Pethau Da 2020
The year that has lasted a century is finally coming to an end and, never being ones to miss out on an opportunity for content, we at Burum Collective wanted to see it off with a list of pethau da - our good things.
But what exactly does good mean to us after these last twelve months?
Is it the wonderful 1500 word profiles that have let sunlight in on the hidden gems of our industries? Or the in-depth long-form pieces that have helped us to view our worlds differently, with more thought and attention?
It is, partially, the above, but the good of this year should also be applied to more than just achieved work and productivity. It’s in the emails of gentle reassurance sent from editor to writer. The words of advice shared over phone calls between people who have yet to meet in real life but who are friends nonetheless. The businesses who, having worked tirelessly to diversify and adapt in the face of relentless change, still remain pillars of their communities. It is everyone who has, with their words and with their actions, allowed someone else to feel safe and seen and loved as they move through their day.
Whilst there are plenty of awards for writing and content out there, there are very little for the quieter qualities that helped us support each other through this year. For those who have reached out and those who have listened. For kindness and encouragement, acceptance and generosity, warmth and humour. That is what our collective has been made of these last few months, and if it were possible each and every one of you would be receiving a tiny golden trophy in the post.
So without further ado this is Burum’s Pethau Da, our list of Good Things. It’s the articles that we have passed between us and the words we have forwarded to each other over whatsapp messages. The individuals that have inspired us and the groups that have welcomed us. Burum is first and foremost a collective and what a collective we have.
Earlier in Spring myself and Helen renamed 2020 The Year of the Spritz and we were thrilled to hear that our sentiments were shared by the youtube series Does It Shandy (a Shandy is after all, a Lager Spritz). Created by Michael Deakin and Laura Rangeley their videos are funny, tongue in cheek and come with the occasional cameo from very cute and very small dogs, we cannot recommend them enough.
Related, Michael, alongside Heather Griffin, is also the co-founder of the very brilliant Out & About Sheffield, who are creating safe spaces in the beer community for queer people. You can find more in our interview with them here and if you’re part of the LGBTQIA+ community you can join in with Out & About online by sharing your weekly beer experiences every Sunday, using the hashtag #OutAndAboutBeer.
Ren Nevarro of Beer Diversity was one of our first Behind the Bar interviews at Burum Collective, which, with her work being of huge inspiration to us, was a huge honour. Ren is doing the necessary work to address the lack of inclusivity in the beer industry, across both Canada and the United States. Ren is so crucial to this industry it is hard to find the right words to do her justice, Ren’s voice is an important one and we would urge the UK beer industry to take note and start listening.
Further south in the United States, Beer Kulture are helping to put employer’s money where their mouths are by creating a diverse job database of both employers and potential employees. Good Beer Hunting beat us to it with everything we wished to say about the industry-changing work that Latiesha Cook is doing with Beer Kulture in this piece, but we wanted to add that Latiesha’s support and encouragement has been invaluable, we are in awe of her work and cannot wait to see what she does in 2021.
Community is a word and sentiment that is discussed a lot, but what exactly does it mean? The wonderful Omolola Olateju wrote this brilliant piece on the care and commitment required to build communities that are as inclusive as they are online. Olateju’s words have been something Burum has referred to time and time again as we begin our process of expanding to paid contributions and we think it’s something you should read too.
BlaQ & Soul, created by April and Toni Boyce is an important example of inclusive online communities done well, a space where “BlaQness meets creativity” through powerful written work, culinary creations and videos. BlaQ being spelt with a Q because April and Toni are in both the Black and LGBTQIA+ communities, raising the importance of acknowledging intersectionality and centering it throughout their work. April’s light radiates through her Twitter feed and we were so lucky to have her as our first paid contributor this month, not to mention as an avid supporter and friend online. Toni’s writing is as powerful as it is necessary, in particular their piece Selective Outrage? Does Inclusion Include Us?, which is still one of our favourite pieces of written work in 2020 and we are very excited to have them as a Burum contributor next year.
It is impossible for us to talk of communities that have been built with care and commitment, without talking of Manchester Cider Club. Dick Withecombe and Cath Potter, alongside Nicky Kong, have created something so special with MCC; their online tastings and socials have fast become one of Burum’s favourite nights of the month. Thanks to Dick, Cath and Nicky (who has recently started the fantastic Cat in the Glass) I’ve been introduced to ciders that have blown my mind as well as some fantastic people in the cider community and found myself a firm fan of cider who now cannot wait to go to a Cider Club in person.
