This summer, Meantime and Nomad are joining forces to bring three nights of pop-up cinema in the wonderful surroundings of The Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich – one of London’s greatest buildings, most popular film locations and but a stone’s throw from the place where each and every new day and year begins.

With a suitably time-themed programme of films, Meantime’s range of delicious beers and a variety of gastronomic delights on sale (no picnics at this one folks), we invite you to round up your friends and bring your appetite for drink, food and outdoor cinema.

Doors and bar open each night at 6pm, with the film on screen at sunset – around 9:15pm.

These are the films that will be shown. Capacities are limited so click on the links below to find out more information and book.
FRI 8 JULY – MEMENTO (15) – dir. Christopher Nolan
SAT 9 JULY – TIME BANDITS (PG) – dir. Terry Gilliam
SUN 10 JULY – GROUNDHOG DAY (PG) – dir. Harold Ramis

ON THE NOSE: Wantsum brewery boss James Sandy, left, and Ramsgate brewery boss Eddie Gadd, right

Two local breweries, Wantsum and Ramsgate, have collaborated to create a beer especially for the sixth Planet Thanet Easter Beer Festival. The event takes place at Margate Winter Gardens over the Easter weekend from Friday, April 22, starting at midday and ending on Saturday, April 23, at about 9pm.

More than 200 ales, ciders and perrys will be available alongside hot and cold food. Live entertainment is provided on both days and a giant pub quiz will keep everyone guessing on Saturday. Children with well behaved parents are welcome until 7pm.

The specially-brewed ale, named ‘Low & Behold’, has just 2.8 per cent and falls into new ‘low strength’ category the government is encouraging with a reduced beer duty rate.

Both breweries, and members of the local Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) branch, have been working on the project for quite a few weeks, conducting research and brewing test batches. The style finally selected has a traditional English bitter colour, which is reddish brown, and a lively, hoppy flavour.

Wantsum brewery boss James Sandy said: “Most people appear to be sceptical that a beer of such low strength can be tasty, but we believe it can and it’s our challenge to try to prove it. It’s all about getting the right ingredients and using techniques to increase the flavour.”

Fellow conspirator and brewer Eddie Gadd, of the Ramsgate Brewery, said: “While any reduction in beer duty is welcomed, I remain convinced the government has yet to get alcohol policy right.

“Beer is a low-strength drink to be enjoyed in the comfortable surroundings of a pub, but increasing the rate of duty on it by 34 per cent since 2008 has only served to push wine and spirit sales at supermarkets.

“It’s about time the government used some joined-up thinking, reversed the current trends and improved the health of the nation as a result.

“It’s for that reason we settled on the name Low & Behold – lower the beer tax and be holding it low!”

As well as being available at the Planet Thanet Easter Beer Festival, ‘Low & Behold’ will be sold in pubs around East Kent from the first week in May.

For more details about the Planet Thanet Easter Beer Festival, log on to http://www.easterbeerfestival.org.uk/

For his third British Beer blog Pete is at the Jolly Butcher’s in Stoke Newington, London sample some of London’s finest cask-conditioned beers.

http://www.vimeo.com/17310248

Being somewhat nautical here on the Isle of Wight, Goddards Brewery have been trying to find a name with an appropriate theme for the forthcoming Royal Wedding and have now come up with WINDSOR KNOT.

The pumpclip shows the happy couple and a mooring rope tied in a Windsor Knot, which also includes the W and K element.

The “Royal” beer, which contains Sovereign and Boadicea hops with rolled oats in the grist for smoothness will be available in cask through April up to the 29th.

If you are interested in finding out more – Visit theire website www.goddardsbrewery.com

Andwell Brewing Company LLP is a 10 barrel micro-brewery based in Hook, Hampshire.  It commenced trading in October 2008 and currently produces four permanent beers: Resolute Bitter (a.b.v. 3.8%), Gold Muddler (a blonde ale with a.b.v. 3.9%), King John (a pale ale with a.b.v. 4.2%) and its award winning Ruddy Darter (a ruby ale with a.b.v. 4.6%)*. 

Just over two years since commencing trading the hard work of our dedicated team has been acknowledged by North Hampshire’s Inspire10 team in presenting us with its New Business Award.  The Judges were apparently “very impressed with the business planning and convincing customer feedback… Andwell Brewing Company showed the clearest business vision, combining successful exploitation of a niche market, a quality product which has gained a great customer loyalty, and a dedicated team as well as a strategic plan for future growth.”

* Ruddy Darter won a bronze award at the SIBA South East beer competition on 16 July 2010 and a bronze in North East CAMRA’s Hampshire’s Beer of the Year Competition held at Basingtoke’s Milestones museum on 1-3 October.

The Didcot homeowners aren’t the only ones switching to recycled gas. Last Friday British brewery Adnams opened its cutting-edge waste recycling plant, which uses brewing waste to produce methane gas that powers the brewery and its trucks. (It’s just the latest salvo from the eco-friendly brewer, which claims to have produced the first carbon-neutral beer in 2008.)

“In our view, the price of fossil fuels is only going one way — up,” said [Adnams' CEO Andy] Wood. “At the same time, the cost of landfill is also going up–and that is where most of this food waste currently goes and from where it releases methane to the atmosphere. Our move is killing several birds with one stone.” [New York Times]

To view the full article go to:   Discover Magazine

The wettest summer for years will result in a high quality hop harvest and therefore better beer, say UK brewers in a press release on 27th August 2010

The taste of beer may improve as brewers at the Kent brewery – Shepherd Neame look forward to a high quality of hops this year. In the UK, the wettest July on record has been followed by a rainy August, but the silver lining to this cloud is that the mixture of sunshine and showers has been ideal for the growth of top quality hops.

To reap the full benefit, a rainy August will need to be followed by a dry September, when the hops will be picked. David Holmes, head brewer at Shepherd Neame, said “We’re not expecting a bumper harvest like last year; it will be a case of quality rather than quantity.”

Rain means better tasting hops and beer. David Holmes explains that the flavour in beer comes from the female part of the hop plant. These are called the hop cones, and it is these that add aroma and bitterness to beer. The brewery has been monitoring the growth of the cones and has seen them flourish in the summer months.

Article taken from Suite 101.com

Out here in East Kent the hop harvest is due to begin on Tuesday: the bines are cut down and schlepped to the picking shed by trailer where they’re hoisted on a rail and dragged through a series of nasty, dangerous agricultural cutters and thrashers. Two pairs of human hands remove the last remaining leaves and strigs from the final conveyor before it discharges it’s sticky, pungent load into a high sided trailer. These gorgeous, bright green hop cones are hauled over to the oast and tipped into 10 foot high wooden bins, craftily manufactured to allow hot air from great gas burners to rise up through the bed of flowers within. The high moisture content (80%) needs to be reduced (10%) to avoid moulds growing during storage and it’s the oasties responsibility to judge this, switch the burners off and begin discharging the hops to the pressing machine, where they’re forced into tightly packed pockets or bales. After analysis and repacking into handy, vacuum packed mini-bales we finally get our hands on them around the end of November.

But this year we’re trying something different. Next Friday morning, at sunrise, Skinny and I will head out to the hop gardens with a very large sack. Our mission is to intercept the East Kent Goldings before they’re sent to the drying bins; we want 50kg of bright green, tacky and highly aromatic hoppy goodness to brew a gorgeously fresh beer with that very same day. It’s our own little harvest celebration.

Taken from Brew Blog Ramsgate Brewery