BEERmerchants.com

Join me as I take delivery of some extra special beers that I have just bought from Beermerchants.com.

I was overwhelmed with how good the Lost Abbey beers were at Christmas that I was thirsty for more. Of course, the Lost Abbey beers were quick to sell out but the Port Brewing pack is still available - Port Brewing being a sister company to Lost Abbey in California, but specialising in more hoppy IPA style beers.

There was also another special pack of rare beers from Struise, Mikkeller and De Molen - some collaborative brews and all hardly ever seen in this coutry apart from the most adventurous of CAMRA beer festivals. Again a short run and the special nature of this offer meant it was quick to sell out but the beers from Mikkeller are still available.

Finally, a few beers from Boon Brewery in Belgium, specialising in the famous wild, sour beers generally only available in Belgium.

BEERmerchants.com do not only sell beer for beer geeks, that would not be much of a business. Their mainstream offerings are just as interesting. Their mixed packs are good value and an easy way to spread your wings as far as beer drinking is concerned. I can also say that their customer service and delivery service is excellent.

Morris Dancing at the Willoughby Arms

I try to take my camera and my small video camera wherever I go these days just in case I come across something interesting to share.

I arrived late afternoon at the Willoughby Arms beer festival having been delayed by the other beer festival at the local Wetherspoons. A long afternoon enjoying the range of 30 odd beers quickly turned into evening and the Ewell St Mary Morris Men arrived to dance. Of course, they needed fuel before they could muster the energy required but after a few jugs of foaming ale they got down to do their stuff.

As you can see by my short introduction, I think you need to be a bit pissed to enjoy Morris Dancing but for entertainment on St George's Day you cannot beat it.

This is eccentric England at its finest.

Hare and Hounds

You may remember the story of my family enjoying the ages old tradition of father and son using the same watering hole. Well, it did not last long.

The Hare and Hounds closed a couple of months ago to enjoy the current trend of a Young's makeover. Originally the planning application was going to replace the 1930's public bar with a new gents toilet but a robust protest by drinkers to the local authority planning office was successful and Young's had to push ahead with plans for a makeover rather than a full refurbishment.

At the time, a huge bill board was posted outside the pub stating "At last".

What it means nobody knows.

However, ironically work on the pub stopped abruptly before Easter and the local paper published that there was a problem with planning for an upstairs kitchen and Youngs are now waiting until that planning application is agreed so that they can open with a fully operational food offering.

When it does finally reopen, we at least will be able to say "At Last".

Pub of the Year

CAMRA branches in London are presently judging the twelve branch pub of the year to determine the winner for 2009 for the Greater London region.

The finalists in the London area are as follows :

The Dispensary, Aldgate East (East London and City branch)

The Bree Louise, Euston (North London branch)

The Bricklayers Arms, Putney (South West London branch)

The White Horse, Parsons Green (West London branch)

The Willoughby Arms, Kingston (Kingston and Leatherhead branch)

The Roebuck, Hampton (Richmond and Hounslow branch)

The Dog and Bell, Deptford (South East London branch)

The Brittania, Barking (South West Essex branch)

The Red Lion, Ealing (West Middlesex branch)

The Beehive, Edmonton (Enfield & Barnet branch)

The Robin Hood and Little John, Bexley (Bexley branch)

and

The Claret Free House, Addiscombe (Croydon and Sutton branch)

St George's Day

Our national day, and where better to drink a toast to the old dragon slayer than the Willoughby Arms in Kingston which is hosting its annual St George's Day Beer Festival - on now until Saturday.

Get there today from 7pm to see the Ewell St Mary Morris Men in action.

Downton Chocolate Orange Dark Delight is sadly not on the list so hopefully it will make for a slightly less messy afternoon. Although Fullers Golden Pride appears as a rarity in cask so anything is possible.

The Willoughby Arms is Kingston CAMRA branch pub of the year for 2009 - a deserved winner in an area of Kingston that is blessed with good drinking holes.

Other events in my locality where I may appear later in the week are The Ailsa Tavern in Twickenham (well, St Margarets really) and The Andover Arms in Hammersmith (well, Ravenscourt Park really) - both hosting small beer festivals from today to Saturday.

