It's Been A Quiet Week...

No, really, I think it has. Sure we've filled a few firkins, washed many more, and (by Friday), done two brews. Plus delivering, empty collecting, getting guest beers arranged, employed someone, looked long & hard at future plans, read the recent Licensing Act throughout, deep cleaned some of the more hidden corners of the brewery, sorted through the foreign (ie not ours) cask pile that is locked away elsewhere on site, and hosted 2 large brewery visits. But apart from that, it has been a quiet week.

Why? Well, we could have delivered, indeed just sold, a lot more beer. But we didn't have it, because we are scratching around for casks to put it in. Still. But good news cometh. Well, a load of new, albeit French-made, casks cometh early next week, and just to help out, a local wandering landlord, well know to many as Steve Nye (soon to be settled down though, courtesy of local boys McMullens), has kindly allowed us use of his cask fleet, bought in the days he was brewing beer under the 'Millennium Brewery tag. So things should get a bit more hectic again in a week or so. "Never Mind", folk say, "Think of all the money you must be making". Oh dear. Trouble is, we could throw it all into our pockets, but growth needs money, and it becomes a vicious circle. One that no doubt is familiar to any that have started their own business, and got into their third year of trading. But not familiar to those that haven't been here, which is often those you see daily. Busy does not mean rich. But then why be rich if you are too busy to enjoy it?

But it has been a good week. We've had the Royston Chamber Of Commerce round for tea. Well, round for beer, and a barbecue courtesy of the local Italian Restaurant, Palazzo (01763 226225), with some food donated by the local Tesco store, all added to the spread freshly crafted by hand for the evening. I tell you what, with food like that for tea, we'll invite them all back next week. It's a shame it rained on the night, but then it is Wimbledon week. And then today I have had the pleasure of a ride on the Reedham Ferry, in the dray, at the behest of the SatNav (which even showed a picture of a boat, just to inform me that I was floating across a river - aren't these things just so clever...?). The sun was out, the local warblers were active, and it almost felt like summer.

Next week though, I think it is back to normal. Whatever that is.

A Sad Loss To Common Sense - & Drinkers

Like any industry containing true family firms, the brewery industry has it's share of characters. Slightly eccentric in many ways maybe, but they all have the kind of passion you just don't get from accountants, lawyers & marketing men. John Young, of the once Wandsworth based brewery Youngs, passed away last year, on the day that the last beer was brewed on the site that Youngs started at hundreds of years back. John Young fought through the 1960's & early 1970's to keep the family firm brewing real ale, against all advice. But time proved him right, although external forces eventually forced a move to Bedford, partly through the threat of a compulsory purchase order. After all, flats & shops are a better thing than jobs, heritage, pride and tradition.

But this month, June 2007, saw the loss of two more, maybe the last two, genuine characters. I have never met either, but I can't help but admire them for their strong, passionate, and finally correct, convictions.

The first, Claude Arkell, died in early June. Claude ran the Donnington Brewery in Gloucestershire, where water power is the main driving source of the brewery. Traditional is probably therefore a weak word to describe Donnington (especially given its misuse by the marketing cowboys of today). Claude was renowned for many things, most notably his refusal to allow women into the brewery (it was 'No Place For A Woman'), and his apparent insistence on visiting any landlord that wanted to sell his beer. The latter is understandable, the former perhaps not. But nonetheless Donnington remained a distinctive, and often highly regarded brewery. The brewery is now passing into the hands of another branch of the Arkells family, the owners of the Swindon based Arkells Brewery. And Donningtons future independence is apparently assured. And too right - it should be no other way.

The second loss is George Bateman, of the better known , but otherwise equally renowned, Batemans Brewery in Lincolnshire. George Bateman is renowned for his stance in the 1980's when, almost single-handedly he stood against his siblings by refusing to sell the family brewery. In the end he (and common sense) won the day, and the brewery remained a family firm. At numerous times since, so it is said, 'Mr George' was advised by various 'experts' that it was all over, and he should sell up quick. His response was to find new experts, time after time, until he found some that agreed with him, and accepted his determination to carry on. The firm is now run by his son, Stuart Bateman, and long may it continue.

