So, we have massive hikes in raw material prices, allied with global shortages of the same, spiralling (upwards, of course) fuel & energy prices, an ever-shrinking marketplace thanks to restrictive trading & too much competition (much of it from breweries that aren't run to be commercially viable, but as a 'hobby'). And if that wasn't enough, we have State Nannies hell-bent on over-demonising all forms of alcohol to stop a tiny, tiny minority who still behave like idiots even when they are sober. That is our market in a nutshell.
There is only one obvious course of action. Expand!
Whilst we have been planning this for a long, long time (longer than was planned), it is, given the above, even more important that we grow - because then we can afford to target new markets, grow successfully into the shrinking existing one, and expand our offerings in the process.
So just what are we doing then? Firstly, we are putting in a new beer store - our existing one is cramped, badly located (it was always temporary), and hard work. Not only is the new one bigger, it is at ground level - so we can use a fork lift (and that, believe me, will be a God send in itself). It will also enable us (for a variety of reasons) to allow our beer to mature in tanks, which will free up some more casks not only to help cover increased production, but it also means no more being unable to brew just because we have no spare casks. Secondly, we upgrade our cask washing facilities, speeding up that particular job immensely. Thirdly, we will have more storage space for malt supplies - so they won't be in the way (and as a side benefit, malt handling prior to starting each brew will be simplified, and easier). And last, but not least, in the middle of it all will sit a rather useful, and somewhat flash, automated bottling line. Which is of course where new markets come in. If the drinker increasingly won't go to the pub, the pub, it seems, is increasingly expected to go to the drinker. Enter Bottled Beer. And of course having a full range of bottled beers gives us the chance to look at restaurants (Beer and food? A fine match, much better than wine.), off-licences, supermarkets etc.
Yes, I did say supermarkets. I will go one further, and say Tesco. It was winning their Bottled Beer Award (East, 2008) that sparked this off, and we'll be on their shelves (if all works out to a mutual advantage) by the summer. It has been suggested, nay hammered into us in some cases, that Tesco are the root of all evil, and not very nice to be dealing with. But our eyes are open - they are a huge dominant global corporate giant, we are but a small little concern where even the vehicles have names not ID numbers. This is not good for us? Maybe not. But if we follow their requirements (and in a past life I got to learn why these requirements were needed, and their is some common sense involved), supply the sort of product we would be happy to drink, and do our best to be flexible, I think we'll be alright. And if it doesn't work? Well, we'll have had some immense exposure to the public. And we certainly don't ever intend to have any one customer so big that we can't manage without them. Yes, we'll want to court other large chains, but it will be different beers.
Of course in an ideal world, we'd all be drinking down the pub - but that is not happening, and we'd be stupid not to follow the market. Ironically, I suspect the day of the pub will return - but not in the villages that are already without, and those that quite possibly soon will be. Let's just hope in the meantime that alchohol isn't priced out of the reach of the sensible, moderate drinking majority, in a flawed attempt to control the few idiots, who, quite frankly, are only idiots because society has fromed that way. But then I guess I am missing the point. Education costs money. Alcohol brings it in. It just depends how much they think we'll pay for it, because we can't as a Nation afford to reduce tax revenues. Too many buffoons to pay for.
So all in all, I'm not worried about knowing what we are doing. I'm more worried that everyone else knows what they are doing....
Showing posts with label beer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beer. Show all posts
Wednesday, 13 February 2008
Monday, 19 November 2007
Oh Look, Another New Brewery...
According the mighty font all knowledge brewery wise, www.quaffale.org.uk, 58 new breweries have opened so far this year, while just 7 have closed - so that's an increase of 51. In 2006 82 opened, with 27 closing - an increase of 55. Go further back and it's the late 90's before the opening/closing figures balance. Now of course at first glance this all suggests a very healthy, buoyant & expanding marketplace, and to a point this is the case. Except that the market is not actually expanding - there are less pubs each year, and the good free houses are slowly snapped up by pub chains with tied supply agreements. Of course some pubs become free, and more and more tied pubs are being allowed to by from a vastly expanded range of breweries, often local. But the crucial thing is that the market is not expanding - it's changing, yes, but in terms of cask beer outlets, there is no actual growth. That said, the sales volume of cask beer is growing each year, but that is partly through the fact that for years most small breweries sales weren't included in these figures, whereas increasingly they now are. So yes there is room for some new players - but 50 each year?
Now of course the most important part of starting any business is the advanced planning. Do I have a market place? Can I get raw materials? Will I make money? And so on. And such information is processed by the financial backers and used in the decision of whether to stump up the cash. Trouble is, most new breweries don't start with any financial help - the money comes from savings, redundancy payouts etc. Indeed this is how we started as well. So there is no need to do a full business plan, and research the market, because no-one is actually asking you to. Some new breweries are pub based, so obviously they have their marketplace, others are very small and are never intended to be commercial concerns. But the rest, well they have to play in the real world.
And herein lies a problem. We can't get guarantees on raw material supplies from our hop merchants & maltsters. And those that have got some guarantee have had to buy up front. We know that some maltsters are not accepting new customers, because they don't have enough malt to go round. This is a result of a bad harvest of both malt & hops globally, compounding the growing problem of the ever decreasing acreages grown each year. So would start up a business under these conditions? One new brewer I have spoken to recently buys all his malt & hops from the bloke who sold him the brew plant in the first place, so knew nothing of any potential shortages. And it seems he is not alone.
