Hitting peak 2000 on the #TOTP BBC 4 re-runs this week - April 2000 - ‘Flowers’ by Sweet Female Attitude (loved them), Craig David’s exceptional ‘Fill Me In’ and Sisqo’s ‘Thong Song’ has just turned up!
Zoëonpop
@zoeonpop.bsky.social
Pop culture & Beer. Editor of #Berkshire CAMRA Pubs & Pints Magazine. History, Architecture, Music & Transport enthusiast. #rdguk
"I want your children's lungs to be smaller and less functional" is a bold electoral strategy.
The case against Nigel Farage has just been started up again. How’s that for 3D chess Nigel .
Now I’ve been erased from the history of Infinite Monkey Cage, here are some things I talked about at @emfcamp.bsky.social plus poems and happy stuff #poetry #science #bbcradio #bbc #lgbtq
saoirse@naceallabug.bsky.social · 2mo ago"When you're better people say you must be ill, because they liked the person you were. The person who could be manipulated, who could be shut up or bullied." youtu.be/Rn-ZrPyQ1TE?... Absolute fire from @robinince.bsky.social .
But the winner - by a long shot - is this. The St Bernardus Tripel 0.0 - what a good #afbeer this is. It appears that the brewery have brewed it themselves and taken their time over it. It’s good. The sweetness and depth of a triple, a little floral. Big fan. It’s a job well done.
Zoëonpop@zoeonpop.bsky.social · 3mo agoThird was the Verzet Caravan Sultan and I’ve had another af by Verzet before and it was GREAT so I had high hopes but this was very watery and bland. It quenched my thirst, that was about it. Meh. #afbeer
Third was the Verzet Caravan Sultan and I’ve had another af by Verzet before and it was GREAT so I had high hopes but this was very watery and bland. It quenched my thirst, that was about it. Meh. #afbeer
Zoëonpop@zoeonpop.bsky.social · 3mo agoSecond up was the Tripel Karmeleit which was… ok, not terrible. It lacked the sweetness I’d expect and was quite bready but it’s alright. Could be worse! #afbeer
Second up was the Tripel Karmeleit which was… ok, not terrible. It lacked the sweetness I’d expect and was quite bready but it’s alright. Could be worse! #afbeer
Zoëonpop@zoeonpop.bsky.social · 3mo agoVerdict time for the newest additions to the Belgian beer alcohol free selection! First up was the Hommelbier. Genuinely terrible. Nothing resembling the original beer. A huge wasted opportunity. Don’t bother.
Verdict time for the newest additions to the Belgian beer alcohol free selection! First up was the Hommelbier. Genuinely terrible. Nothing resembling the original beer. A huge wasted opportunity. Don’t bother.
Zoëonpop@zoeonpop.bsky.social · 3mo agoBelgium keeping their alcohol free beer game VERY strong with these recent additions. I’ll report back but I yelped in delight when I spotted the old St Bernardus Monk 🤣 - also, the other AF Verzet beers I have tried have been knockout so fingers crossed. #afbeer #beer
Having visited every one of these establishments, I can vouch for this being a really bloody good guide! If you’re considering a trip to Bruges, here you go!
Edible Reading@ediblereading.bsky.social · 3mo agoNEW POST! This week my brand new, completely revised and overhauled guide to brilliant Bruges. Here’s the link if you want to read about excellent food, beer, wine and coffee: ediblereading.com/2026/07/17/c...
GOOD MORNING! Here's our regular round-up of good writing about beer and pubs with notes on the popularity of Bass, a very special barley wine, and the ever-controversial topic of kids in pubs. 🍺🍻 boakandbailey.com/2026/03/news...
News, nuggets and longreads 28 March 2026: Vigil
Every Saturday we round up the best writing about beer from the past week. This time, we’ve got Bass, barley wine, and bambini.
boakandbailey.com
I just finished a three-year term as an editor at an international relations journal. I began at the start of the LLM era but ended right in the middle of it. Our volume of submissions tripled and our desk reject rate rose to 75%. I have some thoughts. open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
The Age of Academic Slop is Upon Us
what happens when AI automates "normal science"?
open.substack.com
NEW REVIEW! This week, I spend four days at arguably Reading’s biggest restaurant, a place of peace, care, healing and Marmite. I hope you like it, and thanks for reading and keeping me virtual company all year. ediblereading.com/2025/12/19/r...
Restaurant review: The Royal Berkshire Hospital
On the Wednesday afternoon, my second full day in hospital after the accident, I put some pictures up on Facebook. Nothing special, just a picture from my bed of Dorrell Ward, my left foot poking o…
ediblereading.com
Really interesting read: www.theguardian.com/wellness/202...
I’m disagreeable – and it’s backed by science. Can I change my personality?
I scored low for agreeableness in a personality test for the ‘big five’ traits – does this mean I’m doomed to be disagreeable? I looked into how I can change who I am
theguardian.com
Do you want to read about my relationship with TV? It's all here if you do.
A Stubborn Love: TV & Me
I never had a television in my bedroom growing up, unlike my sisters. I'm a music person at heart and this was a connection I made early on, leaving the TV to play second fiddle. But things evolve and having lost a big part of my hearing over the past twenty years, I think my cultural stimulation is found more equally through the box these days.
zoeonpop.wordpress.com
First time trying De Ranke’s Amer Amer ipa - it’s very good. I’ve heard it’s superb on draft but the bottle will have to do for now. Hoppy and refreshing. #beer #belgianbeer
Very slowly getting back into reading this year - last year was just a write off - and I’m sticking with a music theme and will dive into this today:
I know I'm slow, but I am *gradually* getting through this massive list!
Now Playing: Pitchfork’s Top 200 Albums of the 1980s. 170-161.
Who hasn't had a friend wax lyrical about an album? "You've got to listen to this!" Alas, I'm very stubborn when it comes to recommendations, despite my agreeable nature. This said, I do make a mental note of recommendations and I do intend to listen but I'll do it in my own time. And, in my own time can be anything from later the same day to years into the future.
zoeonpop.wordpress.com
A piece on Seven Trees Cider from last spring. I spent a lovely afternoon meeting Andy Williams and seeing his orchard and hearing about his family roots and love of cider.
Seven Trees Cider
Andy Williams of Seven Trees Cider. Photo by Zoë Andrews. You wouldn’t know this, because the road is quiet and suburban, but Tilehurst is home to Seven Trees Cider, tucked away just off the number 17 bus route. The name comes from the little orchard in the lovely garden of Andy and Ann Williams, both horticulturalists by trade. Each of the trees bears a different variety of apple, all of them were grafted by Andy and all of them are carefully nurtured and respected.
zoeonpop.wordpress.com
The man in the automated message on the Manchester Civil Justice Centre phone number genuinely sounds unhinged. It only gets worse the longer you listen. Just wait for the bit about bailiffs. Who approved this???
Because I’m currently in Bruges and not doing a dry Jan, I’d kind of forgotten that loads of people are so here you go, from last year but there’s some decent #afbeer recommended in here and I’ve tried nearly 300 varieties so I do know the good ones! 🤣 minesapintrdg.wordpress.com/2024/03/13/d...
Did You Do Dry January?
What does Dry January tell us about our relationship with alcohol? I did Dry January once in 2015 and, in honesty, I found it utterly miserable. I faltered at the last hurdle, which was pay day wee…
minesapintrdg.wordpress.com
One of the things I love about my annual January visit to bruges is seeing the widening selection of #afbeer that’s available - always something new. I picked up a few to bring home and try at my leisure. It’s a big time growing market and that’s a good thing.
