarl and Long White Cloud at the Jolly Judge Edinburgh. I will always choose cask when you have this quality on offer, and our beer savvy visitors from České Budějovice agreed.

My local bottle shop has “nitro mean old tom” stout from Maine beer company. Very delicious!🍻👍🏻

I drank more cask last year than before. I'm sure your influence played a role.

West coaster here, I would say yes hoppy lager has arrived! Mostly as west coast pils

Talking about classic styles I hope Belgian styles become mainstream, obviously it won't happen but imagine if tripels became popular.