In both cases they are traditional family firms, who put the product, and why they are brewing it, above the whims of a few 'experts'. Experts, who, no doubt have got their knowledge through a few books, and not through being at the sharp end. Experts who see pound signs, and continued high growth as the only indicators of success. Experts who have no doubt helped play a part in the continued loss of the soul & values of this nation.

Sometimes we need to realise that staying still is a good thing, and that business is not always just about staying ahead of the competition. Sometimes it involves standing up for what you believe, honouring the companies founding principals - and accepting that we can't all be the size of General Motors.

God rest you both, Claude Arkell & George Bateman. And God help us all if you were the last of your kind.

Your Turn WILL Come

So in just 10 days from when I write this, smoking in public places will become illegal. Well, that's good isn't. After all, we've all read the sound science behind passive smoking, and even if you doubt that is an issue, cigarette smoke still gets into your clothes, hair, and of course smoke gets in your eyes. And so from July 1st, pubs, shops & restaurants etc will be much nicer places to be in the view of the majority of us.

And maybe more people will now go to the pub, because before they didn't like the smokey atmosphere. But will they have got too used to their comfortable chair, cheap supermarket 'chemical' drinks, and the mind-numbing pap on the goggle-box? I think maybe they might have. But still, we are upbeat about it, and view the whole thing as a move in the right direction. And so live in hope that more people will now support their local pubs.

But hey, just wait a minute tobacco-picking minute. We aren't smokers, so of course we don't have a problem with the ban. So we sit back and listen to the smokers whine, and make no effort to see their rights. But no, that's fine, they don't have any do they. Until.... What will be banned next - the smart money is on further controls on alcohol, even perhaps a ban by the back door through other means (ie massive tax hikes). Then of course we will be jumping up and down, just like many smokers are now. Will they be keen to support our fight, or as keen as we were to support them?

And what about other folks? The non-drinkers, the folks who never want to visit their local (you know, the ones who'll moan when, as the last in the village, it has to shut through no trade and so drives down the value of their house). Will they defend our right to have a drink - sensibly and in moderation of course, as we failed to defend the smokers right to have a smoke in the warm?

No, I doubt they would. Their world won't be overly affected, it is after all someone elses problem. And then, in time, something they enjoy - say the right to operate dangerous machinery like a lawn mower or strimmer in their own garden - will be picked on by the State Nannies. And it will be their turn - indeed maybe YOUR turn - to get hot under the collar. Trouble is, there'll be no-one left willing to fight for you.

It's worth a thought, isn't it?

Sticking your head in the sand should carry a Govt Health Warning...

Beer Range Varies...

Now any of you who are devotees of The Ale, and readers of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, will now what I mean when I say the holy grails of all those listed pubs are the ones where it states 'Beer Range Varies'. So in a pub this is a good thing. In a brewery though it is a bad thing. Now some breweries never seem to do the same beer twice, and that is fine. But when all is said and done, most drinkers like to be conservative in their tipple, so to get anywhere as a brewery you must offer a core range. Now ours was simple - Challenger, Britannia, Pargeter, plus the likes of Night Owl, Silence & Royston Red to be rotated through as allowed. Come Highwayman though, this has all changed.

So now Night Owl & Pargeter have been relegated to the back of the cupboard, the recipe to be dusted off just occasionally. Britannia has been relegated as well, through no fault of it's own - it just wasn't as big a seller as Challenger or Highwayman are. Royston Red has come forward somewhat, but that has meant Silence has had to go backwards a bit. And now, to cap it all, some muppet has not only recently allowed 92 Squadron to reappear, but also Royston Pale Ale as well. The 92 went very quickly, and we are now seeing cries for more, and I suspect the Pale Ale will go equally well, when it is released in about 10 days time. And God alone knows how we will fit those two in.

So this weeks challenge is to come up with a flyer that is relevant for more than 36 hours, but shows more than one beer. And once that is done, it will be time to have words with the aforementioned muppet responsible for this mess. Well, that muppet is me, and I will, rest assured dear reader, give myself a stern talking to over a pint of something that we can't guarantee to keep available permanently, if at all. I think our graphic designer is probably going to want words as well. No sooner has he done a new design for these dusted off beers, than it's too late because we've sold it all, and we find him something else to draw. It'll probably drive him to drink.