The more I learn about cider the more I have found myself moved by the passion and the warmth of those who make up the cider community. The brilliant Tas Fraser of Girl With A Cider Review, as some of us have witnessed this last month, is a force to be reckoned with. Her No Appleologies project has united women and non-binary members of the cider community together and we cannot wait to see what happens next. Back in the UK, both CAMRA and Alex Metcalfe are doing wonderful work in promoting cider and providing free and accessible educational content for those who want to learn more via their Learn and Discover pages.
Neutral Cider Hotel, hosted by Gabe Cook, Grant Hutchison and Martyn Goodwin-Sharman, is a podcast that has only been with us a few months but has fast become a Burum favourite. The Neutral Cider Hotel trio are funny and generous with their knowledge of cider, a rarity in drinks media, and their conversations are filled with so much warmth and passion for cider it’s contagious. We are very much looking forward to continuing our cider education through listening to them and their wonderful guests next year.
In a year where I have despaired at the state of most mainstream drinks media; newsletters have become such a source of joy to me, my own carefully curated magazine sent straight to my inbox. Some of my personal favourites are: Rachael Krishna’s very thoughtful, soothing Half & Half, Apoorva Sripathi’s Shelf Offering (her piece on the smellscapes of cities is perhaps one of my favourites this year) and Ferment the Rich, whose writings on craft beer in the era of multinational capitalism is rare in the way that I can feel my brain expanding with each paragraph.
Pellicle is another example of a publication doing things right. Matthew Curtis, who will never not intimidate me with his brilliance, and Jonny Hamilton, who is perhaps the coolest and kindest person I have never met, have created something so wonderful and so important with Pellicle. It’s a publication that clearly cares about people, those that write for them and those involved with the making and serving of the drinks being written about. Each piece, playlist and podcast released by them has been such a source of joy and quiet comfort this year. One of our favourites is this brilliant piece by the equally brilliant Nicci Peet on the wonder that is Little Pomona.
Another wonderful piece related to cider was Cider Communication, written by Adam Wells for Malt, on the imposter’s syndrome that even the best of us experience. Adam’s words were a gentle reminder that we are all human and that maybe it is our vulnerabilities that have more power to connect us than the drinks that do on the surface. Adam has been one of the kindest and supportive people the Burum team have been lucky to meet this year, if you haven’t already you can read his cider writings for Malt here.
This year Jas Swan has not only been making magnificent wines through her label Katla Wines but she has been making that process accessible through her fun and generous social media presence. Not only that, she has become a strong voice in the fight for climate change and why the wine industry needs to do better in order to protect the ground their grapes are grown on. You can watch the Climate Change conference that she recently organised here.
Wine hasn’t really had much of mention yet and if I’m honest it’s because I’m struggling a little with what it is to work in wine and what the vast majority of the wine industry represents. Wine has a long way to go to become a safe and accessible space for everyone, something that Amber Lucas discusses in her piece entitled I’ve Supported the Wine Industry For years, Why Won’t It Support Me, by highlighting some of the frustrations of Black women in the wine industry. Wine is far more than taste and small and a fancy label; there is a lot of work that needs to be done to address the issues of elitism, gatekeeping and predominate whiteness that swirls within the industry - work that needs to be done by all of us.
And last, but very much not least, I know for a fact that I wouldn’t be writing the words I am today if it wasn’t for Katie Mather, and I think perhaps it is fair to say that Helen wouldn’t be strengthened in the work they are doing if it wasn’t for Lily Waite. I will never not devour Katie’s words as soon as they land in my timeline or my inbox and this piece on Mild was a particular favourite. It should also be mentioned that Katie is now the owner of Corto, everyone's favourite bottle-shop-soon-to-be-bar, and I cannot wait to visit so I can give Katie the biggest hug and drink all of her carefully sourced riesling. Lily, in turn, is the brilliant and beautiful brain behind these two pieces which stopped Burum in our tracks earlier this year; After Opacity & Buckled Knuckles. Not only that but Lily’s support and friendship has meant a great deal to Helen, giving them the confidence to do more and be more.
We can only hope to be the Katie Mathers and Lily Waites to other young and somewhat anxious drinks professionals one day in the future.
