Sophie Atherton put 25 years of beer-drinking experience to good use by becoming the first woman in the UK to be accredited as a Beer Sommelier – back in 2012.

A journalist with more than 15 years experience in newspapers, radio, television and PR, her beer writing appears regularly in the likes of CAMRA’s BEER magazine, The Daily Telegraph, Brewer & Distiller International and every month in her column in The Morning Advertiser – as well as on her website A FemAle View on Beer.

In addition to writing she also undertakes speaking and broadcasting gigs and provides training, consultancy and PR services to brewers, publicans and the wider beer industry.

Her work as a beer sommelier has been recognised by the All Party Parliamentary Beer Group, who made her their Beer Sommelier of the Year 2013, and she also holds two British Guild of Beer Writers Silver Awards for her writing in national publications.

Sophie is also an accomplished beer judge. Competitions she has judged at include the World Beer Cup, World Beer Awards, International Beer Challenge, SIBA National Beer Competition and CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain.

She answers the question, “What’s your favourite beer?” with something different every time but her favourite style is Black IPA.

**Blog header pic is courtesy of Charles Wells Ltd and was taken in April 2013 at the London launch of DNA, their collaboration with Dogfish Head.**