And In This Tank...

After 3 - 4 hectic weeks trying to keep up, we have again run out of empty barrels. So it's a quiet week this week, with just a fresh brew of Royston Pale Ale (RPA to it's friends) gently fermenting away. We have a good stock of Challenger & Highwayman in the cellar, but both are getting alarmingly low - but then that is good, we don't brew it to keep it sat in the cellar! Next week will be a double brew week, but only if we get enough empties back. Or we get the 100 new ones we are waiting for. And at the moment 100 firkins is just enough for a double brew week.

Such fluctuations in our brewing volumes marks out the increasing number of 'tour groupies' we seem to be getting. We have noticed for a while that some faces in tour parties were familiar, but this has now been confirmed when someone asked why we had full tanks a few weeks ago, but now had empty ones. When he was answered, he sagely agreed that we had mentioned cask shortages in the past. He then had to admit he was on his fourth visit this year. So far. So it's not just rock bands that have groupies, breweries have them too. And do you know what, I think it's great. I am sure that some Rolling Stones groupies offer more services than ours do (thankfully), but ours certainly do us great benefit in raising our profile in the local pub trade. And whilst I don't want to sound ungrateful, the more I thinka bout it, a few screaming females would certainly add a bit of extra cheer that middle-aged men just can't provide.

Mother Nature's Update

One of the things that we were intending to do with this blog was to provide a record of all that is going on around the brewery, in respect of the copious amount of wildlife we have round here. Of course this means more regular posting than we have achieved so far, so here is a catch-up & update on things, in the hope that we'll be more regular in the future....

So far we have seen the Pheasants produce their first clutch, and the Partridges (red & grey) should by now have done likewise, although as yet we have not seen any chicks ourselves. We have had the honour though of seeing a group of Lapwing chicks being herded around by a lone parent. Apparently lapwings have an informal creche arrangement, whereby the adults take it in turns to look after a group of chicks. No doubt the off duty adults then go off shopping, dry skiing or suchlike. The local pair of barn owls seem to have young to feed judging by their hunting efforts, often starting around lunchtime, as well as their more usual nocturnal activities (when at least one Tawny Owl can be heard). Indeed the Barn Owls have no fear of us it seems, often flying, and hunting, very close by - which gives a fantastic opportunity to witness these beautiful creatures close at hand. Their lack of noise whilst in flight offers stark contrast to their haunting night-time calls.

At least one pair of kestrels has a full nest nearby (in a box placed for barn owls...), and no doubt the local buzzards have some young to deal with. One of last years highlights was visits by a female Marsh Harrier (a rare bird in the UK, especially away from the Suffolk coast). This year she has returned to us, and a male has apparently been spotted as well (but not at the brewery, yet). We don't where they are nesting, but we suspect it is a few miles away at Fowlmere, where Marsh Harriers have nested before. Our own reed bed is too small for them, but must at least help in attracting them out this way on hunting duties. It is however adequate for the sandpipers and snipe that stop by on passage elsewhere. The resident moorhens have raised chicks this year, and most recently they have been seen chasing mice. No doubt it passes the time...

Other birds include the ever-active swallows, blackbirds, sparrows, greenfinchs, yellow-hammers, goldcrests, corn buntings, spotted flycatchers, starlings, jackdaws, jays, crows, rooks, pigeons a-plenty, wagtails & robins - to name but a few. At the moment though, the Skylark(s) are highly active, their long high altitude singing and tumbling stunt flight antics being an almost constant accompaniment to most days.

The local hares are as active as ever, and in seemingly plentiful supply. One or two of them are even happy to come within a short distance of us, especially in the evenings - but they soon scarper if we do more than watch. Toads & frogs seem to be exiting the pond in large numbers, and some seem to be able to escape the clutches of the many flying predators to come and sit under empty barrels, and so cause much delay on barrel washing days as we endeavour to ensure we don't squash them, or leave them exposed to the drying sun with no escape.

