Roundup: Beer Sommelier on TV; craft beer fest; brewpubs planned; more pubs in Michelin guide

Sommelier Jane recreates medieval beer for TV

Beer Academy Sommelier Jane Peyton will appear on BBC2's Great British Food Revival at 7pm, 6 November, and will recreate a medieval beer with host, chef Angela Hartnett. Jane says: "Angela was particualrly interested to hear that historically the majority of brewers were women, not men. Ale was brewed in the home as part of domestic duties. For the programme we recreated a medieval-style ale -- and this was a very different beer to what we drink today. In England, brewers didn't start using hops until the Middle Ages and so our ale was flavoured with honey and heather.

"I'm always amazed by the enormous variety of aromas and flavours found in beer. My mission as a Beer Sommelier is to introduce people to this incredible diversity and encourage them to explore the wonderful world of beer."

London fest to celebrate craft beer

Craft Beer Rising in London in February will, the organisers say, “celebrate the thriving and innovative end of the beer industry”. The festival will “re-invent the traditional beer festival – with an added twist.” A variety of top brewers will man their own stalls, along with music and “some of London’s tastiest food”.

The festival will run on 22 and 23 February in the Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London E1. For further information contact sam@craftbeerrising.co.uk.

Pub company to open two brewpubs

City Pub Company founder Clive Watson and David Bruce, famous owner of the old Firkin Pub chain, have joined forces to open two new brewpubs. They have recruited brewer James Godman, previously with the Hop Back Brewery in Salisbury, to brew at the two pubs.

Watson and Bruce plan to open the Henley Brewhouse in a converted police station in mid-November, which will house the five-barrel Henley Brewing Co. A second brewpub, the Cambridge Brewhouse, will open in January on the site of the Jolly Scholar pub in the university city. The Henley pub will offer high-quality food and will retain two police cells as semi-private dining areas.

City Pub Co runs five pubs and has raised close to £8 million under the EIS enterprise scheme. It plans to raise a further £10 million next year.

Michelin extends pub list

The Michelin 2013 Pub Guide has 500 entries and includes for the first time pubs run by Noble Inns and the ETM Group. The image of Noble’s Lady Ottoline in London’s Bloomsbury graces the cover while ETM’s Jugged Hare in the City of London has also been listed.

Abigail Osbourne and Tamsin Olivier, who ran the Engineer in Primrose Hill, north London, until owners Mitchells & Butlers converted it from franchise to management, have seen their new pub, the Hampshire Hog in Hammersmith, join the guide.

Editor Rebecca Burr says: “Pubs are often the heartbeat of the local community and it’s exciting to see that more and more are specialising in their regional ingredients. Chefs are becoming more adept at using lesser-known cuts as a means of creating cost-conscious menus.”

Michelin stars have been awarded this year to two pubs: Heston Blumenthal’s Hinds Head at Bray, and Guy and Britt Manning’s Red Lion in East Chisenbury. The Gunton Arms in Thorpe Market is Michelin’s Pub of the Year. Rebecca Burr says: “This pub is beautifully located in a 1,000-acre deer park. It has a great bar, a terrific terrace and a buzzing atmosphere.”