BEER NEWS - November 2008

A meet up in a brewery!

There�s now a perfect solution for any Yorkshire business wanting to prove it can organise a meet up in a brewery. The new �4 million Copper Dragon brewery is set to become one of the most interesting conference venues in the region. Amy Tennant, left, recently appointed as Visitor Centre Manager, explains: "We have already taken many bookings from businesses for our two conference rooms that can accommodate up to fifty people each. There is full wireless connectivity in each room as well as a 50 inch LCD screen with ceiling mounted speakers for complete clarity and surround sound" Copper Dragon, the first brewery to be based in Skipton for over 100 years, supplies cask ales to over 1500 pubs across the UK as well as major supermarkets and foreign markets as far afield as Australia and Russia.The Copper Dragon site also includes a visitor centre, bistro and shop with the official opening of the new brewery scheduled for Friday 28th November.

What credit crunch?

Scots are revealed as most generous round buyers in UK in new research which puts paid to stereotypes of mean highlanders. They are revealed as the most generous round buyers in pubs around the UK in research funded by Greene King. The research reveals that despite tough times, the British spirit of round buying is still thriving and it is North of the Border where most round buying goes on, with just under two thirds (64%) happy to put their hands in their pockets for people they don't even know very well. Londoners

Fuller's unveils Brewer's Reserve

As featured by Willard Clarke last month, Fuller, Smith & Turner has released its new bottled ale, Brewer�s Reserve. Brewer�s Reserve is the culmination of more than four year�s work by Fuller�s head brewer, John Keeling, which began following a joint tasting session with some colleagues in the whisky trade. With his appreciation of the qualities of both beer and whisky, John decided that he wanted to create a new strong beer, incorporating some of the characteristics of a single malt. The result is a 7.7% ABV, limited edition ale, matured in 30 year old whisky casks for over 500 days which has taken on some characteristics of the whisky absorbed in the wood. John Keeling said; "We tried many different recipes, ageing different beers in whisky casks, but the one we selected has really surpassed all expectations. It has the Fuller�s blend of

PJ and his Pies

PJ�s Pie Pub is a brand developed by former Vulcan bomber pilot Mike Pichel-Juan (P-J). He has teamed up with Lincolnshire Brewer Batemans and taken on its Robin Hood pub based in Boston, Lincolnshire. Using locally sourced produce, P-J has developed a range of gourmet pies includeing deer, duck, salmon & parsley, all served with a saut�ed potato, for which he uses his own 'secret recipe'. Helen Barton joined PJ romantically and in business eighteen months ago, and has now extended the menu to include traditional puddings such as treacle tart and a wide range of fruit crumbles. P-J makes pies to his own recipes and they are individually prepared for customers.

Shepherd Neame beer festival

Shepherd Neame is celebrating the resurgence of cask ale by holding its first beer festival, pairing its Kentish ales with three cask beers from the South West. The festival, from Monday 10 to Sunday 16 November, will run in 130 Shepherd Neame pubs and about 30 selected free-trade outlets across London and the South East. Alongside Shepherd Neame favourites Spitfire, Bishops Finger, Master Brew, Kent�s Best and Late Red, the pubs will offer a selection from three guest beers from the West Country: Black Prince, from the St Austell Brewery, Cornwall; , Dartmoor IPA, from the Dartmoor Brewery in Princetown, Devon; Butcombe Gold, from the Butcombe Brewery, near Bristol. Shepherd Neame�s tenanted trade director, George Barnes, said: "This is the first time we have run a beer festival of this