Loads of beer, No beer

We did Ramsbottom Beer Festival this weekend.  The first is always the hardest to judge.  So, having gathered all of the beers, we racked them and built the bar on Thursday, ready for Friday opening.
Looking at 50 beers, I was wondering what I could do with all the beer left over...
I knew it would be a long weekend, so any sensible person would get a bit of rest. I spent the evening finishing off the brochure till 1 in the morning...
Friday Morning, and there were people queueing outside the door at 11:40!  We had 52 pumps (2 spare) and we had 3 failures, so we only had 49 beers on hand pump.

The whole weekend was packed.  I don't think I've ever seen so many people in Ramsbottom.  The first beer ran out about 8pm on the Friday.  Saturday and the beers started running out left right and centre, and we ran out of beer completely by about half nine.

A great weekend, and everybody seemed to enjoy it, except for a couple of self-proclaimed "experts" who thought it was rubbish because the beer ran out.








Just to simplify everything for the "experts".

• There is a set amount of each beer, determined by the size of the cask. 
•  If a lot of people drink 1 beer, then it will run out.  
• The beer is there to be drunk, not to be looked at, and if it gets drunk, then there is none left. 
•  If you turn up two hours from the end of a two day festival, then it is highly likely that there will not be a full range of beers available. 

 This is not rocket science, believe me.

Other than a couple of small whines, the beer festival was a fantastic success, so we will be doing it all over again!



Still adding up the total, but I think we have managed to raise a substantial amount for the RNLI, which is great.

No progress

I got back to the 'Tap' a bit earlier on Thursday night, and found that the impromptu Thursday night bit of folk music is becoming a bit less impromptu!

Folk music sung around the bar, in an unconstrained manner makes for a fantastic atmosphere.  This is partly the roots of folk music, a few mates (or, indeed, strangers) having a bit of a sing and a play over a couple of beers.  Great.

When I get up to Langdale for the Folk Festival in May, I am determined to get up some mountain or other.  Crinkle would be great, if not just for the view, but I fear there is not much downhill left in my knees.

After working a 13 hour day again on Saturday, I thought I must at least be getting some form of exercise, and thus be getting at least a little bit fitter.
How come, then, I wake up on Sunday feeling as if I have just been beaten up ?  I am going to have to do something to get a bit fitter, so I can get up the mountains - and May is getting closer...

Sod it, I'll go back down the Major for one of Stuarts brilliant Peppered Steak Puddings!  No kidneys, just Steak. Perfect!

Wow, what a voice...

Thursday night I was in Nottingham down at the Canalhouse for the SIBA National beer judging.  The canalhouse is a Castle Rock brewery bar in the old Fellow Moore & Clayton warehouse, well worth a visit if you are in Nottingham.

There were 56 beers on handpump, and I was given some of the new Keg beer and keg lager that Thornbridge have started producing.  Even as a cask ale drinker, this was very nice, but the lager just got a "That's full of flavour - the lager drinkers will hate it!" from Clarky.

Called in at the Met on Friday and Rachel Sermanni was singing in the studio.  I much prefer the studio to the main hall, it is much less formal and has a far better atmosphere.

Rachel started her first set and wow, what a voice. At one point she apologised to the sound man, then turned off the PA and amplifiers to play totally accoustic, and it sounded great.





She was playing fantastic accoustic guitar, and if you weren't moved by her voice, then you have not got a soul.

Welsh Mud

January saw the National Winter Ales Festival come to Manchester again.  This is now held in the Sheridan suite on Oldham road. It is a good venue, but I still prefer the old one which was by Victoria Station.  Much easier to get to.

 



Last Friday, I set off to Wales for a couple of days walking and drinking with other brewers.  It was going dark as I left the end of the M54, and I had a thought that, if I can't find this place I'm going to, I don't think I can spell it, and I certainly can't pronounce it.  I had a good idea where it was though, and by  7:30 I arrived in Llanwrtyd Wells.  We stayed in the Neuadd Arms Hotel, home to, amongst other things, The Monster Raving Loony Party HQ, The Bog Snorkelling Championships, man vs beast marathon, and the Heart of Wales Brewery.

On the first night, Johan finished the Dragons Breath curry and was given a medal.

Saturday was a great day, blue skies, sunshine and everything, so we set off walking some of these Welsh hills. After walking through a couple of miles of Welsh mud, we found a nice little property with great views, but in need of a little TLC.

There is a statue of an osprey, I think, in the town square.  This must be where they have re-introduced these birds into the wild.

Back home on Sunday, and down to the Major for Sunday Dinner. I had the new Steak Pudding, which was probably the best steak pudding I have ever had, while Lady P had the most enormous roast chicken dinner I have seen.

Sunday night is the time for the Train back down South.  I book tickets in advance to get the cheapest rates, but the fares are so inconsistent you have to try some random routes.  This week I am getting a train to York then the London connection because it was £20 cheaper than going direct. This means I have half an hour to spare in York.
It would be nice to get a quick pint in at York Brewery, but that would be a bit of a rush, and I dont like rushing for trains.

Luckily there is a new bar at the North end of Platform 3 called the York Tap.  20 handpumps serving a great selection of mostly Yorkshire Beers.

Warming up

Back at the boat, Handy Andy finally turned up and fitted the rebate locks to the doors. I had a play with Photoshop to try our some ideas for graphics on the front of the boat.

I've got a boatmans stove, so I can get a bit of heat into the place.  J has welded a back boiler to it, so I can run a radiator off it as well.  All I need to do know is build a hearth for it, and connect up the chimney, and we have somewhere to burn all the offcuts of wood!

I started putting in the main wiring runs, all done in tinned thinwall cable.  I have five lighting circuits, the front three run in 6mm cable to avoid voltage drop, the rear two in 4mm. Red for 12V, Black for 0V and Blue for the link wire of the two way light switches.

The colour scheme may not be standard, but I have a limited number of colours available, so I will make do with what I have got.

Once the runs are in, I make them into bundles using cable ties every 6".  This is a lot easier using the cable tie gun I got from ebay for £5.99.  This takes all the strain from my aging fingers.

New year nowhere (just left of the middle)

Spent New year up in the Lakes again.  Fantastic night with the obligetory pint or two of Yates, and a bit of music provided by a couple of Festerers.

Wet - not really the right word.  Liquid mud more like!

I got home and hung the tent up outside to let January's rain wash the mud off!

A New Folk Club

Well, not really new, but I only just found Baldock Folk Club at the Orange Tree at Baldock.  When I first approached this pub, and saw Greene King outside I didn't expect the fantastic range of eight real ales on.  Buntingfords always available!

Saw Belhazzars Feast playing, who were great, but a bit Christmassy, then I found out it was their Christmas special, so I will let them off that one (Bah Humbug!).

Sunday on the boat, I now have most of the control panel equipment fitted.  I'm not sure about the fuse panels though, I might yet replace these with circuit breakers, which seem to have a lower 'on' resistance, and a better reliability.

Monday evening, I saw Steeleye Span with the accoustic Strawbs at the Barbican Centre.  I thought the Strawbs were tedious, but Steeleye were fantastic.