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beer stories: news
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BEER NEWS - August 2007
Tribute canned
Independent family-owned, Cornish brewer and retailer, St Austell, has signed an exclusive off-trade deal to supply SPAR stores with the excellent Tribute ale - newly packaged in a 500 ml can - until the end of August 2007.
Head brewer Roger Ryman explained how the Brewery had worked with the can designers to ensure that Tribute would be served as its best. He said: "The cans are specially packaged under a nitrogen system which
gives the beer a taste, texture and presentation very similar to a draft pint drawn up with a traditional hand pump."
It has been a good year for St Austell brewery. In April, Tribute was chosen as the favourite beer South West region, in Best of British Beer Awards. In the same month Tribute also beat off competition from more than
250 beers from all 58 breweries in the South West to be elected 'Supreme Champion' at the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) South West Beer Festival.
The brewery has also recently won a
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new listing for Tribute in bottle through Thresher at £1.60.
The cans retail price is approximately £4.99 per pack of four. Twenty-four cans can also be purchased for £30 either from the St Austell Visitor Centre or on-line at the St Austell website.
Beer Drinker of the Year
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Our own Roger Portz was voted 'Beer Drinker of the Year' by the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group of the House of Commons in 2004. For 2007, the award has gone to chef Michel Roux, chef-patron of the two
Michelin star Le Gavroche restaurant in London. Michel Roux comments:
"My interest in different styles of beer and in their suitability to special dishes came out of research I carried out for my book "Matching food & wine - classic and not so classic combinations", and I became very
excited by some of the rather surprising beer and food matches I discovered. Since then, we have held several dinners at Le Gavroche to seek out new pairings and many of
them have been gastronomically ravishing. So far the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. This encouraged me to introduce a beer list in April 2006, which showcases unusual beers of many
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different styles."
Steve Wellington, head brewer of Worthington's White Shield Brewery in Burton upon Trent, was also voted 'Brewer of the Year' by the group. The picture shows Steve (left) and Michel celebrating their awards.
Cock & Bull breakfast
Stories of how the smoking ban in England has been accepted (or not) amongst pubs and drinkers continue in a steady stream. The Cock & Bull in Sutton has decided to commemorate the smoking ban by offering its
customers a range of breakfasts and complimentary newspapers. Since July 1 (the big no smoking day) the pub has opened at 9am each morning for breakfast.
Brian Nixon, manager of the Cock & Bull in Sutton High Street, said: "I wanted to offer something extra for my regular customers as well as encouraging people who had never been to the pub before to pay us a visit."
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David buys Goliath
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... or at least a small chunk of him. The Boston Beer Co., which brews Samuel Adams beer, has signed a sales agreement with Diageo to buy the distiller's Pennsylvania brewery for $55 million.
The brewer said if the deal goes through, it will not build a new brewery at its home in Freetown, Mass. The Diageo brewery, located 60 miles outside of Philadelphia, will raise Boston's brewing capacity by about
1.6 million barrels annually, with the potential for more than 2 million extra barrels. The company said it will begin brewing at the location in the third or fourth quarter of 2008 and
will retain around 194 jobs at the factory. Boston Beer President and Chief Executive Martin Roper said "A combination of rapidly escalating steel and copper costs, increased costs of European brewing equipment
caused by the reduced value of the dollar, as well as other construction and production costs, led us to look again at other existing breweries that we might be able to buy."
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Up in smoke, part II
And one final smoking ban story this month: brewed to mark the abolition of smoking on July 1st 2007, Westerham Brewery has created 'Holy Smoke', a golden ale infused with a puff of Weyermann smoked malt giving
just a hint of smokiness. Spiced with Bramling Cross and Goldings hops from Kent, Westerham say "a hint of blackcurrant and zesty hop flavours suffuse this refreshing beer." As the old song goes...smoke gets in
your beer! The beer will be available in pubs in and around Kent from 26th June until it is sold out. It is also available direct from the brewery in 9 pint minicasks, 18 pint minipins and 36 pint polypins for drinking at home.
See westerhambrewery.co.uk.
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