The North Laine Brewhouse launches #BrewedInBrighton

The North Laine Brewhouse, spiritual home of Brighton brewing and a thriving home-grown beer culture, is proud to announce the launch of #BrewedInBrighton. #BrewedInBrighton is a programme of events, promotions and happenings aimed at sharing their love and knowledge of both craft brewing and Brighton itself. It will run from August 2015 well into 2016 celebrating all aspects of Brighton life and have an integral social media campaign and competitions with a host of prizes.

#BrewedInBrighton starts in August with a series of Meet the Brewer evenings, beginning on the 14th of September, where beer aficionados, home brewers and anyone who wants to know how good beer is made can come along to hear about the process, tour the North Laine Brewhouse microbrewery and sample the wares while receiving a masterclass in brewing from the North Laine’s head brewers.

In September The North Laine will host the #BrewedInBrighton Oktoberfest. With a range of specially brewed North Laine beers alongside old favourites and specially commissioned brews from a host of other local brewers, the weekend of the 25th and 26th of September will be a celebration of all that is good in Brighton brewing with a German beer hall twist: foaming steins, fancy dress, oompah music and more.

November will see the #BrewedInBrighton Pop Up Record Shop starting on the 7th of November, bringing the finest in vintage and contemporary vinyl to The North Laine and a chance to try new seasonal beers from their Brewmasters.

In January The North Laine is extremely excited to announce the #BrewedInBrighton Music Weekender, three days of live music from established artists, up-and-comers and all flavours of Brighton sound curated by local record labels. Special offers, special brews and competitions will make this one not to miss.

With plenty more events to announce and a whole load more besides, #BrewedInBrighton will showcase and celebrate all that’s great about
Brighton.

About The North Laine Brewhouse:

The North Laine Brewhouse is a pub and microbrewery in the heart of Brighton’s North Laines. It serves a wide array of quality beers brewed on site, other local brews and craft beers from around the world. Since opening it has become a hub not just for beer lovers but those seeking out its quality home-cooked food, regular quiz nights, live music and lively atmosphere. The North Laine is on Facebook: www.facebook.com/northlainepub Twitter @NorthLainePub and its website is BrewedInBrighton.co.uk

About Laine’s:

Since opening its first pub – Brighton’s influential Mash Tun in 1996 – The Laine Pub Company has expanded to 47 creative, individual pubs, 39 of which are in Brighton, making it the dominant operator in the city.

For press enquiries and further information on The North Laine Brewhouse please contact Mark Teale at Me:Mo Interactive; Tel: +44 (0) 20 3651 5000 www.memointeractive.com; Mark@memointeractive.com

2015 Isle of Wight Classic Buses, Beer and Walks Weekend, 17th-18th October

Following the great success of the inaugural 2014 event, the IW branch of CAMRA and the IW Bus Museum are joining forces again to present the 2015 Isle of Wight Classic Buses, Beer and Walks Weekend, on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October 2015.

Since the 2014 event, the IW Bus Museum has moved premises to the old Southern Vectis bus depot in Park Road, Ryde. However, whilst the new building has a superb new display hall, side displays, and its own café and toilets, external space is at a premium. This means the event operations will be split between the museum at Ryde and the car park on Newport Quay, with a shuttle service running regularly between the two locations.

In addition to the shuttle service linking Ryde and Newport, a revised network of seven Beer and Buses routes has been prepared and IW CAMRA representatives have been busy signing up pubs for this year’s event. New for 2015 is an enhanced service to the West Wight area, with pubs in Yarmouth, Shalfleet and Calbourne added to the map, and we have also managed to add a route serving pubs in Sandown and Shanklin Esplanade, too.

Information updates for the event can be found either on our website, www.iwbeerandbuses.co.uk, or on Facebook by typing “Isle of Wight Beer and Buses Weekend 2015”. Programmes including timetables will be sold via the website from August onwards.

Please come along and support the event!

Back Story

In 2013 Paul and Sheila Sheldon moved from Sheffield to the Isle of Wight and joined the local branch of CAMRA. They invited branch membership secretary, Tim Marshall to visit them to show him Paul's collection of pub memorabilia. Tim was intrigued by a photo of a vintage bus. Paul explained that periodically the bus would travel round Sheffield stopping off at a selected group of pubs, each of which would put on something special. Coincidentally, only two weeks previously his friend (and fellow bass guitarist) Ben had shown him a photograph of a vintage bus that he had just bought. Tim phoned Ben and suggested that they stage something similar on the Isle of Wight. Ben contacted some fellow bus enthusiasts and the idea grew and grew. What started as an idea for one bus and a handful of pubs ended up with over 50 buses and 30 pubs. Over 2,000 passengers took part; this year we expect even more.

The Kings Head, Billingshurst

It was thanks to a tip-off from Gary Lucas of Kissingate Brewery that I found myself alighting from Billingshurst station on a sunny summer Saturday afternoon. It was my first visit to this large, lower Wealden village since it was the focus of The Quaffer, No. 16, December 2007, but (some) things have changed since then.


It took me ten minutes to reach my destination, the Kings Head, at the top of the High Street, a 17th century coaching inn, marked by its overhanging ornate ironwork sign. The interior layout looked much the same to how I dimly remembered it from several years earlier, except that all was now spick and span and an enticing bank of eight hand pumps was mounted on the bar. I asked for half a Hop Back World Hop Medley. This 4.2% golden ale collaboration with Greene King was at perfect temperature and exactly what was needed on this hot July day.

Having asked for whereabouts of the landlord - for I had emailed him in advance to say that I was dropping by - I was told that he was mending a fence in the back garden and that it would be difficult to miss him. Quite so. Genial Irishman Colin Ganley is a larger than life figure, 6 foot 3 inch tall, well-built and in his late-40s. Originally hailing from County Meath, he has been a licensee for thirty years, having previously run pubs in Brixton and Herne Hill. His parents own Ganley's Irish Bar in Morden. Colin is marred to Oonagh and they have been at the Kings Head for a year, having purchased the freehold from previous owners Enterprise Inns.

Colin has put in planning permission to convert the interior into two bars to include a steakhouse restaurant, function room and tea room conservatory, also to install a new kitchen and to have sixteen en suite letting rooms. As Colin oversees strategic operations, his managers Stuart and Kirsty look after the bar and the beers. Hogs Back TEA is a permanent; Kissingate beers always feature, as do the more interesting offerings from Greene King. Other breweries that may appear include Dark Star, Firebird, Top Notch and Triple fff.

There is also a real cider, which on my visit was Black Pig (6.0%). If Belgian bottled beers are your tipple then some delightfully strong examples can be found in the fridge. After chatting to Colin, I finish my visit with a Greene King Magna Carta, a 5.0% amber ale infused with Juniper, and a Hogs Back Hopping IPA, which at 5.4% turns out - surprisingly - to be ruby and vinous. Both beers are beautifully kept.

The Kings Head, 40 High Street, Billingshurst, West Sussex, RH14 9NY, 01403 782012

https://www.facebook.com/thekingsheadbillingshurst?fref=ts