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beer stories: news
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BEER NEWS - February 2009
National Cask Ale Week 2009
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Cask Marque, CAMRA and pubs across the country have united to declare Monday 6 April to Monday 13 April as National Cask Ale Week 2009.
Hundreds of events will take place throughout the UK for the first ever
National Cask Ale Week, including a call for Monday 6 April to be declared as 'National Beer Day'. St Pancras will be the venue for high profile launch launch of this campaign.
Already in the pipeline are regional such as Wednesday 8 April which is 'FemALE Day', encouraging women drinkers to try real ales, 'Introduce a Friend' day on Thursday 9 April which promises that 'celebrities and journalists'
will also be encouraging friends to convert to cask ale and on Saturday 11 April the 'World�s Biggest Toast' as the organisers hope to rally the nation to visit their local and "take part in this World Record attempt as we raise a
glass to hail Britain�s national drink."
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BrewDog takes on Watch Dog
Scottish brewery BrewDog has courted the headlines over the past year or two, and duly received a string of complaints from the industry 'wacthdog' The Portman Group over the naming of its beers. Beers like 'Punk' IPA and
'Trashy Blonde' may not have endeared BrewDog to the Portman Group, but the launch of a beer called 'Speedball' was a step too far as the Portman Group claimed Brewdog was "profiteering from the scourge of illegal drugs."
Speedball is the name of the heroin-based drug cocktail that claimed the lives of both River Phoenix and John Belushi. BrewDog has denied that they are "profiteering from the scourge of drugs" and after threatening a
defamation action against the Portman Group, have just annouced that this will not go ahead. Beer-pages notes that BrewDog describe the beer as a "class A strong ale" in their own literature and were obviously well aware
of the druggie connotations. We conclude they are very wise not to take on the Portman Group on this one.
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Rick Stein becomes a landlord
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St Austell Brewery has announced that TV chef Rick Stein is to become the landlord of his local St Austell pub, the Cornish Arms at St Merryn.
Part of the independent Cornish brewer's 169 strong estate since 1926, the Cornish Arms is a popular village local in St Merryn, just two miles from Padstow where Stein has established a
successful stable of restaurant and food businesses.
Rick and Jill Stein have agreed a 15 year lease with St Austell Brewery who will continue to supply the pub's bar and cask ales.
Rick Stein said: �The Cornish Arms is a truly special pub which has been my local for many years so I�m very excited to have agreed the lease. Rather than create a �gastro-pub�, we�ll work
with St Austell and our customers to ensure the Cornish Arms stays a welcoming, traditional community pub.�
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Homecoming Scotland 2009
The Inveralmond Brewery in Perth is supporting Homecoming Scotland 2009 with the launch of a new beer. Homecoming Beer is available in cask and mini-cask, coinciding with the Scottish Government's celebration of
Scottish contributions to the world. Inveralmond say they will "offer drinkers the opportunity to try a Scottish beer which, although very definitely Scottish, takes influences from across the globe." Commenting on the launch,
Inveralmond's Managing Director, Fergus Clark, said �We believe this beer reflects the best Scotland has to offer, combining influences from across the world, bringing them home, and marrying them in our brewery in Perth, the
heart of Scotland.� There are hundreds of
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events planned for Homecoming Scotland 2009 up and down the country, and Clark hopes that this special beer will help those events go with a swing. "Many of the Homecoming
2009 activities will be licensed, and we would hope to make our beer available at those events whenever possible." The beer, brewed by Head Brewer Ken Duncan, is said to offer "an inviting mix of biscuity malt and pleasing
hops."
Honeydipper sweetens Fairtrade Fortnight
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Freeminer is making its new Honeydipper Ale available through Wetherspoon outlets during Fairtrade Fortnight, which begins on 16th February 2009. Honeydipper Ale will be available in 250 of Wetherspoon's top ale pubs
nationally and is described as "a full-flavoured, golden coloured ale which combines a distinctively hoppy flavour with subtle overtones of honey from Fairtrade producers in Chile to give the beer a unique point of difference."
John Hutson, Chief Executive of Wetherspoon, comments: �Wetherspoon is delighted to be supporting Fairtrade Fortnight by offering a Fairtrade beer," whilst Peter Thomas, managing director and owner of Freeminer,
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