London Ale Taster 2010

Tom Harman, Copywriter at digital and direct agency, Tullo Marshall Warren may not have won the coveted title London Ale Taster 2010, but that did not stop him sampling the delights of several barrels of ales, bitters, stouts and lagers.

Tom, who came in at third place, was one of six lucky beer lovers shortlisted from hundreds of applicants to battle it out in the final, which took place on Wednesday 9th June 2010 at London’s historic Old Spitalfields Market.

Tom endured four rounds of ale tasting, where he had to identify unmarked samples of different ales and match them to a list - earning points for each one correctly identified.

In the fifth and final round, Tom, along with the six contestants, had to deliver a one-minute presentation on why they felt they should win the title to a panel of judges that included Pete Brown, a leading beer writer and historian, and Steve Wellington, a master brewer with the famous White Shield micro-brewery. The candidate with the most points earned the crown as London Ale Taster for 2010.

“I was gutted that I didn’t win the coveted title but the taking part was very enjoyable indeed,” said Tom. “I was attracted by the fact that the winner gets an undisclosed sum every month to fund their boozing - how brilliant. I’m not a beardy weirdo with a barrel-chest (not yet anyway), so I could have broken the stereotype and been a younger voice for real ale.”