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beer stories: news
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BEER NEWS - March 2008
London Pride Walk
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London brewer, Fullers has announced that the 13th London Pride Walk will take place this year on Sunday, July 13.
The London Pride Walk, which raises funds for Cancer Research UK at Hammersmith Hospital, involves a circular route along the beautiful Thames Towpath from Fuller's Griffin Brewery in Chiswick, West London.
Walkers will be joined by one of Fuller's fabulous dray horses, Griffin, who has walked the course many times before (pictured right, sharing a pint with Christopher Biggins and James May).
The route takes participants over Chiswick and Hammersmith Bridges, before returning them to Homefields Park,
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opposite the Griffin Brewery, for entertainment and refreshments, including a free pint of London Pride for the over 18s. Soft drinks will be available for younger walkers.
Since the first walk in 1996, the event has raised over �1 million towards vital research into treatments for cancer.
Fuller's sales and personnel director, Richard Fuller, said: "The London Pride Walk for Cancer Research UK has become a big date in the Brewery's calendar, as many of our customers and employees like to take part."
Whisky Beer
Dougal Sharp, originator of the remarkably successful specialist beer Innis & Gunn has taken control of the company after buying out the 90 per cent stake owned by distiller William Grant & Sons Ltd. His intention now is to target the growing international market for specialist beers.
Innis & Gunn was launched in 2003 after Sharp, former head brewer at Edinburgh's Caledonian brewery, realised that Grant's 'seasoned' a number of specialist casks with beer which was subsequently discarded. Sharp recalls "I was shocked how good it was," and in association with William Grant & Sons Ltd he established a brewing operation to capitalise on the concept of beer aged in oak casks.
Beer brewed under contract at Belhaven is aged in American white oak casks ultimately destined for the whisky industry, and the result is a unique style that has won a fistful of awards
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and, according to Sharp, "It is the number one Scottish beer in both Sweden and Canada. IN the UK it is the number four speciality beer and our growth last year was 60 per cent."
A spokesman for William Grant & Sons Ltd says "We wish him all the best of luck with it. It was always our intention to work with Dougal as he set up the brand, so this is a natural fruition of our relationship."
See Innis & Gunn tasting notes.
Keen as mustard
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Witney-based Shaken Oak Products, a leading manufacturer of hand-made mustards and member of Heart of England fine foods, has joined forces with The Chiltern Brewery to produce two speciality mustards for sale in
the Brewery�s shop. A chance meeting between Bruce Young, proprietor of Shaken Oak, and Richard Jenkinson, founder of The Chiltern Brewery, led to an invitation by the brewery to make some sample mustards to
complement its range of food products using Chiltern Brewery Beers. After tasting a variety of sample mustards made using Chiltern Ale, Beechwood Bitter and hop-leaves, Chiltern Ale & Garlic Mustard and Beechwood
Hop-Leaf & Honey Mustard were chosen as the two best samples to develop and sell. Chiltern Ale & Garlic Mustard is described as "a medium-strength wholegrain
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mustard with a hint of garlic and liberal amounts of light
and refreshing Chiltern Ale," whilst Beechwood Hop-Leaf Bitter & Honey is "a stronger mustard using the brewery's flagship bitter. A pinch of Fuggles hops and additional honey to give a well-rounded and memorable taste."
The Chiltern Brewery is based at Terrick, near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, whilst Shaken Oak Products
is near Witney in Oxfordshire.
Chocaholics take note
Still on a beer and food theme, and this month's most bizarre story award winner, Lincolnshire-based Batemans Brewery has developed a new chocolate brew in homage to its flagship ale, XB, naming it "Eggs-B" in time
for the Easter festivities. All well and good, but to top it off, publicans will have a 100% chocolate pump clip which carries the name of the brew and the brewer in white chocolate, with the rest of the pump clip
made from chocolate. Andrew Reed, National Sales Director, Batemans says: "We always try to do things a little differently at Batemans and Eggs-B is a brew we have been hatching for a little while. Some people have
suggested that the pump clips will melt, but our own tests have proved this theory untrue. However, we believe that temptation may get the better of some publicans and for this reason we will be sending extra pump
clips out with orders." Available now, the bitter is brewed using Maris Otter pale ale and chocolate malts. Publicans can order from Batemans on 01754 880317 or e-mail: [email protected], and
the beer is available through Batemans own pubs as well as Mitchells & Butler outlets.
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On your bike
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Duncan Woodhead, beer lover and cyclist, will set off in November this year on a cycle ride across Death Valley in the USA. The ride is aid of the MAG charity (Mines Advisory Group). MAG, co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize,
is a humanitarian organisation clearing mines that the remnants of conflict in local communities worldwide. In April, Duncan is holding two charity Breweriana auctions, one at the Newcastle Arms in Newcastle (22nd April) and
one at the Halfway House in Edinburgh (24th April), to raise money towards his target. If you can't attend either of the auctions, you can also sponsor Duncan through his page on the MAG website.
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Dragon's Den
Wadworth brewery has come over all Land of Hope and Glory with the launch of a new seasonal cask ale called St. George and the Dragon, which commemorates England's patron saint.
Developed by head brewer Brian Yorston and described as "a full flavoured pale ale (4.5% ABV) with a firey amber hue and crisp, tangy taste," it will be available throughout the Wiltshire based brewery's pub estate from 20 March until the end of April.
Paul Sullivan, marketing manager for Wadworth, said: "Customers are used to celebrating St. Patrick's Day in March but most forget to raise a glass to our own patron saint.
It's a sad fact that many Britons couldn't even tell you when St. George's Day is but we hope our spring time ale, dedicated to our patron saint, can help to make 23 April a truly national celebration."
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Sharp, Green Practice
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Sharp's Brewery in Cornwall will go head to head with finalists in The Fast Growth Business Awards to win the title of Green Business of the Year 2008.
Sharp's has long been recognised for its green credentials, having won the Cornwall Sustainability Awards in 2006 in the Low Carbon category. Now company bosses are keen to scoop this prestigious title.
Director Joe Keohane said: "We are delighted to get through as finalists and are fairly confident of our chances. Sharp's has enjoyed tremendous growth over the past years and we're particularly proud of this news as it
proves that
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working in an environmentally responsible way is great for business." The awards will be judgedthis month by a panel of entrepreneurs, industry experts and business journalists including Peter Jones, star of BBC�s Dragons� Den.
All of Sharp's raw material waste is recycled through environmentally efficient channels with an emphasis on the local farming environment. For example, a dairy herd eats 30 tonnes of spent grain, pigs munch on over five
tonnes of protein rich yeast, and beef cows enjoy slurp up to 30 litres of waste beer every week. The brewery used sophisticated heat exchangers that recover energy at each stage of the brewing process and even
recover natural heat generated by fermentation. The Sharp's delivery fleet was one of the first to use 100% bio diesel. Good luck from beer-pages for the awards!
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