British Brewery Campaigning To Save Traditional Pubs

by Sean McLachlan on


I’ve talked before here on Gadling about how British pubs are in danger. In 2011, an average of 14 per week shut down, and the trend is continuing. This is due to a number of factors, including the economic downturn, competition from cheap supermarket alcohol and ever-increasing taxes.

Now Wychwood Brewery has started an online petition to “Stop the Beer Duty Escalator.” Taxes on beer go up annually at 2 percent above the rate of inflation. The petition says this adds “considerably more pressure on the British pub, the cornerstone of many of our communities” and asks for this practice to stop.

“Going to the pub is a core British tradition and so is enjoying great beer,” the petition states. In a company statement, Wychwood Brewery said, “Imagine a world without pubs. Imagine communities with no heart. Imagine thousands of livelihoods affected.”

While this sounds like exaggeration, anyone who has lived in the UK for any length of time knows that it isn’t. Pubs really are a cornerstone to the national culture. The majority of people are regular pub goers, either for a quick pint of real ale or to watch a game or to enjoy a Sunday roast. They’re also a great way for tourists to experience the country and meet locals. The withering of that culture is reducing quality of life. I spend every Easter and summer in Oxford and every year I see prices go up and pubs close. It’s depressing.

Wychwood is aiming for 100,000 signatures, which will force the petition to be heard in the House of Commons. So far they have 27,517. If you’re a resident of the UK, I say sign this petition. You’ll be fighting for one of the nation’s cultural institutions and helping independent businesses.

[Photo courtesy Andrès Moreno]

Worlds most expensive beer made from Antarctic ice

by Kraig Becker on

Australian beer maker Nail Brewing revealed the secret behind its latest ale, which set a new record for the most expensive beer ever produced when it was sold at auction last month. The new limited edition brew, which was produced and sold for charity, was made from melted Antarctic ice.

Dubbed Antarctic Nail Ale, the beer first went on the auction block to raise money for the Sea Sheperd Conservation Society, an organization dedicated to protecting whales and other sealife around the globe. On November 3, a single bottle sold for an amazing $800 AUD (roughly $780), setting the new record for the worlds most expensive beer in the process. That auction was just the warm-up however, as another bottle went up for sale on November 19, smashing the new record. That second bottle sold for a whopping $1850 AUD ($1805)!

The beer was created by John Stallwood, the owner of Nail Brewing. Stallwood’s brother-in-law is part of the crew on board a Sea Sheperd ship, and recently visited an iceberg floating in the waters off Antarctica. He collected some of the ice there and flew it back to Tasmania, where it was melted and then passed on to Stallwood to use in the beer.

I’ve had some expensive beer before, but $1850 for a single bottle? I’d have to nurse that one for a really long time.

Plan your Great American Beer Festival experience online

by Katie Hammel on

The Great American Beer Festival, one of the largest beer fests in the US, is just six days away. The three-day event known as the Olympics of beer is sold out, but if you are one of the lucky 50,000 or so who will be in attendance when it takes place in Denver next week, now is the time to plan your perfect GABF experience.

The GABF is more than just an excuse to drink beer (lots and lots of beer – nearly 2,000 beers will be available for sampling), it’s a chance to learn more about beer than you ever thought possible, meet the brewers of your favorites, and try brews not available in your local area.

In addition to the basic beer tasting, there are several special events going on at the festival. At the Beer and Food Pavilion, local chefs will be working with brewers to pair beer with food. Attendees can learn how to pair the two at home and taste samples. At the You Be the Judge booth, drinkers can learn the secrets of judging beer and taste several brews alongside an official judge. There’s also a Great American Beer Fest bookstore, lectures from the brewers, and a Designated Driver Lounge where DDs can sample craft-brewed root beers and soda and receive a free massage.

With so much going on, coming up with a strategy to make the most of each four-hour session can be daunting. The Great American Beer Festival website is here to help though. They’ve created an interactive networking website where attendees can talk about their favorite beers, arrange for beer trades, and discuss the best ways to plan their GABF experience. Veterans of the event offer advice to newbies like: eat beforehand (the high altitude can increase the effects of the beer), make a “pretzel necklace” to munch on as you taste so you don’t have to waste time waiting in the food line, costumes are not uncommon, and whatever you do, don’t drop your tasting glass.