Drink up and celebrate all things that make this country great.

Pub of the Year

CAMRA branches in London have all decided their best pub for 2009 and each of the twelve branches now provides a judge (or a team of judges) to visit each winning pub. The votes are then cast at the end of June to decide which pub is the Greater London Pub of the Year to go forward to the regional final stages.

The winner in London last year was The Trafalgar in South Wimbledon. This was then defeated at the super regional stage by Sussex's best pub, The Royal Oak at Rusper Street which in turn lost out in the final stage to The Kelham Island Tavern, Sheffield, CAMRA's National Pub of the Year for 2008.

What makes a great pub is often a matter of personal choice and sometimes the beer led CAMRA criteria give rise to some winners that may not be universally agreed. However, anyone who has ever been to the Kelham Island Tavern could not deny it is a great pub.

In the coming week, I intend to elaborate on London's twelve local choices for 2009.

Brewery History Society

The other story from the BHS newsletter is one on beer mats.

The Huddersfield Daily Examiner reports that the manufacturing of beer mats is to switch from the Katz Quarmby Group in Huddersfield to Germany. The closure of the Brighouse site after 136 years of operation means the loss of 12 jobs. The firm was founded in 1872 as Quarmby Promotions and began making beer mats in 1932. It was taken over a few years back by the German Katz Group. The firm estimate that over the years they have produced 9.5 billion beer mats !

Pickled Eggs

About six months ago, a family of three hens came to live with us. We went under the wire to rescue them from a battery farm. They live in our garden in a bespoke house that cost an arm and a leg. Within a month, Mrs W had one of them down the vets and a further bill of £120. At that time each egg was costing us about £10 - you can keep your provenance and sustainability. They have quickly become family pets and the dog is less than happy.

They have now settled in and are laying well and we have eggs abundant.

Boiled, poached, fried, mayonnaised and omeletted, we have had it all and are now egged out.

Time for a fresh approach so I googled recipes for the pickled version.

Pretty simple recipe : 6 eggs - hard boiled - cooled and shelled. 500ml of cider vinegar boiled up and simmered for 10 minutes with a choice of spices. I used whatever was in the cupboard; chilli flakes, garlic cloves, cardamon, mustard seeds and peppercorns. Allow to cool and pour into a clean airtight jar covering the eggs. Put in fridge for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.

I have no idea what they will taste like. I have to admit that they do not look too appetising. I used Aspalls cider vinegar. I have always been impressed with their ciders so their vinegar is hopefully quality too. Apparently a more mellow pickling comes through using cider vinegar rather than the pickling type - it also fits better for a beer blog. I included all of the spices in the jar which will hopefully infuse further during the pickling process.

I will keep you posted.

Brewery History Society

The Brewery History Society newsletter dropped through the letterbox yesterday. The usual hotch-pot of news, obits, press cuttings and research questions and an interesting read. A couple of stories caught my eye :

In Sudan a new 180,000hl brewery (c100,000 barrels ?) is to be built in the Christian south of the country by SAB Miller at a cost of $37 million. The last brewery in the country was closed in 1983 under Islamic law.

Now Sudan is not a country I know anything about but I guess the country's beer drinkers are celebrating.

more later ....

Typical Bank Holiday Weather ?

Not in Margate ! The weather was as good as the beer, a beautiful sunny day. It was warm enough to stand outside on the prom until someone decided it was an elf and safety risk and we were all brought back into the safety of the beer hall.

Highlights of the day, apart from the weather, were mainly among the beer. It seems to me that the best micros are getting better and better. The stronger offerings from Dark Star (Ruby Mild 6% and IPA 6.2%) and Thornbridge (St Petersburg Stout 7.7%) were first class even though it meant that the real health and safety risk was my walk back to the station.

One other highlight was the bottle shop from Gadd's Brewery. An excellent range of foreign and british beers - including many rarer beers - such as a large range from Mikkeller in Denmark. Alas no formal mail order arrangement but if you are in the Ramsgate/Broadstairs area, it must be worth a look-in.