Freddy Bulmer is a wine and beer buyer at The Wine Society. He has completed the WSET level 4 Diploma in wine and spirits. In an exclusive interview with LBC, he speaks about why he prefers beer over beer cocktails and the current happenings in beer trends.

What according to you defines a brewmaster?

Someone who is qualified to brew beer at a professional level.

What do you prefer - Beers or Beer Cocktails and why?

I prefer beers because they seem to be a more free-flowing and always adapting drink. I have a huge amount of respect for mixologists and do enjoy a good Negroni, however, I find the choice available in the beer really exciting and love the idea that two breweries next door to each other could be making an entirely different product. I can spend an evening exploring a whole host of different styles of beer from different breweries without having to crawl home too, which I couldn’t do with cocktails!

Why beer over any other drink (spirits, wine etc.)?

Well, I buy wine for a living and it’s a bigger part of my job than beer so I would say that actual wine is equally important to me however I do tend to especially like the winemakers who drink beer and all the best discussions are had while drinking beer! It’s a pleasure to work with both but when I want to relax, it’s always a beer for me.

What according to you are the trends in beer these days?

The pendulum always seems to swing from one extreme to the other. A couple of years ago it was all about massive double and triple IPAs but then I think things have moved more towards beers with lots of flavours but as little alcohol as possible. Craft lager is becoming big for us because I feel like a lot of drinkers are looking more for subtlety now.