Matthew Curtis
@totalcurtis.bsky.social
A writer and photographer obsessed with beer, pubs and their culture. Founding editor @pelliclemag.com. He/Him.
More about me and my work: www.totalales.co.uk
More about me and my work: www.totalales.co.uk
Pinned
Matthew Curtis
@totalcurtis.bsky.social
· Sep 10
In February 2024 I visited French & Jupps, the UKs oldest existing maltster, and roasted malt specialist. I’d never heard of them before, despite them being in operation since 1689. It’s story fascinated me, so I wrote it for @pelliclemag.com here:
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/9/...
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/9/...
Turin Breaks 'The Optimist' remains one of the best albums of the early 2000s. In fact I'd say it sounds even better now than it did when it was released.
November 10, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Turin Breaks 'The Optimist' remains one of the best albums of the early 2000s. In fact I'd say it sounds even better now than it did when it was released.
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
I’ve been saving this until I had time to relax and enjoy it. Where better than Fell NQ with a pint of Tinderbox
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/10...
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/10...
The Essential Guide to Pub Etiquette — Pellicle
It was the writer and politician Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953) who famously said, “ Change your hearts or you will lose your inns and you will deserve to have lost them. But when you have lost your inns ...
www.pelliclemag.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:09 PM
I’ve been saving this until I had time to relax and enjoy it. Where better than Fell NQ with a pint of Tinderbox
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/10...
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/10...
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
Dark Woods Coffee - a podcast:
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/4/...
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/4/...
The Pellicle Podcast Ep70 — Paul Meikle-Janney and Damian Blackburn of Dark Woods Coffee, Marsden — Pellicle
Coffee and beer are, when you think about it, strange bedfellows. One gets you out of bed in the morning, provides stimulation and impetus, while the other (hopefully) tells you that it’s time to slow...
www.pelliclemag.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Dark Woods Coffee - a podcast:
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/4/...
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/4/...
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
November 9, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
thank you to everyone who has pre ordered a zine! we are halfway to our pre order target already which is HUGE. you can get a cap now also! they’re gorgeous imo. the whole project is fun and beautiful and silly and i’m so proud of what we’ve created!
Get a copy here ⬇️
www.burumcollective.com/jlp
Get a copy here ⬇️
www.burumcollective.com/jlp
November 7, 2025 at 4:24 PM
thank you to everyone who has pre ordered a zine! we are halfway to our pre order target already which is HUGE. you can get a cap now also! they’re gorgeous imo. the whole project is fun and beautiful and silly and i’m so proud of what we’ve created!
Get a copy here ⬇️
www.burumcollective.com/jlp
Get a copy here ⬇️
www.burumcollective.com/jlp
We have lots of plans, but we want to pay our contributors and team better and keep Pellicle sustainable, so we’re putting our base subs up in January, making now a great time to sign up at the existing rates if you want to support us.
News!
We have plans for a print Pellicle in 2026 but we can only do that with your help. Become a Patreon subscriber now and support our b̶i̶d̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶l̶d̶ ̶d̶o̶m̶i̶n̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ writers, artists and editors, and keep Pellicle free to read for all 🫶🏻
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/11...
We have plans for a print Pellicle in 2026 but we can only do that with your help. Become a Patreon subscriber now and support our b̶i̶d̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶l̶d̶ ̶d̶o̶m̶i̶n̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ writers, artists and editors, and keep Pellicle free to read for all 🫶🏻
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/11...
An Important Update About Our Subscription Fees (And How To Support Pellicle) — Pellicle
When Jonny and I started working on Pellicle in earnest at the very start of 2019, we spent a long afternoon discussing how we hoped to fund it. From day one, we were dedicated to paying every contrib...
www.pelliclemag.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:26 AM
We have lots of plans, but we want to pay our contributors and team better and keep Pellicle sustainable, so we’re putting our base subs up in January, making now a great time to sign up at the existing rates if you want to support us.
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
pre-writing a devastating obituary for your enemy is god-tier hating of a kind you don’t often see anymore. renaissance haterism. beautiful stuff.
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:55 AM
pre-writing a devastating obituary for your enemy is god-tier hating of a kind you don’t often see anymore. renaissance haterism. beautiful stuff.
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
BLOG POST: What was Rustic Ale? Why have we never heard of it before? And what meaning did the words ‘rustic ale’ convey to drinkers? 🍺🍻
boakandbailey.com/2025/11/mann...
boakandbailey.com/2025/11/mann...
