db’s Jessica Mason wins Best Beer Business Communicator Award

Beer editor at the drinks business Jessica Mason has taken the crown of Best Beer Business Communicator at this year’s British Guild of Beer Writers (BGBW) annual awards.

The event last night (November 29) took place in Big Penny Social, located on the Blackhorse Beer Mile in Walthamstow, and saw the cream of the beer writing community come together to celebrate the year’s best content across print and digital platforms, for consumers and the trade. It was specifically chosen as a venue to provide a more inclusive and casual ceremony, putting networking and industry connectivity at the centre of the yearly event, the BGBW.

Mason won the award for a series of exclusive articles in the drinks business, many of which produced a large amount of online traction, and were viewed millions of times on X (formerly Twitter) and other platforms.

One of the top stories entered into the awards was British breweries hit back at Sunak’s claims that Brexit has helped people secure ‘cheaper beer’ this summer, which has received tens of thousands of page views, and more than half-a-million views on social media platforms.

Another story was on the closure of craft breweries in 2022, which included commentary from Beer Nouveau’s Steve Dunkley and the Society of Independent Brewers’ Neil Walker.

Also entered into the award was a piece on what craft breweries should consider as their business models, and the most cost-effective beer styles to brew.

Finally, Mason entered a story on breweries hitting back at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s PR stunt at the Great British Beer Festival in August.

Presenting Mason with the award, beer writer Jonny Garrett said:  “In an industry short of analytical and brief news articles, our gold winner’s writing was vital and timely. We need more opportunities and more writers like our gold winner Jessica Mason.”

Speaking about her win, Mason said: “I am delighted and humbled to have won in such a competitive category against some of the finest beer writers in the UK.

‘This win is a victory for the necessity of opening-up discussions in the beer sector on the big issues, and for writers to not act as gatekeepers of content, but as interested, open-minded journalists of the wonderful world of beer.”