Be Afraid

Right, we all know that the Chancellor & the current Government seem to think that the booze industry and pub trade is their bitch, to do with and destroy at will but I warn you now, the Conservative Party is looking to tax ALL high ABV alcohol on a blanket basis, which I have outlined in a letter from my MP.

I'll be asking my local Lib Dem candidate what their policy is and will be posting all the parties proposed policies in detail on here soon.

I'm not saying it's what you should wholly base your vote on but, if you follow this blog, then beer & the pub is probably quite close to your heart and therefore I presume it has some sort of influence!

There will be a more cheery post on some sublime American brews I had last night very shortly!

Fuller's Cask Ale Week News

Just leaving for a meeting so don't have much more time than to quickly say keep a look out for Fuller's 1845 and London Porter specially on cask for Cask Ale Week next week.

If you see 1845 also try and get yourself some cheese at the same time - it takes it from sublime to transcendent as a beer (although Golden Pride is still my fave strong Fuller's beer!).

Bad news is, it's only in Fuller's pubs - sorry about that.

A Few Things of Importance to the Pub

Just a few things if you're a UK publican or a punter who has a good enough relationship with your local landlord that you can point these things out to them without getting barred!

Poker nights are finally being cracked down on in pubs, it was only a matter of time and a lot of guidance has been issued on this matter but some licensees either chose to ignore it or haven't seen it; the long and short of the news is that you can only have very low stakes of £5 per head or £100 per premises per day (so you may as well just play for matchsticks!).

The other thing that licensees and restaurateurs may have missed is that it's now illegal not to offer 125ml glasses of wine for sale in the on trade, irresponsible drinks promotions have also been banned - but it would appear the legislation has some serious holes in it and has been rushed through.

That annoys me because I'm firmly behind everything in this amendment to the laws and if they've buggered it up then it just creates further uncertainty for licensees who have more than enough to worry about already.

Wandsworth Beer Festival

When I was looking for somewhere to hold our wedding reception it quickly became clear to me that I was fighting an uphill battle with places that I was going to see.

Even the venue in Putney where the caterers used to do the Beer Writer's Dinner were about as much help as a chocolate teapot (particularly loved that they sent me emails with the wrong name at the top and then repeated the mistake repeatedly - that's personal service for you!).

So, when I finally gave up going places, sat at my computer and typed an email outlining what I wanted to achieve from the event I got one response back and it was like being greeted by the world's most enthusiastic puppy at the idea of running a beer and food wedding reception from the owner of Le Gothique Mark Justin.

The day was fantastic, the beer and food matches were glorious and the service impeccable - I loved it.

Shortly after our wedding they ran their very first beer festival - sadly we were still on honeymoon for most of it but we made the last day and it was a genuinely jolly affair, with well-kept ales and a nice variety.

So, this year, I heartily encourage to head on down to Le Gothique in the beautiful Royal Victoria Patriotic Building and bag yourself a couple of lovely beers.

Bits & Bobs

Just a few observations on what's going on in the beery world and also a question for you my knowledgeable and lovely readers!

Firstly, the new Marston's fast cask seems to have raised a stink, I'm only going to make one comment on this for the time being because I've got some so-far unanswered questions about the technical aspects of this product BUT what I will caution is everyone thinking that this is a panacea for lack of cask distribution - it's not.

Lazy, poorly trained or ill-informed licensees will still cock cask up - this will not change that.

Nor can I see any reason why it would survive any longer or be okay in a crappy cellar BUT I do hope that this will work well for outdoor events and that it will mean that I can finally get a pint of ale at a cricket match without having to walk half the length of the ground to do so/be utterly disappointed that there isn't any (the picture is my attempt at humour, these casks must have been going very fast - geddit?! Geddit?! - okay, I'm sorry...)

In other news, word on the grapevine has it that Mikkeller is opening a beer bar - is anyone else of the opinion that they could easily drink themselves into an early grave and die happy in such a place? I have been a huge fan of Mikkeller beers since Phil Lowry forced me to drink one at 10.30 in the morning once, it was of course Beer Geek Breakfast, been hooked ever since (hmm, don't they say the first step to overcoming a problem is admitting it? Problem is I can't see what the problem is with that sentence!!).

Anyway, my issues aside, Knut Albert's Blog informs me that it will be open on April 29 and  it's in Viktoriagade, Copenhagen (I think!) halfway between the Central Station and Hotel Sct Thomas with 15 beers on tap.


And finally, does anyone know of any SW/London-based cask beer-loving celebrities? If so hit me back on the comments section (that means metaphorically people - no happy slapping if you see me in the street please!).

Looking for Inspiration this Weekend?

1. Visit Bar Pepito in King's Cross, Camino's sherry-serving little cousin is yet another triumph from my favourite bar impresario - Richard Bigg - it's tiny and cute and delightful
2. And whilst we're on the subject of the capital and the sun is out, why not go for a row on the Serpentine, then head to Ye Grapes in Shepherd Market for a pint, and if you're peckish give one of the Lebanese restaurants in the area a whirl
3. Staying in? Get online and order some beer from Bitter End Brewery - these Cockermouth brewers have produced a refined and technically excellent range of beers that gently lead you by the hand through a fabulous array of flavours - I started with the elegantly refined and aromatic Honey and ended up at the bolshy but bloody marvellous IPA
4. Once you've done that why not try and make Brian Laugh? If you can hear the Blessed's great burst of guffaws and not at least turn the corners of your mouth up then there's something wrong with you!
5. Sit down to the rugby with a selection plate of samosas, bhajis and pakoras and enjoy a few bottles of Bengal Lancer from Fuller's from your local supermarket or off licence (or better still in the pub!)

Dark Deeds Down Under

Who knew that Woolworth's had interest in a microbrewery or two in Australia - and how sad I've only found out because they are closing it.

Sorry for the brevity of the posting but I'm a bit up against again today I'm afraid (decorators coming round, again, why oh why, oh why, can't they just get it right first time???!!!!)

Still in the back pocket are reviews of Bitter End Brewing in Cockermouth (if you see them in the meantime buy them, bloody lovely stuff!) some news on what's coming up at lovebeer@borough over the next few months and some other exciting stuff which I can't tell you about just yet, but it's cool people, it's cool!

See ya! x