On the beer front, the Britannia Class Range has been going from strength to strength. Lightning was a popular beer, and was almost brewed again but I decided to ignore the requests and so out came Polar Star. It was brewed using wheat malt & maize, so it was something of a new direction for us - and what a beer it was. It is certainly the palest beer I have brewed, indeed one of the palest I have ever seen, and the Centennial hops really made it stand out. Not even I can ignore the clamouring for this one...
Knight Templar, a 4.9% golden beer also caused a minor storm, being named the best beer at a few festivals (although none that do official certificates to add to our collection), and going down equally well in the trade. Trouble is, at 4.9% it's a bit strong for many, and so we have a dilemma. Brew it again at the same strength, and limit it's outlets, or brew it at a lower strength, and thus increase it's sales potential. Trouble is, we can't really manage another regular without major expansion, and that is a path with so many headaches along it we need a lie down just thinking about it. So it will hover in the background for now.
What we have done though is a 4.0% beer with a slightly reddish hue, called Twilight. Bit early yet for feedback, but it raised a smile when sampled last week prior to being casked up.
We have a slot for a brew later this week, and it has yet to be decided how it will be filled. Another new Britannia has been mooted (we don't have the hops yet for more Polar Star), but then so has the original Britannia. Originally rested due to a lack of hops, we managed to secure some earlier this year, saving them for a suitable point in time.
All these decisions... I think I'll have beer.
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Nature Notes - Warblers & All
Having in the past been proud of our Swallows & Spotted Flycatchers, this year they are noticeably down in numbers. This may of course be a false statement, caused by the noticeable increase in birds of species simply drowning out the Swallow / Flycatcher numbers.
So here is a run-down of what we have been seeing in the last few weeks...
Sparrows by the shedload - mostly of the House variety, but a few Tree variants as well.
Buntings - Corn/Field type in soem quantity, plus a few Reed Buntings for good measure. Given that we now have a Ford in our vehicle fleet (Don't, it still pains me to accept this) it is only a matter of time before we get the photo of a Bunting Ford (geddit?).
Sedge Warblers are back on the reedbed, as are Reed Warblers. Boy can they make some noise between them, especially after dark....
A Yellow Wagtail has been making themselves obvious, alongside the usual Pied variants.
We have a few Robins, most of them cocky and of the opinion that we are in their way...
The Red Kite is getting more common (we are on the edge of their expanding Chiltern territory), and of course the Buzzards, Kestrels & Sparrowhawks are as common as ever. There are tales of the Marsh Harrier being sighted, and of a Red Tailed Falcon (which apparently is basically a Buzzard really, no doubt escaped from a collection).
What we haven't seen or heard much of though are the Owls - but they are around still, in Barn, Tawny, Little & Short Eared forms.
Of course it is only June, so plenty of time yet for more. And of course we have the Blackbirds, Thrushes, Jays, etc etc etc all still frigging around as well.
So here is a run-down of what we have been seeing in the last few weeks...
Sparrows by the shedload - mostly of the House variety, but a few Tree variants as well.
Buntings - Corn/Field type in soem quantity, plus a few Reed Buntings for good measure. Given that we now have a Ford in our vehicle fleet (Don't, it still pains me to accept this) it is only a matter of time before we get the photo of a Bunting Ford (geddit?).
Sedge Warblers are back on the reedbed, as are Reed Warblers. Boy can they make some noise between them, especially after dark....
A Yellow Wagtail has been making themselves obvious, alongside the usual Pied variants.
We have a few Robins, most of them cocky and of the opinion that we are in their way...
The Red Kite is getting more common (we are on the edge of their expanding Chiltern territory), and of course the Buzzards, Kestrels & Sparrowhawks are as common as ever. There are tales of the Marsh Harrier being sighted, and of a Red Tailed Falcon (which apparently is basically a Buzzard really, no doubt escaped from a collection).
What we haven't seen or heard much of though are the Owls - but they are around still, in Barn, Tawny, Little & Short Eared forms.
Of course it is only June, so plenty of time yet for more. And of course we have the Blackbirds, Thrushes, Jays, etc etc etc all still frigging around as well.
Ever Wondered Where Your Tax Goes....?
Well, do you? I know we do.
