Quarterly journals are growing in popularity. Strong on content and low on adverts, they provide a platform upon which feature writing can shine.

Some of my favourite cricket and football writers are featured in The Blizzard and The Nightwatchman; publications characterised by high-quality production values and engaging journalism.

If only there was something like that for thinking drinkers...

(drum roll / cymbal crash)

Gin & It is an elegantly illustrated journal crammed full of quality writing on a whole host of drink-fuelled shenanigans. The current issue romps across twenty-four topics such as accidental cocktails, notes from a helixophile and the art of bespoke gin making. 

And I write about being down the pub and drinking alone but not being alone. Sort of.

I'm proud to be part of this. It goes to show that the printed word isn't ready to shuffle off for last orders just yet.

You can subscribe to Gin & It via their website or buy single issues from Foyles and Magma in London. If I find out anything more about distribution elsewhere, I'll let you know.

Meanwhile, you can follow Gin & It on Twitter  (@ginanditmag).

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I want to think of a beery phrase that annoys you or makes you feel annoyed when others can't understand it in the way you do.

Then read the extract by Edward de Bono below.

Then tell me: do we need new words to describe brewing and beer? Do we need new thinking? Do we need both?  Or neither?

---

"Language is an encyclopaedia of ignorance.

...once perceptions and concepts are frozen into the permenence of language, they control and limit our thinking on any subject because we are forced to use these concepts.

Should we try to develop new concepts, others would not understand us (after accusing us of jargon) and would, in any case, interpret the new words in terms of existing ones.

... we need a lot of new words to allow us to say afresh things which are now said with concepts that are inadequate or carry a heavy negative baggage.

In order to make progress there are a lot of basic concepts that we may need to re-conceptulise".

- From I Am Right, You Are Wrong, 1991 >