265 - Mid Year Review 2026

We’re a little late with our mid-year review, but there’s been plenty to catch up on. From International Women’s Day collaboration brews to beer festivals, brewery visits and far more spreadsheets than anyone probably needs, we’re looking back at the first six months of the year and asking what’s actually changed in our beer lives. Along the way we compare our wildly different beer-tracking habits, debate whether six-month reviews are actually easier than quarterly ones, and discover that neither of us is quite as organised as we’d hoped. It’s a gloriously nerdy dive into stats, favourite styles and the joy of turning beer into a personal data project.   Of course, there are beers in our glasses too. We revisit our International Women’s Day collaboration beer, Espresso for My Depresso from Merakai, celebrating its beautifully balanced espresso martini character, while also cracking open beers from UnBarred, Wilderness and Japan’s Matsumoto Brewery. That leads us into conversations about saving “special” beers for the perfect occasion, experimenting with everything from Chardonnay grapes to old fashioned-inspired saisons, and why sometimes the best plan is simply to drink the beer you’ve been keeping for months.   Expect plenty of rabbit holes as we compare Untappd checklists, unusual hop varieties, strange beer ingredients, favourite fruit flavours and even which coloured sweets deserve to exist. We also share how the podcast has been performing so far this year, celebrate some standout episodes, and look ahead to everything we’re excited about for the second half of the year. If you love beer, brewing trivia and listening to two friends enthusiastically overanalyse almost everything, this one’s for you.     Get in Touch: Website: https://awomansbrewpod.beer/ Email: [email protected] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awomansbrew/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AWomansBrew Tori: @adventures_in_hoptimism Joanne: @lovebeerlearning Jo’s website: http://www.lovebeerlearning.co.uk Support us: https://ko-fi.com/awomansbrew   Join our 2025 drinking challenge here   Subscribe: Podbean iTunes Spotify TuneIn   Watch: YouTube   Music: Higher Up by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com