Here then is something of note:
http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageId=38227
Of course we all want a fair and equal society, where all can benefit from good healthcare - even lager drinkers. But I can't help thinking the best way to do that is just to say 'Here Is The GP, And This Is Hospital', then allow people in. How can that not be a fair and open policy? It seems though that in reality it needs a Symposium. Oh yes. I used to work on the fringes of the healthcare world, and I can safely say that these sort of meetings (to use plain and perfectly adequate English) are so common I'm amazed anyone gets time to fix the sick. Still, I particularly liked Collage 2 - it speaks to me about the world we live in, and the people who try and run it for us.
I'm off now to utilise the posture-enhancement facilitator, whilst at the same time engaging in a holistic-centric approach to a fully inclusive refreshment dynamic (I'm going to put my feet up and wait for someone, indeed anyone, to put the kettle on).
Here then is something of note:
http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageId=38227
Of course we all want a fair and equal society, where all can benefit from good healthcare - even lager drinkers. But I can't help thinking the best way to do that is just to say 'Here Is The GP, And This Is Hospital', then allow people in. How can that not be a fair and open policy? It seems though that in reality it needs a Symposium. Oh yes. I used to work on the fringes of the healthcare world, and I can safely say that these sort of meetings (to use plain and perfectly adequate English) are so common I'm amazed anyone gets time to fix the sick. Still, I particularly liked Collage 2 - it speaks to me about the world we live in, and the people who try and run it for us.
I'm off now to utilise the posture-enhancement facilitator, whilst at the same time engaging in a holistic-centric approach to a fully inclusive refreshment dynamic (I'm going to put my feet up and wait for someone, indeed anyone, to put the kettle on).
Thursday, 5 June 2008
We're Still 'Ere...
No, we've not been on holiday, asleep or even pretending to be the potential next US president. Well, Ok, so we tried to do the latter, but the queue was a bit big. The truth is I couldn't be bothered. Far too busy watching and doing things to actually sit down and write about them. So here is a quick synopsis of what has happened since early March...
The Beers:
Golden Plover is now a regular, it was that well received amongst our local customers. The alternative Britannias are going well, and the sixth has just been released, 'Polar Star', which is a very blonde beer with a bit of a citrus kick. Brewed with maize and wheat alongside the more traditional barley, this beer nods slightly towards the 'American Pale Ale' style, and of course was fermented with our yeast, which - if you have been concentrating - you will know is partly a bottom fermenting (ie 'lager') strain. Rumour is that when the beer was barrelled up, most of it was drunk before it reached the casks, so it must be good.
The Brewery:
Still plodding on, but recently blowing up pumps & coolers at random yet crucial moments. We have a proper sales person chap now, who goes by the name of David. It seems he may be able to out anorak existing staff in areas mechanical & musical, and so is fitting in just well. And we are selling more beer, which can't be bad. We just need now to get some more tanks in, if the Chinese haven't eaten all the steel yet.
The Wildlife:
Now the real reason we have been busy. The Lapwings chose the field by the brewery for nesting this year, and so we have had many a happy hour firstly watching the Lapwing Defensive Strategies being deployed, and then doubly so once the chicks hatched. There is something indefinably addictive about the little chicks as they bob around in the grass. Sadly, the adults move the chicks to longer undergrowth after a couple of weeks, so they are now a couple of fields away, although there is apparently a chance of further broods as late arrivals start nesting. The Swallows arrived before the last snows in April, which seemed to perturb them a bit (the Swallows that is, not the snow). But they are still here, in great numbers, and nesting. We have Pied Wagtails and Pigeons nesting in sight of the office door, so there is still some bird action to come (so to speak). We even have a Corn Bunting who wanders up to the office door most days, which is nice and apt. The ducks have ducklets, and the Moorhens will soon be joining them no doubt. The sparrows have been hard at it as well, and for a species that is apparently on the RSPB red list, they seem to be doing just fine in the barns here.
Anyway, must go. We have a government to fund, so time really is money know, and quite probably about to be taxed....
The Beers:
Golden Plover is now a regular, it was that well received amongst our local customers. The alternative Britannias are going well, and the sixth has just been released, 'Polar Star', which is a very blonde beer with a bit of a citrus kick. Brewed with maize and wheat alongside the more traditional barley, this beer nods slightly towards the 'American Pale Ale' style, and of course was fermented with our yeast, which - if you have been concentrating - you will know is partly a bottom fermenting (ie 'lager') strain. Rumour is that when the beer was barrelled up, most of it was drunk before it reached the casks, so it must be good.