Mann’s Rustic Ale and ideas of authenticity in beer
London brewer Mann’s, best known for its brown ale, also had a product called ‘Rustic Ale’. What meaning were those two words supposed to convey?
boakandbailey.com
November 9, 2025 at 9:22 AM
BLOG POST: What was Rustic Ale? Why have we never heard of it before? And what meaning did the words ‘rustic ale’ convey to drinkers? 🍺🍻
boakandbailey.com/2025/11/mann...
boakandbailey.com/2025/11/mann...
It’s not going to be live cast because I’m not that technologically capable, but I am going to record the conversation and if I’m happy with the audio stick it on the podcast
SATURDAY DAY INFO
1pm: A conversation about Small Independent Retail (Bottle Shops, as we still call them) hosted by Matthew Curtis, and live cast on the @pelliclemag.com website (£5 entry - pay at the front desk)
Get your song requests in + don’t forget to buy your tickets for the raffle!
1pm: A conversation about Small Independent Retail (Bottle Shops, as we still call them) hosted by Matthew Curtis, and live cast on the @pelliclemag.com website (£5 entry - pay at the front desk)
Get your song requests in + don’t forget to buy your tickets for the raffle!
November 8, 2025 at 9:39 AM
It’s not going to be live cast because I’m not that technologically capable, but I am going to record the conversation and if I’m happy with the audio stick it on the podcast
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
SATURDAY DAY INFO
1pm: A conversation about Small Independent Retail (Bottle Shops, as we still call them) hosted by Matthew Curtis, and live cast on the @pelliclemag.com website (£5 entry - pay at the front desk)
Get your song requests in + don’t forget to buy your tickets for the raffle!
1pm: A conversation about Small Independent Retail (Bottle Shops, as we still call them) hosted by Matthew Curtis, and live cast on the @pelliclemag.com website (£5 entry - pay at the front desk)
Get your song requests in + don’t forget to buy your tickets for the raffle!
November 8, 2025 at 9:24 AM
SATURDAY DAY INFO
1pm: A conversation about Small Independent Retail (Bottle Shops, as we still call them) hosted by Matthew Curtis, and live cast on the @pelliclemag.com website (£5 entry - pay at the front desk)
Get your song requests in + don’t forget to buy your tickets for the raffle!
1pm: A conversation about Small Independent Retail (Bottle Shops, as we still call them) hosted by Matthew Curtis, and live cast on the @pelliclemag.com website (£5 entry - pay at the front desk)
Get your song requests in + don’t forget to buy your tickets for the raffle!
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
If you know me, you know that I don't stand for made up food rules, gatekeeping, the idea that cultures can't change etc. All that said: queueing at a traditional pub is an obscenity, and an erosion of a genuine, unique cultural tradition up with which we should not put.
The Pellicle Essential Guide to Pub Ettiquette!
Already noted as curmudgeonly by @boakandbailey.bsky.social, we prefer "righteously bothered."
Table rezzies, bogey-filled tissues in empty glasses, rounds and more, all documented for posterity.
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/10...
Already noted as curmudgeonly by @boakandbailey.bsky.social, we prefer "righteously bothered."
Table rezzies, bogey-filled tissues in empty glasses, rounds and more, all documented for posterity.
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/10...
The Essential Guide to Pub Etiquette — Pellicle
It was the writer and politician Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953) who famously said, “ Change your hearts or you will lose your inns and you will deserve to have lost them. But when you have lost your inns ...
www.pelliclemag.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:31 PM
If you know me, you know that I don't stand for made up food rules, gatekeeping, the idea that cultures can't change etc. All that said: queueing at a traditional pub is an obscenity, and an erosion of a genuine, unique cultural tradition up with which we should not put.
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
Y’all know how I love to pull the proverbial etiquette socks up in anticipation of given situation, so being asked to contribute to this had me rubbing my hands together with glee 😁🍻
Read on for what to do and not to do when visiting the pub - and break these rules at your peril!
Read on for what to do and not to do when visiting the pub - and break these rules at your peril!
The Pellicle Essential Guide to Pub Ettiquette!
Already noted as curmudgeonly by @boakandbailey.bsky.social, we prefer "righteously bothered."
Table rezzies, bogey-filled tissues in empty glasses, rounds and more, all documented for posterity.
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/10...
Already noted as curmudgeonly by @boakandbailey.bsky.social, we prefer "righteously bothered."