It is amazing how little we are plagued with flies. Of course I suspect that the various small birds (and others) round here that eat them are the reason for this. And this is just how it should be - nature is a very good pest controller when allowed to get on with things. And the same goes with slugs. Any gardener knows that a little drop of beer makes for a good slug trap, so just how good must hundreds of gallons of the stuff be. Whilst we can of course keep the brewery slug proof (by shutting the doors - it's that simple), outside is another matter. Last year they were queuing up to in on damp days, but this year, there are but a few sliming around. And why? Well, the hordes of toads must be thanked I guess. And none of them show any interest in coming inside. Our pest controller finds only a small amount of rodent evidence around the outside of the building, and nothing inside. And again, the answer lies in the predators outside. In fact, last year the rodent population was believed to too low to sustain the barn owls (who never nested last year), and so the farm has factored in mice friendly-planting into the conservation areas. Rats of course are another matter, and thankfully in short supply round here. Just as well, as my suggesting of introducing pythons to control them has so far met a great deal of resistance.

I am ever hopeful though that my thoughts on increasing the local giraffe population will meet with support. There is bound to be some good PR in offering brewery tours against a back drop of giraffes browsing amongst the trees, thistles & grasses....

PS I am just finishing this at 1445, and outside the office I can see the male barn owl hunting. On the down side though, distant thunder seems to be drowning out the skylark... Oh well.

Buntingford - The Beer From The Real Real Country.

Beer On Track

Devotees of our output may well have come across our '92 Squadron', either in cask or more likely in bottle. Well, it's just been brewed and bottled again, and on Saturday 16 June we took some along to be served on a train hauled by 92 Squadron herself, along the North Norfolk Railway. The train was an evening real ale train (ie no lager, a concept lost on some passengers who have now seen the light), with a hogroast & live music at a station along the line. A good time was had by all, and much beer (and wine) was sensibly consumed - no shouting, screaming, fighting or any of the other activities seemingly blamed on alcohol (could it be the people, not the alcohol, that forms such behaviour?).

Only one point of concern - one of us was working the bar (on the train, in a 1930's buffet car), the other went up front to go on the footplate of 92. As the train started to leave, one of us was still working the bar, the other had not re-appeared. Where were they? Had they got on? Would there be trouble later? A glance out the window by the one left working the bar soon answered all questions, as a hairy head wearing a beaming grin appeared, waving, from the cab of the locomotive as we steamed along the Norfolk coastline. Later complaints about hair full of ash fell on some very deaf ears I can tell you....

The whole event was designed to help raise funds to keep the engine in working order, which as might be imagined is not a cheap activity. Much like hurriedly scribbling something on a piece of paper, at the last minute, the night before you had promised to present a logo to the folks running, say, a major sporting event....

We're Still Here - Just Not Blogging...

EIGHT WEEKS! That's what I call a regular update. I know we've been busy, but frankly, 'Must Try Harder' is probably to be found in red letters somewhere round here.... Well, we'll see! To be honest, a few posts have been written, but not published (yet).

The Highwayman is behind much of our labours at the moment - it is steadily attracting a number of new, and often regular, customers. Crucially though, not at the expense of sales of our other beers. But, (isn't there always a but...) it's popularity is affecting our ability offer the usual range of beers, and at the moment we are struggling to offer a full range. So new casks are due by early July, and space has been cleared in the brewery for another fermenter. Now of course all this costs money, and wouldn't you just know it, stainless prices are rocketing. Indeed all prices seem to be rocketing these days - all that is except the ex-brewery price of beer. Thankfully the rise in sales means more money coming in, and so investment is still possible, but it won't of course always be like this.

So next time you're in a pub, moaning about the rising price of your pint, don't believe the hype about it being the brewers fault. Sadly, price is now more important than quality - especially with the new wave of gastro pubs with high food prices, and I do at times wonder if their beer purchasing policy also applies to their food. Still, I guess it's always been that the small business is expected to be cheap. Now many landlords do put quality, and customer preference, way above price - but should we then charge them more than we would charge the bargain-hunters? Of course not, so we don't. By the same token of course, we don't give ground very much, and so often lose out on a sale. Other breweries will though, and just recently one of the heaviest discounters has gone into administration.

You don't have to be a money grabbing git to run a business - but we can certainly see why for some it helps.