The Brewery:
Still plodding on, but recently blowing up pumps & coolers at random yet crucial moments. We have a proper sales person chap now, who goes by the name of David. It seems he may be able to out anorak existing staff in areas mechanical & musical, and so is fitting in just well. And we are selling more beer, which can't be bad. We just need now to get some more tanks in, if the Chinese haven't eaten all the steel yet.
The Wildlife:
Now the real reason we have been busy. The Lapwings chose the field by the brewery for nesting this year, and so we have had many a happy hour firstly watching the Lapwing Defensive Strategies being deployed, and then doubly so once the chicks hatched. There is something indefinably addictive about the little chicks as they bob around in the grass. Sadly, the adults move the chicks to longer undergrowth after a couple of weeks, so they are now a couple of fields away, although there is apparently a chance of further broods as late arrivals start nesting. The Swallows arrived before the last snows in April, which seemed to perturb them a bit (the Swallows that is, not the snow). But they are still here, in great numbers, and nesting. We have Pied Wagtails and Pigeons nesting in sight of the office door, so there is still some bird action to come (so to speak). We even have a Corn Bunting who wanders up to the office door most days, which is nice and apt. The ducks have ducklets, and the Moorhens will soon be joining them no doubt. The sparrows have been hard at it as well, and for a species that is apparently on the RSPB red list, they seem to be doing just fine in the barns here.
Anyway, must go. We have a government to fund, so time really is money know, and quite probably about to be taxed....
Thursday, 13 March 2008
Fame Beckons, The West End Is Calling...
By my reckoning, I must now be a D-List Celebrity. Soon the Tabloid press will be publishing photo's of me wearing nowt but a thong, Relaxing on a carribean beach. Of course it will be a fake - partly because I can't afford such a holiday (nor do I have the time), but mostly because there are some things that even the tabloids wouldn't dare publish. But that is not the point. I have studied the from, I know how these things must work.
If we read the Entertainment pages of the BBC News website, we keep asking each other 'Who's that' or 'What did they do'. In short, none of todays stars & celebrities are known to us. Heck, I didn't even realise that Carol Barnes wasn't reading the News At Ten any more, let alone that the poor lass has recently (and sadly) passed away (can't think why, but as a young boy I recall the news being interesting when she was on). So following my stint on local TV in 2005 (Anglia TV News, marking our opening here at Greys), I have now made the level of local Radio - but this time the BBC, so it must be important. Given that, I reckon I must now be a celebrity - after all, it seems others have that status for doing equally little of value to entertain the nation.
So bring on the glitzy parties, dodgy photo's of me getting out the back of a limo. What, Oh, that's only girlies they do that too. Well photo's of me with dodgy people then. I can do that, I've been to beer festivals, plenty of practice in the 'Being See With Dodgy People Department' there.
In the meantime, if anyone wants to be able to say they were there when it all started, tough luck. The show I was one isn't even available on Listen Again. Perhaps I'm not so important after all. Oh well, I don't like champagne anyway.
Oh, why was I one? The Cambridge Science Festival - in particular a series of talks on Saturday Night (15th) on the matter of beer. We have brewed a beer to promote the festival, 'A Little Bitter Science' (do you see what we did there?), and a certain character who may bear a passing resemblance to me, is part of the line up of speakers. A line that was to have included Roger Protz, but it seems he has now found something better to do (you can do that, when you are famous). So yours truly got the chance to go live on air to promote the event, and also promote ourselves into the bargain. I just hope it all came across well. Not had any calls yet from the BBC to start work as a DJ on Radio One (I can wear a hat backwards and talk funny), but then given that Hollywood still hasn't got in touch following my TV debut in 2005, I guess these things take time.
In the meantime, see you Saturday night!
http://www.cambridgescience.org/ (search under 'beer') or email ed(dot)emery@thefreeuniversity(dot)net for tickets
If we read the Entertainment pages of the BBC News website, we keep asking each other 'Who's that' or 'What did they do'. In short, none of todays stars & celebrities are known to us. Heck, I didn't even realise that Carol Barnes wasn't reading the News At Ten any more, let alone that the poor lass has recently (and sadly) passed away (can't think why, but as a young boy I recall the news being interesting when she was on). So following my stint on local TV in 2005 (Anglia TV News, marking our opening here at Greys), I have now made the level of local Radio - but this time the BBC, so it must be important. Given that, I reckon I must now be a celebrity - after all, it seems others have that status for doing equally little of value to entertain the nation.
