BEER NEWS - July 2010

Traditional Scottish Ales on the up

A success story for small Scottish brewer Traditional Scottish Ales, who recognising they could brew a decent beer but maybe needed help in selling it, employed consultants Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS) through the Scottish Enterprise programme. The brewery's owner, Graham Coull, says "We knew we had limited forward planning, unmeasured use of plant and brewing capacity and no visual performance measurements within the brewery." So he he turned to SMAS who helped him "implement quality procedures and visual

Do ye ken John Peel?

The Cluny pub and live music venue at 36 Lime Street, Ouseburn, Newcastle upon Tyne, now has an important railway artefact on display. It is a railway diesel locomotive nameplate JOHN PEEL from Class 47 number 47813. This locomotive was named in honour of the legendary DJ John Peel - musical guru of several generations. The locomotive was named by Sheila Ravenscroft, John's wife, at Bury St Edmunds station - not far from where they lived - after John died suddenly of a heart attack whilst on holiday in Peru in 2004. When the locomotive was sold to another company, its

Palmers' Dorset Gold done good

Palmers Brewery in Bridport, Dorset, has raised more than �4,000 to help young or disabled people enjoy the thrill of sailing with the Chesil Trust. For every pint of Dorset Gold sold in Dorset, 5p is donated to the Trust. In the last year almost 83,000 pints were sold, making �4,146.60 for the Trust. The ale is available in bottles too, with 5p on every bottle sold across the UK going to the Trust. The Chesil Trust assists in the provision of facilities for training in sailing and seamanship and other activities. To date the Trust has enabled almost 6,000 children to go sailing for the first time and has also

Flying for a drink

High flyers who enjoy a refreshing lager will appreciate the new bar opened by Grolsch in one of British Airways' flagship lounges at Heathrow Terminal 5. Grolsch has a long-standing partnership with BA, with a three-year deal announced in August 2009 that sees Grolsch offered in BA lounge and onboard. The new bar in Terminal 5 is staffed by bartenders "specially trained to offer customers the famous Swingtop bottle using one of six unique opening techniques - Swingtop Chop, The Slice, Booty Pop, The Drop, Klik and Snatch," according to Grolsch. Grolsch Global Brand Director, Ronald van

Bunk beds to the rescue

Whilst the closure of every pub is a blow the to heart of beer-pages, some ex-public houses are being given a new lease of life by a company called Visit Journeys. Almost 40 pubs close each week in the UK, with the rate of closures highest in the North and East Anglia - though London and Yorkshire each lost over 100 in just six months. Visit Journeys' solution is to convert pubs into low-cost hostels for young travellers, "whilst maintaining the character and personality of the pub." The company claims is is turning unprofitable pubs into thriving businesses, with innovative 'micro cell' bunk beds which boast black-out curtains, individual power supplies, shelves and lights to create a private space within a dorm. One of the first London conversions was a dilapidated pub near London Bridge (right) and in just its second year of trading it turned over �630k, yielding a profit of �221k. Visit Journeys say "It still allows the pub to run as a pub and keep its own identity, but also offers a whole new means of revenue generation."