Four small rival breweries have joined forces to help reopen a pub dating back to the 1920s in Conwy.

Around £100,000 has been spent returning The Albion to how it might have looked 90 years ago.

It is the idea of London-based Welsh businessman Arthur Ellis who bought the building last year.

The four north Wales breweries said they were too small to have considered opening a pub alone but together it is an ideal location for their beer.

The pub has four hand pumps on the bar, one for each of them, plus a guest beer and draught cider.

When Mr Ellis bought the building for £95,000, he emailed two local breweries – The Great Orme Brewery and Conwy Brewery, as well as the Bragdy Nant Brewery in Llanrwst and Purple Moose Brewery in Porthmadog.

Great Orme Brewery director Jonathan Hughes said: “I genuinely think it’s unique as far as the UK is concerned.

“I can’t find any evidence of four competing breweries working together to open a pub.”

Mr Ellis said: “It has got the atmosphere that I was so looking forward to and hoping it would have, which is a lovely cosy atmospheric easy going place to drink.”

Although the pub does not open until Friday selected guests have had a sneak preview.

Ian Saunders from the Campaign For Real Ale said: “These days pubs are modernising and they are knocking them into one room to make them look modern.

“What they’ve done with The Albion is actually gone back in time and tried to make it look as it did in the 1920s.

“Some of the work is fantastic – they uncovered wooden beams that had been painted black, they’ve varnished the wooden floors and polished the bar up.

“I’m hoping that it’s good for Conwy as well as for the breweries and the ale drinkers as well.”

REAL ale fans were invited to pull up a seat at Stroud Brewery’s new bar as landlords came together to cut the ribbon.

The launch, attended by more than 200 punters, also celebrated the expansion of the brewery, allowing it to produce four times more the amount of ale than previously.

The team at Stonehouse Brewery, Oswestry, have been doing their bit for Movember, and have raised over £700.

All the brewery staff, except Alison, have grown a mo. We have donated 1p from every pint sold in November, and other people have generously donated to our group.

Movember began in Australia in 1999 and has grown into a global event. In 2010, over 112,000 UK participants got on board, raising £11.7 million.

The goals are to raise awareness and funds for mens health issues, such as prostate cancer and testicular cancer. 1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

Also Stonehouse New Beer News!

Oswestry’s Stonehouse Brewery have been working on a new recipe and it will be available from this week.

Stonehouse Brewery MD Shane Parr said, “This beer is made using Australian hops. It’s quite a low strength, very pale in colour, but we’re aiming to get quite a strong hop character from it.” The beer is called Sunlander (3.7%) and as this is their first new product in three years, it’s been a long time in the making.

“The first brew is a trial really, and we’ll make small adjustments to it over the next few weeks. “, Shane added.

Mike Hall landlord of The Bell Inn Leominster with daughter Emily, and Vernon Amor, Managing Director of Wye Valley Brewery.

‘Just the sort of local beer champion we need!’ said judges.

The Bell Inn, Leominster was crowned Best SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers) Local at the recent Business Awards, held at the Crowne Plaza, London on 14th November.

The SIBA Business Awards, rewards brewing members for their achievements in areas of their business, such as marketing, customer service, pack design and community support.

The Business Awards was established in 2006, and in 2011 for the first time, pub members were recognised. Mike Hall, landlord of The Bell Inn, was delighted to be the first to win Best SIBA Local. The judges said Mike and his pub are ‘…just the sort of local beer champions we need!’

Mike was praised by the judges, they said ‘he is proud to be a custodian of real ale, and ensures his staff are fully inducted, trained and encouraged to share his passion and communicate it to the pub’s customers’.

There was success also for Wye Valley Brewery, who picked up Highly Commended in the Best Marketing category, for their new advertising campaign celebrating the social context of “real people enjoying a real beer together”. The campaign gives well-known proverbs an amusing twist, examples include ‘All work and no HPA makes Jack a dull boy’ and ‘Pint of Butty at night, Drinker’s Delight’.

The Buckley Family are to Celebrate 245 years of Family Brewing in Wales, in 2012. The Family now led by Simon Buckley, have brewed beer in West Wales since 1767.

The family own the Evan-Evans brewery in Llandeilo, where they brew the International award winning Evan-Evans beers, and the famous Archers brands which are due to be re-launched to the English market in early 2012.

Simon Buckley, Chief executive of Evan-Evans, said:

‘2011,has been a wonderful year for us, winning one of the top International brewing awards for our premium beer Evan-Evans CWRW, and our Cardiff flagship pub the Cricketers voted best food pub in Wales. Now we turn to our year of Celebrations, and our new range of beers.

