Whoah, twelves days since the last post? Good heavens and all that. Of course we have been really busy, although I have to say there is an element of 'I'll write a another blog later' behind the twelve day hiatus!
So what have we been doing? Well, brewing obviously, and all that goes with it. A few days off over Easter as well, which was nice, and the chance to show members of the Huntingdonshire branch of CAMRA round our premises. Of course most breweries offer tours, and as we mostly do much the same thing, it can no doubt get a bit tedious. But we try and offer a relaxed, informal visit, with no big sell or time constraints. And on a nice day it all ends in a chance to sit outside and drink. Which is I guess the most important part.
Easter is traditionally the time when the pub trade awakes from it's post Christmas winter slumber, and so is when we see beer sales climb. Oddly, we hadn't really seen a fall after Christmas, partly due to a few large beer festival supply gigs, but mostly through the hard work of our new(ish) sales rep, Nick - helped of course though by the beer! So we are now looking at ways of keeping up with increased sales, and so the spectre of expansion & investment hovers around our thoughts at present. We are very lucky in that we have a kindly, and keen, landlord, who has a spare barn or three - so space is not an issue - and indeed we can expand without moving the brewplant, which of course avoids breaks in production. So a bigger cellar beckons, along with more casks, and some conditioning tanks - and even a couple of lagering tanks.
Growth is part and parcel of any business, but even so it can be a nerve wracking issue. Do we just do enough do meet expected demand over the next couple of years - it will be cheaper, but a short-term fix, or do we play a long game - go for plenty of spare capacity to grow into, but at a higher initial cost. It's a tough call to make, and we think we have found a middle ground that will provide the space at the start, but without plenty of tanks & casks from the start.
Looking even further ahead, thoughts are turning towards pub ownership. But for now, it's all a plan, worked over and over to get the figures right. And all done whilst looking out on this green & pleasant location we work in. Sometimes life really is great.
Wednesday 18 April 2007
Friday 6 April 2007
Of New Arrivals, Travel & Other Stuff
We started April in fine style - a trip to Carmarthenshire to collect beer for some Easter Beer Festivals, and a chance to spend some time talking to the small breweries in the area that we have been dealing with for a while. By extending the trip over two days (Sunday & Monday), we had a bit of time to relax and enjoy the scenery as well. Wales is great - nice countryside, loads of nice pubs, empty (at this time of year at least) roads, and plenty to go and do. Carmarthenshire goes one better - it gives good Castle. Of course they are mostly, if not all, derelict, but therein is the charm. And I defy anyone to find a castle in these isles as dramatic as Castell Carreg Cennen, near Llandeilo. It's well worth a look.
One thing we nearly decided not to do was a visit to the Red Kite Feeding Centre, near Llangadog. Red Kites are a common site in certain parts of the UK, and indeed we occasionally, and increasingly, see them up here on Therfield Heath, so the attraction was diminished. But we decided to go, and boy was it worth it. Over 30, possibly way over, Red Kites descend to feed on 20lbs of Beef at 3pm every afternoon, and the hides are but a few feet from the action - the chance to see these large birds in action at close range was an impressive sight. Indeed we want one up here now. Just need to see how 40-odd Red Kites would dovetail into the Partridge Rearing programme which is ongoing around the brewery.
Alas, it was soon back to work with a bang - or rather a dash up the M6 to Preston early on Tuesday, a few short hours after getting back late on the Monday. But the beer must be delivered! A cock-up on the malt ordering front meant we haven't brewed this week, but we have valued the chance to catch up on the seemingly endless paperwork. On Wednesday we took delivery of a new arrival, in the form of fairly new, but battered (and therefore cheap) ex-Royal Mail van. Even now we are looking out for a suitable black & white cat to nail onto the dashboard. Whilst the van has a fairly low capacity, it will mean we can now be in two places at once - which is what most small businesses have to strive to do...
On the beer front, Isaac's Flying Coach (3.9%, brown, malty and hoppy) has made a return by popular demand, and indeed death threats. Brambles in Buntingford will be one regular stockist, for those of you wishing to seek it out. In other news, we hope to start offering the much mooted range of clothing in the next few weeks - the embroidered logo has been finalised, and no doubt will be the talk of the London, Paris & Milan catwalks this season.
And to finish with for now, an update for those following the wildlife tales of the brewery. The Swallows have arrived! Well, 2 of them at any rate. They've been around for a couple of days, so the rest can't be far away. In the meantime though we are enjoying the hunting of the Barn Owls of an evening, and as I type this, the air is thick with the call of a Skylark or two, and the incessant chirping of the resident Wagtails & Sparrows. Noisy buggers the lot of 'em.
Right. It's Easter weekend, the sun is out, and there's a Beer Duty Return to do amongst all the admin in the office. Oh joy.
One thing we nearly decided not to do was a visit to the Red Kite Feeding Centre, near Llangadog. Red Kites are a common site in certain parts of the UK, and indeed we occasionally, and increasingly, see them up here on Therfield Heath, so the attraction was diminished. But we decided to go, and boy was it worth it. Over 30, possibly way over, Red Kites descend to feed on 20lbs of Beef at 3pm every afternoon, and the hides are but a few feet from the action - the chance to see these large birds in action at close range was an impressive sight. Indeed we want one up here now. Just need to see how 40-odd Red Kites would dovetail into the Partridge Rearing programme which is ongoing around the brewery.
Alas, it was soon back to work with a bang - or rather a dash up the M6 to Preston early on Tuesday, a few short hours after getting back late on the Monday. But the beer must be delivered! A cock-up on the malt ordering front meant we haven't brewed this week, but we have valued the chance to catch up on the seemingly endless paperwork. On Wednesday we took delivery of a new arrival, in the form of fairly new, but battered (and therefore cheap) ex-Royal Mail van. Even now we are looking out for a suitable black & white cat to nail onto the dashboard. Whilst the van has a fairly low capacity, it will mean we can now be in two places at once - which is what most small businesses have to strive to do...
On the beer front, Isaac's Flying Coach (3.9%, brown, malty and hoppy) has made a return by popular demand, and indeed death threats. Brambles in Buntingford will be one regular stockist, for those of you wishing to seek it out. In other news, we hope to start offering the much mooted range of clothing in the next few weeks - the embroidered logo has been finalised, and no doubt will be the talk of the London, Paris & Milan catwalks this season.
And to finish with for now, an update for those following the wildlife tales of the brewery. The Swallows have arrived! Well, 2 of them at any rate. They've been around for a couple of days, so the rest can't be far away. In the meantime though we are enjoying the hunting of the Barn Owls of an evening, and as I type this, the air is thick with the call of a Skylark or two, and the incessant chirping of the resident Wagtails & Sparrows. Noisy buggers the lot of 'em.
Right. It's Easter weekend, the sun is out, and there's a Beer Duty Return to do amongst all the admin in the office. Oh joy.
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