News, nuggets and longreads 18 July 2026: Nights of Cabiria

Every Saturday we round up the best writing about beer from the past week. This time, we’ve got pubs by bike, Nigerian Guinness and the wonder of pubs. First, some Wetherspoon news via reader Jeremy Pattison: a branch of the pub chain has opened on the campus of the University of Surrey in Guildford, with the university owning, staffing and running the pub under the franchise model. Are other Wetherspoon pubs run by franchisees? This feels new, and interesting. The story on the BBC, by Zac Sherratt and Jacob Panons, highlights the tension between students’ perennial need for cheap booze and their instinct to support independent businesses. One student interviewed says pubs in central Guildford should cut their prices to compete: “They are far too expensive for anyone to actually go out and have a good night without staring at your bank account every two seconds.” SOURCE: Fred Cook Despite the heatwave fellow Bristol-based blogger Fred Cook couldn’t resist taking on the challenge of…