{"id":131119,"date":"2020-07-03T10:50:39","date_gmt":"2020-07-03T09:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/?p=131119"},"modified":"2020-07-03T10:53:13","modified_gmt":"2020-07-03T09:53:13","slug":"beer-blogger-spotlight-rachael-smith-look-at-brew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/beer-blogger-spotlight-rachael-smith-look-at-brew\/","title":{"rendered":"Beer Blogger Spotlight: Rachael Smith, Look at Brew"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018Beer is usually just one thread in a bigger experience and that relationship and connection is something that really fascinates me\u2019 \u2013 Look at Brew<\/a> blogger Rachael Smith likes to look beyond what\u2019s in the bottle when it comes to beer. Originally fascinated by the artwork on the outside, Rachael now aims to cover the full experience of beer; the brewing and the people behind the brand labels.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Rachael<\/p>\n

How did you originally get started with writing about beer?<\/span><\/strong>
\nI\u2019d been a keen beer drinker for a few years, all traditional British stuff, then started to notice a shift. The likes of Beavertown, Camden, The Kernel, Brew by Numbers, etc. were releasing beer styles that I\u2019d not heard of before and often with striking labels which really stood out and marked them as something new and different. I was drawn to the artwork of these new beers so I set up my blog as a way to document them. The blog soon developed and has evolved to be a celebration of all beer and brewing.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favourite thing to post about and why?<\/span><\/strong>
\nI\u2019m writing more think pieces these days and really trying to use mindfulness in my approach when it comes to how I feel about beers and pubs in particular moments. Beer is usually just one thread in a bigger experience and that relationship and connection is something that really fascinates me so that\u2019s where my interest is currently.<\/p>\n

I do reviews as well but have made the decision to move these to Instagram only as that\u2019s how the scene seems to have progressed. People don\u2019t want to read a long review anymore; they\u2019re checking Instagram for a quick commentary and a good photo. I will always try to give honest reviews and point out if improvements can be made \u2013 it\u2019s better for everyone instead of just hyping something up, and there\u2019s a lot of hype in beer! I\u2019m a fan of travel pieces and brewery features, too, and enjoy telling the story behind favourite breweries and beers, so that\u2019s something I\u2019d like to do more of.<\/p>\n

How have you had to change your approach to blogging, or your content, during the COVID-19 crisis?<\/span><\/strong>
\nI\u2019ve been trying to shine a light on all the local independent brewers doing delivery just to keep afloat. There\u2019s a huge community vibe within the local beer scene and it really feels like folks have rallied to help small businesses during the pandemic. I\u2019ve put a list on the blog of the local brewers and bottle shops offering takeaway or delivery and I\u2019ve been buying direct too, so my Instagram feed has reflected this, also. But generally, anything that I\u2019ve written has been as a result of what is being experienced right now; life during lockdown, missing the pub experience, the beers I\u2019ve been drinking. Even if I\u2019ve had ideas for content not directly influenced by lockdown, I\u2019ve not felt the need to post them \u2013 it just hasn\u2019t seemed relevant or important, but as we\u2019re moving towards things easing, that\u2019ll change.<\/p>\n

Any particular pubs or bars you\u2019ve really been missing during the lockdown?<\/span><\/strong>
\nYes, many! In particular is The Surrey Oaks in Newdigate which is a wonderful traditional country pub with a huge beer garden. It is welcoming to families which is a must, with a toddler in tow. They\u2019ve got a great team who serve incredible food, cask and modern keg beers. It\u2019s the moon on a stick and will be my first port of call. In my hometown, Horsham, we\u2019ve got some fantastic pubs too, and an evening spent in The Malt Shovel, Anchor Tap or Frog & Nightgown will be greatly enjoyed when the time comes.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the first beer you ever tried, and do you still drink it occasionally?<\/span><\/strong>
\nI think it was probably a little French or Belgian beer, the kind that comes in little stubby green bottles, cheap as chips (cheaper in fact), from the supermarket. I don\u2019t remember much beer in the house growing up, but there were those in the summer, and I remember Dad would have a bottle after a day in the garden or mowing the lawn. I remember joining him for one after an afternoon of gardening. I haven\u2019t bought any for a long time now but that will have to be rectified!<\/p>\n

Any breweries from the past that you wish were still around?<\/span><\/strong>
\nI\u2019ve got to say Hastings Beer Co. The team brewed some incredible saisons and hoppy brown ales. They were definitely ahead of the curve locally in terms of style trends and the quality was there to back it up.<\/p>\n

For people who don\u2019t drink, can you recommend a good non-alcoholic beer that still comes close to the taste of the alcoholic version?<\/span><\/strong>
\nBig Drop Lager is excellent and easy to find. I\u2019ve also recently been impressed by West Berks brewery and its Solo pale ale. There are a lot of low and no alcohol beers on the market right now, many of which are really good. It\u2019s an interesting and exciting part of modern beer which is developing at a huge rate and the quality that\u2019s out there is reflecting this.<\/p>\n

How do you collaborate with brands and which kinds do you really like working with?<\/span><\/strong>
\nA brand will typically get in touch to ask if I\u2019d like some samples for review or if I\u2019d like to join an event. Some brewers reach out to ask if I\u2019d like a tour. This will then translate into social media posts and if there\u2019s something there that really stands out, or if I\u2019ve been to a brewery for a tour, then I\u2019ll write about my experience and try to tell the story of that place\/person\/beer. I like working with folks who stay in touch and let me know of any news\/new releases, etc. Being personable goes a long way.<\/p>\n

For PRs looking to work with you and your blog\/website, how would you prefer they approach you and with what kind of content?<\/span><\/strong>
\nI can be contacted via my website or social media channels and I\u2019m open to ideas if a brand wants specific content. If there\u2019s something there that appeals to me, and I think it\u2019s a good for the blog, then happy days. The more info upfront, the better.<\/p>\n

What other blogs do you check out regularly (whether beer-related or not)?<\/span><\/strong>
\nBeer Compurgation<\/a> by Mark Johnson is one I read regularly. Mark blogs about all things beer and pubs (and sometimes chickens) and is well worth following.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also a fan of Boak & Bailey<\/a> for varied beer related content from tastings, to historical research to think pieces.<\/p>\n

Chris Norman of The Ale Album<\/a> blog is worth a read for anyone who loves music as much as they like beer, as he often pairs beers with albums. The albums always have stunning artwork, too!<\/p>\n

Finally, Matt Chinnery aka The Half Pint Gentleman<\/a> has just updated his blog and it\u2019s a collection of great photos, travel pieces and tasty recipes.<\/p>\n

\"Reach-the-right-influencers-with-the-Vuelio-media-database\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018Beer is usually just one thread in a bigger experience\u2019 – Look at Brew blogger Rachael Smith likes to look beyond what\u2019s in the bottle when it comes to beer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":312,"featured_media":131125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7365,4038,6980],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131119"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/312"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131119"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":131129,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131119\/revisions\/131129"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}