So bring on the glitzy parties, dodgy photo's of me getting out the back of a limo. What, Oh, that's only girlies they do that too. Well photo's of me with dodgy people then. I can do that, I've been to beer festivals, plenty of practice in the 'Being See With Dodgy People Department' there.
In the meantime, if anyone wants to be able to say they were there when it all started, tough luck. The show I was one isn't even available on Listen Again. Perhaps I'm not so important after all. Oh well, I don't like champagne anyway.
Oh, why was I one? The Cambridge Science Festival - in particular a series of talks on Saturday Night (15th) on the matter of beer. We have brewed a beer to promote the festival, 'A Little Bitter Science' (do you see what we did there?), and a certain character who may bear a passing resemblance to me, is part of the line up of speakers. A line that was to have included Roger Protz, but it seems he has now found something better to do (you can do that, when you are famous). So yours truly got the chance to go live on air to promote the event, and also promote ourselves into the bargain. I just hope it all came across well. Not had any calls yet from the BBC to start work as a DJ on Radio One (I can wear a hat backwards and talk funny), but then given that Hollywood still hasn't got in touch following my TV debut in 2005, I guess these things take time.
In the meantime, see you Saturday night!
http://www.cambridgescience.org/ (search under 'beer') or email ed(dot)emery@thefreeuniversity(dot)net for tickets
Just To Clarify...
In hindsight, it appears I may have appeared anti-tax, anti government & anti health. Well, I maybe guilty on one charge there - but the others? No.
I fully appreciate we need a tax system to pay for a civilised society. Obviously roads have to be mended and cleaned, rubbish collected regularily, the Police, Fire Service & Armed Forces need full funding to a job that is of prime importance to us all - defence & protection. We need a fully funded Health Service to look after us, based solely on need - not age, wealth or background. We need Nurses, Doctors, Ambulance Crews, GPs and Dentists to enable this (and not forgetting the cleaners of course). And yes, we need people to collect these taxes, and ensure that we all pay our fair share. This is what civilised society is all about, and it has to be paid for. So yes, I agree with the need for taxes. I just like to think that the above listed items might also be the result of paying all these taxes. I might also, when pushed, believe that the methods of collection of these taxes should be simple, transparent & foolproof. But only when pushed.
Am I anti-health? No. All for it, and if that means that we have to forgo some dangerous pleasures every now & then, then so be it - surely no-one sets out to destroy themselves. But by the same token, why must our pleasures be dictated by minority groups of faceless suits & suitesses? A glass of wine, a wee dram, or even a pint or two a the end of the day has been shown to beneficial - but only in moderation. In much the same way that excercise can result in broken limbs, or walking/cycling can get you killed by a car. I mean, how much of a burden on the NHS are injured cyclists - who pay no extra taxes at all (yet)? Point is, quite rightly, no-one picks on such things - but if gangs of disaffected youths started cycling through shopping centres running people down, would it be fair to punish every cyclist in order to discourage them? No, of course not.
We have a growing anti-alcohol lobby in the corridors of power. Smoking has been targetted with success, and alcohol is now the new tobacco. Yes, it needs treating with respect. And the best way to do that is to drive into controlled environments, like say the pub. Instead, drinkers are now being forced to buy cheap booze from shops, and take it home (you know home, the only place where there always has been 24 hour drinking, not that the media have figured that out yet). And where there is no peer/social pressure to behave yourself. So pubs close, we lose our customer base, we close. Big breweries get bigger, beer miles increase, alcohol stays cheap through other savings forced by retailers expecting duty hikes not to be passed to them, and we all get sozzled on cheap booze at home, where no one suggests 'Isn't It Time You Went Home'. Because we've drunk more, we're more likley to be drunk in the morning, on the drive into work. And because the booze has to be cheaply brewed, natural ingredients go further out the window in favour of more chemicals, and you don't have to spend too much time Googling to see the KNOWN risks of chemical additives getting mixed in the body.
You know, I no longer care if as a small brewery we remain viable. If we were employed, then our hours would break EEC working time rules, and we'd be on less than the minimum wage. We're not alone - that applies to many small businesses in many fields. Yet even so, we pass to the state £3-4000 pounds (yes, thousand) each month in beer duty, VAT, PAYE, Climate Change Levy, Fuel Duty, plus all the associated costs passed to us by our suppliers. So, yes, I've a right to be bitter about the budget, taxes, and the lack of anything to show for it across society.