The beer festival, 5-14 December, is set to mark the beginning of a year of Celebrations with the brewing of 5 new beers and the launch of a new heritage beer brand, WH Buckley.

We have been working hard for the last two months to create 5 very special beers to start off this year of Celebrations. The beers have tested the skills of our brewing team to create a wonderful mix of beers, that reflect our rich brewing heritage. We have created two new strong Ales, an original Welsh Stout, and a delicious Winter porter, , our two Seasonal Specials and the star beer in my mind, the WH Buckley Celebration Ale.

We believe this to be a unique beer range that no other brewer in Wales can offer.

The New beers will be available in the free trade over the next few weeks throughout South Wales, and will be followed in 2012 by further seasonal beers.’

SIBA beers available at the festival

WH Buckley*: Celebration Ale (4.5% ABV)
Evan-Evans Brewery: Original Stout (4.4% ABV)
Evan-Evans Brewery: Winter Porter (4.5% ABV)
Evan-Evans Brewery: Santas Tipple (4.5% ABV)
Archers*: Strong Ale (5.5% ABV)
Archers*: Santa’s Glow (5.0% ABV)
Rhymney Brewery: Rhymney Export (5.0 ABV)
Kite Brewery: Carmarthen Pale Ale (4.1% ABV)
Kite Brewery: Gorslas Ale (4.0% ABV)
Conwy Brewery: Hoppy Christmas (4.3% ABV)

*Evan-Evans group brands

Wye Valley Brewery’s Monthly Special calendar for 2012 was hot off the press yesterday when further details of The 2012 Olympic Flame Relay broke in the news.  Staff at the brewery had planned a ‘Torch Bearer’ ale for May, and were thrilled to discover last night just how many towns and villages in their area will be hosting the flame! 

Vernon Amor, Managing Director commented ‘We wanted to do something to mark the Olympics, having read that the Torch will come through our region next May.  We planned this beer as a special brew to support our 2012 charity partner – Age UK.  Yesterday we were delighted to discover more details of the route and just how many local towns and villages it is coming through, passing 100’s of great pubs stocking Wye Valley beers.’

 Wye Valley Brewery are now increasing the volume of the brew planned for May of this 3.9% ABV tangy, refreshing, chestnut brown ale with hints of orange and blackcurrant and also considering making this available in polypins, ideal for local celebrations as people line the streets to welcome the flame to their neighbourhood.

Amor adds ‘We are sure that momentum and excitement will really build around the torch relay next year and hope that 1000’s of thirsty torch-bearers and spectators will reward themselves with a pint of Torch Bearer to celebrate their local community’s chance to shine.’

The Celt Experience Brewery based in Caerphilly County Borough have scooped a prestigious national award.

Caerphilly town’s The Celt Experience won a Gold at the True Taste Awards, held at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, the 2011-12 Wales the True Taste Food and Drink Awards ceremony showcased the best food and drink products from Wales.

Over the past decade thousands of companies have competed in the Welsh Government Awards which this year attracted 1,017 entries from 366 companies large and small.

Tom Newman, from the Celt Experience, said: “This award is massive to be honest. It’s more recognition for the beer and for the stores that already stock it, such as Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.

“For a high-end product like ours, this award is exactly what we want at this time. To receive an accolade like this, we are over the Moon.”

The Celt Experience brand was established four years ago and has gone on to become an international drink. As well as supermarkets stocking it in the UK, it is also a best seller in Paris and Tokyo.

Alun Davies, deputy minister for agriculture, food and fisheries, said: “For a decade the Wales the True Taste Food and Drink Awards have been at the forefront of promoting the wonderful array of Welsh produce, and cements the important partnership between the food industry and Welsh Government.

“There is no doubt Wales has a talent for producing top quality, flavoursome food and drink. Food is an important part of the Welsh way of life and is inextricably linked to our culture; indeed it is part and parcel of our DNA.”

“The skill and enthusiasm of producers has put our produce on the world stage, and the True Taste Awards give new and established businesses an important promotional platform.

“Being a True Taste winner enables producers to catch the consumers’ eye and compete in the global market place; and I am delighted to congratulate all those who have received Awards this year.”

Reference Caerphilly Observer

Pontypridd pub, The Bunch of Grapes has been officially named as the first official outlet for The Beer Academy in Wales.

Founded in 2003, The Beer Academy is an international body that helps people understand, appreciate and enjoy beer sensibly. The Academy is supported by brewers, beer retailers, trade associations and consumer groups and delivers training courses as well as talks, tastings and workshops.

