Beer News

News

Bee happy with Brakspear Honey Beer

Henley brewer Brakspear has launched for the third year running its Honey Bee Beer that raises money for Friends of the Earth's Bee Cause Campaign. The beer helps raise awareness of the need to save habitats for bees, which are the world's most important pollinator. As a result of demand for the beer, production has moved this year to the Wychwood Brewery in Witney

Added: Monday, April 30th 2018

Comment

CAMRA's new chair on need for change

Jackie Parker, the new chairman of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, says beer drinkers must ignore many of the distorted views in the media and on Twitter about the decisions taken at the annual meeting and grasp the fact that the campaign, following a major review of its role, will go forward with great determination to support real ale, cider, perry and pubs -- but is opening the door to other types of beer at its festivals

Added: Friday, April 27th 2018

Comment

CAMRA: past, present...and future

The decisions taken by the Campaign for Real Ale at its annual meeting have been widely reported -- and widely misunderstood. As a result of company law, 75% of members have to support a change to the constitution and a call to make CAMRA the voice of all pubgoers failed by just 3%. But other important changes were agreed and suggestions that cask ale is under threat do not stand up to scrutiny

Added: Monday, April 23rd 2018

Feature

Will old ales stand up to the taste test?

A tasting of aged beers organised by Brad Wight at the Steam Machine Brewery in Co Durham included beers going back to the 1950s and possibly pre-World War Two. Pictured are the group of volunteers who tasted the beers and found that some aged better than others and bottle-conditioning was no guarantee of success

Added: Saturday, April 21st 2018

News

SIBA and CAMRA slam drink warning

Both the Society of Independent Brewers and the Campaign for Real Ale have criticised a report by Cambridge University that says drinking alcohol can shorten people's lives. Both organisations stress the health and societal benefits of moderate drinking.

Added: Friday, April 13th 2018

News

Big jump in American beer exports to UK

Export sales of American craft beer grew by 3.6 per cent in 2017 and sales to the UK increased by 7.1 per cent -- making the UK the second biggest export market for American craft beer after Canada. There are now 6,372 craft breweries in the U.S. and exports are worth $125 million

Added: Thursday, April 5th 2018

Feature

It's always the season for a saison

The latest beer craze is a style based on Saison, a farmhouse beer brewed in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium. The best-known Saison brewer there is Dupont (pictured) which started life as a farm. Saison was originally brewed by farmers to refresh their families and labourers during the harvest period. Other Saison brewers include Brasserie a Vapeur and Silly in the town of the same name

Added: Thursday, April 5th 2018

News

Scots stout & Irish whiskey pool flavours

Kindred Spirits is a 6.1 per cent stout from Innis & Gunn in Perth that's aged in Irish whiskey barrels that were first used to triple distil Tullamore D.E.W. Innis & Gunn started life when William Grant acquired some ale for barrel-ageing from the Caledonian Brewery. The beer tasted so good that head brewer Dougal Sharp left Caley to launch his own company. Turning full circle, Tullamore is now part of the William Grant group.

Added: Thursday, March 22nd 2018

News

Wolf and North seize SIBA gold

Wolf Brewery in Norfolk and North Brewing of Leeds have stormed to victory in SIBA's national brewing awards at Beerex 18 in Liverpool. They won gold awards in the cask and keg categories with Tring Brewery also scooping gold in the small pack sector

Added: Friday, March 16th 2018

Feature

Saluting a home-brewing pioneer

Graham Wheeler championed the cause of real ale with a series of best-selling home brewing guides. Roger Protz recalls a reclusive writer who ignored deadlines but finally produced books that encouraged a generation of beer lovers to make good beer at home

Added: Thursday, March 15th 2018