Table rezzies, bogey-filled tissues in empty glasses, rounds and more, all documented for posterity.
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/10...
The Essential Guide to Pub Etiquette — Pellicle
It was the writer and politician Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953) who famously said, “ Change your hearts or you will lose your inns and you will deserve to have lost them. But when you have lost your inns ...
www.pelliclemag.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Y’all know how I love to pull the proverbial etiquette socks up in anticipation of given situation, so being asked to contribute to this had me rubbing my hands together with glee 😁🍻
Read on for what to do and not to do when visiting the pub - and break these rules at your peril!
Read on for what to do and not to do when visiting the pub - and break these rules at your peril!
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
This is a fun piece! It got me thinking that one thing I actually enjoy seeing much less of outside of the UK is the rounds system. While it’s a lovely thing in theory, I’ve found that without it, it’s much easier to choose precisely what and how much to drink, and when to leave.
The Pellicle Essential Guide to Pub Ettiquette!
Already noted as curmudgeonly by @boakandbailey.bsky.social, we prefer "righteously bothered."
Table rezzies, bogey-filled tissues in empty glasses, rounds and more, all documented for posterity.
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/10...
Already noted as curmudgeonly by @boakandbailey.bsky.social, we prefer "righteously bothered."
Table rezzies, bogey-filled tissues in empty glasses, rounds and more, all documented for posterity.
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/10...
The Essential Guide to Pub Etiquette — Pellicle
It was the writer and politician Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953) who famously said, “ Change your hearts or you will lose your inns and you will deserve to have lost them. But when you have lost your inns ...
www.pelliclemag.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:03 PM
This is a fun piece! It got me thinking that one thing I actually enjoy seeing much less of outside of the UK is the rounds system. While it’s a lovely thing in theory, I’ve found that without it, it’s much easier to choose precisely what and how much to drink, and when to leave.
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
GOOD MORNING! Here's the latest news, nuggets and longreads, with notes on pub etiquette, the evolution of lager yeast, antique beers in deep snow, and a bunch of other stuff, too. 🍺🍻
boakandbailey.com/2025/11/news...
boakandbailey.com/2025/11/news...
News, nuggets and longreads 8 November 2025: Spotted Hemlock
Every Saturday we round up the best writing about beer from the past week. This time, we’ve got etiquette, lager yeast and snow.
boakandbailey.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:21 AM
GOOD MORNING! Here's the latest news, nuggets and longreads, with notes on pub etiquette, the evolution of lager yeast, antique beers in deep snow, and a bunch of other stuff, too. 🍺🍻
boakandbailey.com/2025/11/news...
boakandbailey.com/2025/11/news...
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
Got the worst table hoggers I've seen in a long time right now in Tapping the Admiral. @totalcurtis.bsky.social
The Pellicle Essential Guide to Pub Ettiquette!
Already noted as curmudgeonly by @boakandbailey.bsky.social, we prefer "righteously bothered."
Table rezzies, bogey-filled tissues in empty glasses, rounds and more, all documented for posterity.
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/10...
Already noted as curmudgeonly by @boakandbailey.bsky.social, we prefer "righteously bothered."
Table rezzies, bogey-filled tissues in empty glasses, rounds and more, all documented for posterity.
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/10...
The Essential Guide to Pub Etiquette — Pellicle
It was the writer and politician Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953) who famously said, “ Change your hearts or you will lose your inns and you will deserve to have lost them. But when you have lost your inns ...
www.pelliclemag.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Got the worst table hoggers I've seen in a long time right now in Tapping the Admiral. @totalcurtis.bsky.social
Massive thanks to the folks from @thefreetradeinn.bsky.social, who just became a Pellicle subscriber on one of our pro tiers. If you've not read about this fantastic pub yet, we published this article on them by Martin Flynn back in 2020.
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2020/5/...
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2020/5/...
It Takes a Bridge — Inside Newcastle’s Legendary Free Trade Inn — Pellicle
“Free Trade Inn,” state solid red letters on an equally sturdy building, sat on a hill by the banks of the River Tyne. The north-eastern city of Newcastle has weathered massive change over recent deca...
www.pelliclemag.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Massive thanks to the folks from @thefreetradeinn.bsky.social, who just became a Pellicle subscriber on one of our pro tiers. If you've not read about this fantastic pub yet, we published this article on them by Martin Flynn back in 2020.
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2020/5/...
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2020/5/...
