Tommy Barnes – författare

Burt, the devil dog, has risen from the dead, Gadget the miniature horse has moved into the kitchen and Tommy is thinking about distilling gin, what can possibly go wrong? With Brexit looming, a second baby on the way, and sales of IPA beer plummeting, trouble is brewing. But just as Tommy hits rock bottom inspiration arrives.

Burt, the hound of Beelzebub, has risen from the dead, Gadget the miniature horse has moved into the kitchen and Tommy has decided to expand his beer business, and on the advice of his wife Rose, is thinking about distilling gin, what can possibly go wrong? With Brexit looming, a second baby on the way, and sales of IPA beer plummeting, trouble is brewing in the Loire. Shortlisted for the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards 2019, Tommy Barnes' first book, A Beer in the Loire, told the tale of a year lurching from disaster to disaster as attempted to escape the rat race by starting a brewery in one of the finest wine-producing regions on the planet.

Four years after establishing Braslou Bière, a British microbrewery in the heart of French wine country, Covid hits and Tommy and Rose Barnes are forced to make the agonising decision to return to England.   Landing in a cramped cottage in scenic Padstow, their animals are rehomed, and their children confused. Tommy mourns the loss of his old life.  After winning and losing several jobs, not least at the legendary St Austell Brewery, He realises that it is he who is the problem not the work.With that insight, and the kindness of friends, and a rival brewer he sets about launching Braslou Bière in Cornwall.  Yes, there are disasters aplenty, but with his new self-knowledge and energy, life begins to look up. He launches Surfer Beer to celebrate.Told with biting wit and poignant reflection, this is a story of escape and exile, of finding freedom and losing it again, and of how the places we leave behind often haunt us more than we expect. It’s a deeply human tale about identity, home, and the weight of nostalgia—laced with beer, animals, and a truly indestructible dog.

Settled in a dilapidated house in the Loire they are plagued by calamities (mainly of Tommy's making), excitable neighbours, a destructive puppy and an unexpected pregnancy. When it looks like the money has run out. Tommy has an epiphany. Beer will save him, of course it will, it always has. After all there is a craft beer revolutions sweeping the world. Sadly it turns out that 20 years of drinking beer doesn't qualify you to brew it. Featuring colourful characters, a stunning location, and an inspiring collection of beer recipes, this is an irresistible feast