Wednesday 29 April 2015

Beer Tent

Beer Tent is an independent, family run, Portable Bar / Beer Tent hire for outdoor events. Based in the Sussex area, it is run by two friends of mine, Ray and Debbi Pilkington. They publish their forthcoming events in the local CAMRA magazine, Sussex Drinker, so I thought that I would do the same and give them a bit of free publicity. Everything you need to know about their services and contact details can be found at their web site http://ale-inatent.co.uk/


Tuesday 21 April 2015

Burgess Hill Town Football Club Beer Festival, 8th-9th May

Burgess Hill Town Football Club Beer Festival is taking place on 8th and 9th May at The Green Elephants Stadium, Leylands Park, Maple Drive, Burgess Hill, RH15 8DL.

Opening hours Friday 4pm-11pm, Saturday 2pm-11pm. 

Tickets £5 - includes a free pint! 

Can available at the club or from Dave Bradbury 07468 605940, thedavebradbury@gmail.com. 

Monday 13 April 2015

Brick House Requiem

I drank Brick House Requiem at the Brighton Beer Dispensary on 11th April. This bottle-conditioned, session-strength IPA is brewed by Gavin McCusker of Brick House, a brand-new UK brewery in Patcham, Brighton. Thank you to Theresa, the very knowledgeable bartender at the Dispensary, for accepting my invitation to join me in a sampling session. These are our tasting notes. The beer poured clearly and cleanly with a thin white head and an amber body that turned straw-gold when held to the light. Apricot and passion fruits dominated the aroma, followed by grassy notes and a spicy and peppery hop zing. Full bodied for a 4.0% beer, there was good carbonation and a nice malt-hop balance in the initial fruity taste. Citrus hops then came to the fore leading to a satisfyingly dry finish.

This is a very promising debut, testified to by the fact that the cask version has been selling out very quickly at other local venues.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brick-House-Brewing-Co/785304488221985

Wednesday 1 April 2015

Protect Small Cider Producers

I'VE JUST SIGNED THIS PETITION. NOW WILL YOU PLEASE. THANK YOU. IT CAN BE FOUND AT: 

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/protect-small-cider-producers-1


TO: THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER, HM TREASURY

Protect small cider producers
18,986
of 20,000 signatures
Campaign created by Andrea BriersIcon-email

We call on the UK Government to continue to support the cider sector and consumer choice by rejecting the EU’s demand that a new tax of up to £2,700 is imposed on very small cider producers.

The European Union (EU) is proposing to ban the UK’s small cider producer duty exemption. This exemption supports very small cider makers, such as hobbyists or farm-gate producers, for whom such small scale production is an integral part of rural culture.

The proposed action would see very small cider producers landed with a tax bill of up to £2,700 each and every year. We call on the Government to reject the EU’s request and put UK cider producers and consumers first.
Why is this important?


CAMRA fully supports the production and availability of real ciders and perries. In many cases the proposed action would make small scale cider production uneconomic. This is wholly disproportionate given that a small producer selling up to 33 pints a day has no capacity to affect EU trade to any meaningful degree.

The case for rejecting the request by the EU to tax small cider producers:

- Someone producing less than 70hl (12,000 pints) will generally be making less than £10,000 a year in sales. This means the tax exemption only applies to very small businesses, such as hobbyists or farm-gate producers. If a duty were to be levied on these producers it would make their operations uneconomic and lead to wide-spread closure.

- 80% of Britain’s 500+ cider makers are currently small producers. A tax will severely impact on consumer choice and will cause irreparable damage to one of the nation’s most historic industries.

- An exemption from this duty is essential to supporting the growth of a vibrant but still small cider and perry market.

- A tax charge of up to £2,700 would drive many small cider producers out of business costing jobs, harming the countryside and dramatically reducing consumer choice.