The website also hosts a map of each brewery’s location so you can plan your route through the convention hall. Some GABF experts recommend you not try to do too much – chose your top 10-15 breweries and plan a strategy to visit them in the order of importance. Others suggest choosing the beers you want to taste according to style, maybe concentrating on IPAs or porters, or by geographical location of the brewery. And some attendees prefer to just bounce from booth to booth, sneaking in for a sample at whichever one has the shortest line. You can pick a plan of attack based on your preferences, but if you’re serious about tasting beer, you’ll need some kind of strategy to make the most of your limited time.

If you weren’t lucky enough to snag tickets this year, mark your calendar for June 2010. That’s when tickets for next year’s GABF, to be held September 16-18, go on sale.

Enter to win a “cuisinternship” in Oregon

by Katie Hammel on

Ever wondered what it’s like to be a winemaker, brewmaster, or cheesemaker? How about a rancher, chocolate maker, fisherman(or woman), or a liquor distiller? Here’s your chance to find out. Seven lucky winners will be given the opportunity to apprentice in their chosen professions, helping out with all the duties of the job and learning the ropes from the pros.

The Oregon Bounty Cuisinternship contest runs until September 18 and aims to highlight the variety and quality of food and drink produced locally. The internships take place around the state, covering the Pacific coast, Willamette Valley, Mt. Hood, Eastern Oregon and Portland. The brewing intern will be mixing barley and hops at Full Sail Brewing and the apprentice chef will be prepping dishes at Le Pigeon Restaurant. Each apprentice will receive airfare from his or her home city to Portland, six nights of lodging, a five day apprenticeship, and $1000 cash to cover meals and other expenses.

To enter, compose a 140-character statement on why you should be chosen for the apprenticeship, along with a two-minute video explaining why you are the best person for the job. You can submit one entry per category, but you can apply for as many categories as you wish. Entries must be received by September 18 and the winners will be announced on September 30.

Following the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail

by Katie Hammel on

Around an hour’s drive from Chicago (close to four hours from Detroit), the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail is located at the southwest border of Michigan, near the resort towns of New Buffalo, St. Joseph, and Saugatuk. The countryside in the area contains over 10,000 acres of grapes and twelve wineries. It’s easy to plan a weekend getaway (or even a day-trip from Chicago) to this beautiful wine region near the Lake.

Where to Drink
With a dozen wineries to chose from, it can hard to narrow down your choices. But you’ll need to limit yourself to four or five per day (those little tastes do add up!). Warner Vineyards, St. Julian, and Contessa Wine Cellars all offer free tastings. Free Run Cellars and the Round Barn Winery are owned by the same family. Buy a $5 souvenir wine glass at one, and it will cover your tasting fees at the other as well. At Round Barn, you can taste five wines, one dessert wine, and one of their made-onsite vodkas. There is also a beer-tasting room where you can sample some of the beers they brew. Tours of the wine cellar, cave, brewery and distillery are available for groups of 20 people at $10 each, and you can enjoy lunch at the picnic facilities that overlook the vineyards.

Where to Stay
You’ll find some hotel chains in the area, but for a little more character, check out the Oliver Inn Bed and Breakfast, a restored Victorian inn where rooms start at $100 per night. The Marina Grand in New Buffalo is a little swankier. Rooms run $140 to $200 per night, but feature luxury bedding, marina views, and the hotel has a fitness center and indoor and outdoor pools.

Where to Eat
New Buffalo and St. Joseph have the most options for dining. Here you’ll find everything from casual pub food at the Stray Dog Bar and Grill to fine dining at The Dining Room at Clearbrook. For a special occasion, try Tabor Hill, which serves meals made from local ingredients in a romantic setting. If you didn’t buy enough wine on your tasting tour, New Buffalo’s Vino 100 wine shop is the perfect place to stop. They have over 100 bottles that cost under $10.

What to Do
Other than staining your lips purple at the area’s wineries, you can take advantage of the Trail’s lakeside location with swimming, sailing, or relaxing on the beach near Saugatuk. You’ll also find several u-pick fruit farms, a cider mill, and your standard assortment of resort town stores – candy shops, ice cream parlors, and “resort wear” boutiques.

If you don’t have a designated driver and wish to have more than a few samples, there are several companies that offer transportation along the route. Fruitful Vine charges $50 per hour for transportation in a Suburban (which seats five) or offers four-hour hop-on bus tours for $39 per person in summer.