oh valentine…

Love, Love, Love

For the love of your life, for one that you want to show a little bit of tenderness or just because you love beer, we’ve brought together beers for both of you… Fruity, Blond, Strong, Classical and Romantical.

My girlfriend often reminds me that I am not romantic, I am learning, so this email is away from the normal style, I spent hours looking for the most ostentatious, large pair of hearts that I could find on the Internet, fingers crossed that it helps! It’ll be back to normal service soon… read our blog for a tiny bit of insight into what’s been happening, we had some great news and what’s about to.  

travelling

the last few months have been oh so busy.  The distinct lack of blog posts have somewhat indicated this truth.   the image above is just some small effort to see what’s been clogging up my phone (those of you that follow my tweets will have seen many of them)

I would recommend to anyone be they into beer, wine or food – that epicurean hedonism thing to get out there and travel.   Over the last few months I have been here and there and back again.   The upcoming now annual pilgrimage to San Francisco for their amazing  “SF Beer week” is just round the corner.

Beer Person of the year ‘09

Looking back over the year and there are many awards and occasions that do, I am going to add my six p’th worth.

I have always believed that people form beer, with infuence from many angles.   But, those that influence from the ground with their efforts, with their gifts, are few and far between.

beer of the year

across the various websites, the many many blogs out there and even looking at local paper there was some sort of allusion toward a year in review and a mention of a new local brewery.  So, being really lazy, extending on a scratched out bunch of notes, here’s my year of beer in review.

IPA’s, sour ales, imperial stouts, even a touch of barrels normally feature in those beers that are celebrated today.   When I was starting to write this, I was looking back over  an old Michael Jackson text, it was notable that the festive ales, rich pruny, raisiny numbers featured on the brew schedule of the brewers calendar, have we moved on and we haven’t lost the celebration of beers that are released seasonally here.

All said, it’s been a crazy year in beer for me, both brewing and beers that I have had the priveledge of trying and sharing and great beers with friend and the moments then. 

Fat Santa

Wishing you a merry chistmas, we hope the snow comes as a joy for you!

We’ve been enjoying the delights of the weather here in Kent and still we’re all systems go. We’re taking orders for Pre-Christmas until the 20th, then we’re shipping again from the 4th of January. We’ve had a couple of late arrivals, a few people have been asking when they are arriving…

snow daze

sat in the kitchen, mulling over a cuppa joe, looking out over deepening inches of white fluffy powdery chaos causing, snow.

Having many friends in the US, especially those in the MidWest, Wisconsin and Michigan spring to mind, where they get some of the deepest coldest snow flurries known to man.  Life carries on there!

The Brewing Network Winter BrewsFestival

It’s rare that I will just dump a press release straight on the blog, but hell, good people, doing good things and having a screaming laugh at it too is fine by me…  read on.. this is one party that I really want to be at!

The Brewing Network hosts first annual Winter Brews Festival,

January 30, at Linden Street Brewery-Oakland

intercontinental balistic spheniscidae

When I am driving along the roads and motorways 0f the UK and Europe, my brain trips over many a subject; beer, fishing or what ever BBC worldservice talking about.  Frequently I am writing some amazing content, ehh, again in my mind, arguing with the politician or opinion maker of the moment.   Most time, there is fat chance of actually remembering these amazing words, getting it down on paper, or on to the blog in way that I hoped.     I read many of the blogs out there, that @allbeernews twitter feed keeping me uptodate as much as my brain will handle, as well as many other resources for keep up to date with beer news, some of which inspires me, intimidates me, or just guaranteed to put me to sleep.

I have done a lot of shouting about the qualities that a number of British brewers we have here, for lack of a better term, the premier league, who’d sit along side top Belgian, Danish, Italian, French or the ubiquitous example of US craft beer.    People have mentioned to me, there is one I haven’t written much about, why? possibly because everyone else has or is, whether the love or hate, or when the homework has been done, what’s left to write about. They are exciting active people, where as me? lol..

Youtube

If you’re into these sort of things, we have been uploading a few videos to our “youtube channel”

I will admit that the idea of a channel is more oft the wet stuff that occupies my view between my feet and that there France.

I expect with the modern world, and technology you might see a few more additions, just please, ignore the language.

Suggestions are always welcome.

italian style

The miles that I travel, the beers that I bump into, the beers that I know are out there.  Some celebrated,  some that fly completely under the radar.

Then something completely out of the blue happens.   I have known for some time that Italian craft beer is coming on strong, hell it better, I was getting sick of going to see the family and being stuck with the Doppio Malto’s, or a limited range of Belgians.

Ok, so, I come from Italian stock, my mum is Italian.  She’s been living in the northern city of Parma ever since we sold our family pub.    In the meantime, Italian brewing has come on leaps and bounds.    Local to Parma, of course known for its incredible cheeses and salami, has a great wine heritage, beyond the much maligned Lambrusco and Guturnios styles, just where was the beer?