Tributes have been paid to writer, musician, and historian Des de Moor, whose death has been announced. He was 64.
Des de Moor
Des was one of the beer industry’s best-loved characters and writers. He started writing about beer around the turn of the century, contributing to various CAMRA publications and beer magazines.
He wrote several books, including Cask: The Real Story of Britain’s Unique Beer Culture, which won silver in the book category at the British Guild of Beer Writers’ Awards in 2023.
He also led frequent beer and history tours of London, and travelled the world as a well-respected beer judge.
Beer was not his only passion, and he wrote for Rambler magazine Walk, as well as having a career in music. He specialised in European-influenced musical cabaret and chanson, running a club night in London for more than 12 years from 1994.
In the early-mid 2000s he released Darkness and Disgrace, a musical cabaret from the songs of David Bowie developed with pianist Russell Churney.
“He’ll be hugely missed by the industry as a whole, as well as those who knew and worked with him,” said a spokesperson for the British Guild of Beer Writers. “The Guild would like to express their condolences to his friends and family, and to say that we will continue to champion the great work he did in the beer world.”
There’s a full obituary by Roger Protz on the CAMRA website.