And if I see one more bloody chav on a TV interview proudly proclaiming how he's not going to get a job when he can get State Benefits, well, I shall bloody well join him. And in the process not only spend my benefits on dope, alcohol & cigarettes, but I'll hang around on the streets picking up ASBO's. And do you know what? I'll enjoy it.
I fully appreciate we need a tax system to pay for a civilised society. Obviously roads have to be mended and cleaned, rubbish collected regularily, the Police, Fire Service & Armed Forces need full funding to a job that is of prime importance to us all - defence & protection. We need a fully funded Health Service to look after us, based solely on need - not age, wealth or background. We need Nurses, Doctors, Ambulance Crews, GPs and Dentists to enable this (and not forgetting the cleaners of course). And yes, we need people to collect these taxes, and ensure that we all pay our fair share. This is what civilised society is all about, and it has to be paid for. So yes, I agree with the need for taxes. I just like to think that the above listed items might also be the result of paying all these taxes. I might also, when pushed, believe that the methods of collection of these taxes should be simple, transparent & foolproof. But only when pushed.
Am I anti-health? No. All for it, and if that means that we have to forgo some dangerous pleasures every now & then, then so be it - surely no-one sets out to destroy themselves. But by the same token, why must our pleasures be dictated by minority groups of faceless suits & suitesses? A glass of wine, a wee dram, or even a pint or two a the end of the day has been shown to beneficial - but only in moderation. In much the same way that excercise can result in broken limbs, or walking/cycling can get you killed by a car. I mean, how much of a burden on the NHS are injured cyclists - who pay no extra taxes at all (yet)? Point is, quite rightly, no-one picks on such things - but if gangs of disaffected youths started cycling through shopping centres running people down, would it be fair to punish every cyclist in order to discourage them? No, of course not.
We have a growing anti-alcohol lobby in the corridors of power. Smoking has been targetted with success, and alcohol is now the new tobacco. Yes, it needs treating with respect. And the best way to do that is to drive into controlled environments, like say the pub. Instead, drinkers are now being forced to buy cheap booze from shops, and take it home (you know home, the only place where there always has been 24 hour drinking, not that the media have figured that out yet). And where there is no peer/social pressure to behave yourself. So pubs close, we lose our customer base, we close. Big breweries get bigger, beer miles increase, alcohol stays cheap through other savings forced by retailers expecting duty hikes not to be passed to them, and we all get sozzled on cheap booze at home, where no one suggests 'Isn't It Time You Went Home'. Because we've drunk more, we're more likley to be drunk in the morning, on the drive into work. And because the booze has to be cheaply brewed, natural ingredients go further out the window in favour of more chemicals, and you don't have to spend too much time Googling to see the KNOWN risks of chemical additives getting mixed in the body.
You know, I no longer care if as a small brewery we remain viable. If we were employed, then our hours would break EEC working time rules, and we'd be on less than the minimum wage. We're not alone - that applies to many small businesses in many fields. Yet even so, we pass to the state £3-4000 pounds (yes, thousand) each month in beer duty, VAT, PAYE, Climate Change Levy, Fuel Duty, plus all the associated costs passed to us by our suppliers. So, yes, I've a right to be bitter about the budget, taxes, and the lack of anything to show for it across society.
And if I see one more bloody chav on a TV interview proudly proclaiming how he's not going to get a job when he can get State Benefits, well, I shall bloody well join him. And in the process not only spend my benefits on dope, alcohol & cigarettes, but I'll hang around on the streets picking up ASBO's. And do you know what? I'll enjoy it.
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
You're Too Kind...
So, only 4p a pint then. Yippee. Just watch the price of beer in pubs go up, it won't be hard to spot. Now watch what the supermarkets etc do. That'll be a bit harder I reckon.
So once again the morally straight, law abiding, sensible majority will pay a bit more to allegedly stop the scare of the week, when those that should be targeted will just be laughing.
Still, we've been spared (for a short time) a further 2p on a litre of fuel. Given that it's gone up so bloody much of late, I'm not sure I'd have noticed another tuppence, but hey ho.
After several years of working for ourselves, we are still worse off than we would be if we had spent that time on the social. It's a sobering thought....
So once again the morally straight, law abiding, sensible majority will pay a bit more to allegedly stop the scare of the week, when those that should be targeted will just be laughing.
Still, we've been spared (for a short time) a further 2p on a litre of fuel. Given that it's gone up so bloody much of late, I'm not sure I'd have noticed another tuppence, but hey ho.
After several years of working for ourselves, we are still worse off than we would be if we had spent that time on the social. It's a sobering thought....
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