The Bunch of Grapes Beer Academy has already attracted 165 members who have enjoyed exclusive events including tutored tastings and beer and food matching event with world-renowned beer writers including Melissa Cole and Roger Protz.

Nick Otley, managing director of The Bunch of Grapes and the Otley Brewing Company, said: “To be declared the first official Welsh arm of the Beer Academy is a real badge of honour for us. It will help us on our way to establishing the pub as a centre of excellence for real ale and will boost our efforts to encourage more people to share our passion for beer.

“The Beer Academy at the Bunch of Grapes is a meeting point for people to get together and learn about, experience, taste and enjoy beer in all its wonderful varieties. We’re really keen for more people to join the Beer Academy at the Bunch and learn about what makes real ale so special. It’s fast-becoming a drink of choice for a younger, more discerning drinker and this is reflected in our member base which is made up of a large proportion of under 35s.”

The next event at the Bunch of Grapes is a three day festival from 14 October which will bring 150 bottled beers from all over the world to Wales, many for the first time.

Beer Academy director, Simon Jackson, said: “Beer is not only the world’s most popular alcoholic drink, it is also the most diverse. The Beer Academy’s ambition is to open people’s eyes to the dazzling varieties of different beers that they can enjoy and how to present them in perfect condition. We are delighted that the Bunch has come on board to spread our message in Wales.”

The Beer Academy at the Bunch is free to join and is open to anyone who is keen to develop their interest in real ale. Sign up to receive the latest news and information about what’s going on in the world of beer and forthcoming events. Register by emailing info@bunchofgrapes.org.uk

For more information on The Beer Academy visit www.beeracademy.co.uk and beer events at the Grapes visit www.bunchofgrapes.org.uk

Brewer Edward Wood (right) and Wenlock Olympian Society vice-chairman Simon MacVicker (left) launch Athletes’ Ale at the William Penny Brookes memorial in Much Wenlock, Shropshire.

A new beer from Shropshire’s Wood Brewery will raise funds for the Wenlock Olympian Society, the body which inspired the modern Olympic movement and which was founded by Much Wenlock resident Dr William Penny Brookes.

W•P•B Athletes’ Ale is on sale now as both a draught and a bottled bitter with Wood’s donating 5p for every pint or bottle sold. The beer revives the Wood’s Shropshire Heroes and Legends series that at the turn of the century celebrated famous people with county roots, including evolution theorist Charles Darwin, the colonialist Clive of India and war poet Wilfred Owen.

The 4.2% ABV bitter will be available over the next 12 months at selected free houses and off-licences throughout Shropshire, the West Midlands and Mid Wales.

“With the Olympic Games on the horizon, we thought it was timely to extend the Heroes and Legends series by producing a beer to celebrate Dr Brookes’ achievements. We’re hoping it will raise a good amount for the Olympian Society,” said Edward Wood, MD of the brewery at Wistanstow, Craven Arms. Over the years Wood’s drinkers have raised thousands of pounds for local causes by drinking ‘donation’ beers.

Simon MacVicker, Vice-Chairman of the Olympian Society and a keen triathlete said:  “We were delighted when Wood’s suggested that a special beer might help the Olympian Games, and W•P•B Athletes’ Ale is the result.”

BACKGROUND TO BROOKES AND THE OLYMPIANS

Born in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, in 1809, Brookes was the man behind the Wenlock Olympian Games – the annual event which was started in 1850 and which provided the inspiration for the modern day Olympic Games. The modern Olympics were first staged in Athens in 1896 after their organiser, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, was invited by Brookes to witness the Wenlock games – still staged to this day by the Olympian Society. Coubertin subsequently transferred the format to a larger, grander occasion.

In line with Brookes’ wishes, the first Wenlock Olympian Games were open to ‘every grade of man’. Athletic events were run alongside traditional games such as quoits, football and cricket. Brookes later helped form the National Olympian Association, which organised sports meetings in various cities across England. The spectacular opening ceremonies of recent Olympic Games also have their roots in the colourful opening procession of the annual Wenlock Games.

So strong is the Wenlock link with the modern Olympics that in 1994, the then president of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch, visited the town to lay a wreath at Brookes’ grave. Sadly, Brookes never saw the first modern world Olympic Games. He died a few months before they took place.

“That’s a poignant fact, but we believe the fact that the Wenlock Olympian Games is still thriving is a cause for celebration,” said Edward Wood, who was born in Much Wenlock and has notched several notable athletic achievements himself, including cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats and completing the London Marathon three times.