The British Guild of Beer Writers has published a tribute to long-standing member Ron Atkins, who has died at the age of 89.
Ron Atkins. Photograph: Jazzwise
Sporting a beatnik-style goatee, Ron was a familiar and friendly figure at beer events for many years. He was founding editor of CAMRA’s London Drinker from 1979 to 1983, where he immediately courted controversy by accusing mild drinkers of indulging in “trendy one-upmanship”.
He then wrote the Collins Gem Guide to Beer before, around the turn of the century, moving to Lewes in East Sussex, from where he edited The New Imbiber magazine, keeping close track of developments in UK beer and brewing until publication ceased in 2012.
A clarinetist himself, Ron was, however, perhaps better known in the music world as a knowledgeable jazz critic. He started writing reviews for Jazz Monthly in 1957 and went on to design covers for Esquire Records and review for The Guardian, Tribune, and other publications before editing books that included All That Jazz: the illustrated story of jazz music, and Jazz: The Ultimate Guide from New Orleans to the Jazz Age.
