Martyn Cornell Obituary

My friend Martyn Cornell, who has died abruptly aged 72, was a renowned historiographer of beer. His book Porter and Stout: A Complete History, which had taken him 7 years to write, was published 3 days later.

It covers 300 years and 56 countries, and caps an awesome output of entertaining, informative and myth-debunking books. They see Beer: The Story of nan Pint (2004); Amber, Gold & Black: The History of Britain’s Great Beers (2010); Strange Tales of Ale (2015); and Around nan World successful 80 Beers: A Global History of Brewing (2024). He won respective awards from nan British Guild of Beer Writers.

Born successful Hampstead, Martyn grew up successful Stevenage. His father, Arthur, was a bricklayer and his mother, Daphne (nee Donno), a shorthand typist. Martyn went to Alleyne’s grammar schoolhouse successful Stevenage, past studied authorities astatine Sussex University, followed by a certificate successful publicity astatine nan City of London Polytechnic. In 1995 he gained an MBA from Thames Valley University.

Starting retired arsenic a newsman successful Hitchin connected nan Stevenage Comet, he was an editor connected nan Informer unchangeable of newspapers successful Surrey and westbound London, which is wherever we were chap journalists and became friends. Later Martyn was a subeditor connected nan Times, nan Daily Telegraph and nan South China Morning Post.

At nan Times he roseate to nan situation brilliantly erstwhile asked to constitute a four-line header crossed a azygous file width for a communicative astir Michael Foot, nan past Labour statement leader, starring a committee looking astatine atomic disarmament. Martyn said: “I surely wasn’t going to get ‘nuclear’ aliases ‘disarmament’ aliases ‘committee’ to fit, truthful aft a struggle I decided connected ‘Foot chairs arms body’, past thought ‘Foot heads arms body’ would astatine slightest springiness a laughter to nan revise sub. To my astonishment, nan header was printed.”

In 2007, Martyn launched a popular, award-winning blog, Zythophile – nan word, derived from Greek, intends “a person of beer”. The scope of categories – astir 60, from ageing brew to yeast – demonstrated his expanse of knowledge. There are 105 posts unsocial connected brew styles.

Martyn’s penning packed a punch. “If I publication erstwhile much that porter sewage its sanction because it was ‘popular pinch nan porters of Covent Garden, Smithfield and Billingsgate’, I americium going to slap personification pinch a malt shovel,” he wrote, successful what turned retired to beryllium his past post. A person of books and music, Martyn was affable, humble and humorous, and successful request astatine conferences and beer-judging competitions worldwide. The University of Gastronomic Sciences successful Pollenzo, Italy, utilized his penning for people work.

Martyn is survived by his wife, Emer, from whom he separated 4 years agone but pinch whom he remained awesome friends, their daughter, Mara, and his younger brother, Dave.