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
Really honoured to have been shortlisted for this year’s @britbeerwriters.bsky.social Best Communication about Beer and Travel award for my @pelliclemag.com long read on the pubs of Rye & the rich history that shaped them 🍻
You can read it here!
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/3/...
You can read it here!
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/3/...
November 7, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Really honoured to have been shortlisted for this year’s @britbeerwriters.bsky.social Best Communication about Beer and Travel award for my @pelliclemag.com long read on the pubs of Rye & the rich history that shaped them 🍻
You can read it here!
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/3/...
You can read it here!
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/3/...
It’s always nice to get mentioned among such a strong field of great writing in a competition that gets tougher every year. Congrats to all the nominees, such a thrill to see so much @pelliclemag.com work in there!
The wait is over! The shortlist for the British Guild of Beer Writers Awards is out now. Follow the link to see the full list and celebrate this year’s talented finalists! 🍻✨
www.beerguild.co.uk/2025-awards-...
www.beerguild.co.uk/2025-awards-...
November 7, 2025 at 11:02 AM
It’s always nice to get mentioned among such a strong field of great writing in a competition that gets tougher every year. Congrats to all the nominees, such a thrill to see so much @pelliclemag.com work in there!
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
Congratulations to Reece at @donzokobeer.bsky.social for making the shortlist for @britbeerwriters.bsky.social Awards!
You can read Reece’s shortlisted entry via @pelliclemag.com: www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/5/...
You can read Reece’s shortlisted entry via @pelliclemag.com: www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/5/...
Pick Up The Flashpoint — Pigalle Beer Bar in Setagaya City, Tokyo — Pellicle
Tokyo is a bit of a nightmare. The largest city on the planet takes no prisoners with its jostle and bustle; a polite chaos of 37 million people. The air drips with hot, steamy humidity. For a big, bu...
www.pelliclemag.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Congratulations to Reece at @donzokobeer.bsky.social for making the shortlist for @britbeerwriters.bsky.social Awards!
You can read Reece’s shortlisted entry via @pelliclemag.com: www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/5/...
You can read Reece’s shortlisted entry via @pelliclemag.com: www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/5/...
I still can’t believe vault city have made a piss beer
November 7, 2025 at 7:37 AM
I still can’t believe vault city have made a piss beer
I have gone from "I detest the idea of making videos although I accept I need to do them to sustain my career in the algorithm age" to "fucking hell I'm having the time of my life cutting together daft videos" in a remarkably short space of time.
November 6, 2025 at 9:47 PM
I have gone from "I detest the idea of making videos although I accept I need to do them to sustain my career in the algorithm age" to "fucking hell I'm having the time of my life cutting together daft videos" in a remarkably short space of time.
Let me translate that for VC: We've deliberately packaged a beer containing fermentable sugars but its your fault for not keeping it cold enough if the can foams everywhere.
November 6, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Let me translate that for VC: We've deliberately packaged a beer containing fermentable sugars but its your fault for not keeping it cold enough if the can foams everywhere.
TL;DR if you still insist on using Twitter/X you’re not just poisoning your brain, you’re potentially being radicalised
must-read analysis of how Musk's twitter is drenching new users with right-wing propaganda
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
news.sky.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:52 PM
TL;DR if you still insist on using Twitter/X you’re not just poisoning your brain, you’re potentially being radicalised
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
Number of pubs stocking draught Bass passes 1,000 as AB Inbev's sales drive takes hold. So distribution has nearly trebled from a couple of years ago. Latest directory of stockists: nationalbassdirectory.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...
November 6, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Number of pubs stocking draught Bass passes 1,000 as AB Inbev's sales drive takes hold. So distribution has nearly trebled from a couple of years ago. Latest directory of stockists: nationalbassdirectory.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Matthew Curtis
This is brilliant. Read.
The Pellicle Essential Guide to Pub Ettiquette!
Already noted as curmudgeonly by @boakandbailey.bsky.social, we prefer "righteously bothered."
Table rezzies, bogey-filled tissues in empty glasses, rounds and more, all documented for posterity.
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/10...
Already noted as curmudgeonly by @boakandbailey.bsky.social, we prefer "righteously bothered."
Table rezzies, bogey-filled tissues in empty glasses, rounds and more, all documented for posterity.
www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/10...
The Essential Guide to Pub Etiquette — Pellicle
It was the writer and politician Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953) who famously said, “ Change your hearts or you will lose your inns and you will deserve to have lost them. But when you have lost your inns ...
www.pelliclemag.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:38 PM
This is brilliant. Read.