This industry has traditionally been very friendly - OK there has always been the odd unfriendly character, but mostly we all get on very well as we share common problems & worries, and we all look out for each other. This stems from the days of yore when a yeast infection was a greater risk, and you needed to know that you neighbouring competitor would be happy to offer some of theirs - so naturally you made sure you were happy to help them. Yeast, while still very important, is either used from a packet, or obtained from a bigger brewery with a lab to keep it clean, and hold a reserve for emergencies. So whilst the need for good relations may have diminished, the philosophy still holds true. And new entrants have always held to that. Until now. It's not only us noticing that increasingly relations are straining within the industry, all quite probably through the fact that we are all competing for an effectively shrinking share of the market,
And then we have the matter of quality. You can't learn brewing in three days. You just can't. Using a proper yeast beer can take 7 days to ferment & finish, and indeed an old brewers saying goes 'Every Brew Should See A Sabbath', which backs up the 7 day cycle. So how can three days work for training? Theory is great, but practice is the key. Now of course you don't have to have any training - I certainly never did any brewing course. But at the very least you need to work for another small brewery. I learnt this the hard way, but my time helping someone else (unpaid I might add) for nearly 2 years was invaluable. Indeed without it I wouldn't be able to be here know on my high horse, as those who have followed us from our first days will testify. But not many new brewers go this route, as they have done home brew. Oh yes. This is like comparing changing tyres at Kwik-Fit with being able to work in the Maclaren F1 pit crew.
So how do you set up a new brewery? Well, you go to the back pages of any beer-related journal, find an add for a brew plant, and buy it. Put it in a building, and let the guys who sold you the plant tell you how to use it in less than three days. Hey presto, you are a brewery. Did I say packet yeast will ferment beer in two days? No? Well it often does. But then you can also by white wine for £1.99, if you want.
Alternatively, you shop around amongst the specialist plant manufacturers, realise that purpose-built brew plant isn't cheap, but used nonetheless by all those breweries that do well, win awards, and are well known. You then look for advice, and realise that the names behind the big, successful breweries, the well known beers, the big award winners, and the the breweries that have grown over the last 15-20 years, are not the names offering to help you. And if you can't answer why, then maybe you should open a kennels instead. But first there is a simple, but very important thing to do. Make sure you can get enough dogs.
Now of course the most important part of starting any business is the advanced planning. Do I have a market place? Can I get raw materials? Will I make money? And so on. And such information is processed by the financial backers and used in the decision of whether to stump up the cash. Trouble is, most new breweries don't start with any financial help - the money comes from savings, redundancy payouts etc. Indeed this is how we started as well. So there is no need to do a full business plan, and research the market, because no-one is actually asking you to. Some new breweries are pub based, so obviously they have their marketplace, others are very small and are never intended to be commercial concerns. But the rest, well they have to play in the real world.
And herein lies a problem. We can't get guarantees on raw material supplies from our hop merchants & maltsters. And those that have got some guarantee have had to buy up front. We know that some maltsters are not accepting new customers, because they don't have enough malt to go round. This is a result of a bad harvest of both malt & hops globally, compounding the growing problem of the ever decreasing acreages grown each year. So would start up a business under these conditions? One new brewer I have spoken to recently buys all his malt & hops from the bloke who sold him the brew plant in the first place, so knew nothing of any potential shortages. And it seems he is not alone.
This industry has traditionally been very friendly - OK there has always been the odd unfriendly character, but mostly we all get on very well as we share common problems & worries, and we all look out for each other. This stems from the days of yore when a yeast infection was a greater risk, and you needed to know that you neighbouring competitor would be happy to offer some of theirs - so naturally you made sure you were happy to help them. Yeast, while still very important, is either used from a packet, or obtained from a bigger brewery with a lab to keep it clean, and hold a reserve for emergencies. So whilst the need for good relations may have diminished, the philosophy still holds true. And new entrants have always held to that. Until now. It's not only us noticing that increasingly relations are straining within the industry, all quite probably through the fact that we are all competing for an effectively shrinking share of the market,
And then we have the matter of quality. You can't learn brewing in three days. You just can't. Using a proper yeast beer can take 7 days to ferment & finish, and indeed an old brewers saying goes 'Every Brew Should See A Sabbath', which backs up the 7 day cycle. So how can three days work for training? Theory is great, but practice is the key. Now of course you don't have to have any training - I certainly never did any brewing course. But at the very least you need to work for another small brewery. I learnt this the hard way, but my time helping someone else (unpaid I might add) for nearly 2 years was invaluable. Indeed without it I wouldn't be able to be here know on my high horse, as those who have followed us from our first days will testify. But not many new brewers go this route, as they have done home brew. Oh yes. This is like comparing changing tyres at Kwik-Fit with being able to work in the Maclaren F1 pit crew.
So how do you set up a new brewery? Well, you go to the back pages of any beer-related journal, find an add for a brew plant, and buy it. Put it in a building, and let the guys who sold you the plant tell you how to use it in less than three days. Hey presto, you are a brewery. Did I say packet yeast will ferment beer in two days? No? Well it often does. But then you can also by white wine for £1.99, if you want.
Alternatively, you shop around amongst the specialist plant manufacturers, realise that purpose-built brew plant isn't cheap, but used nonetheless by all those breweries that do well, win awards, and are well known. You then look for advice, and realise that the names behind the big, successful breweries, the well known beers, the big award winners, and the the breweries that have grown over the last 15-20 years, are not the names offering to help you. And if you can't answer why, then maybe you should open a kennels instead. But first there is a simple, but very important thing to do. Make sure you can get enough dogs.
Charge(s) Of The Commerce Brigade....
Why oh why do we have to pay charges to pay bills? If we want to pay Business Post online (for example), they charge us extra. Why? Is it cheaper then to pay someone (or a machine) to open envelopes, and process cheques. I don't think so. Some suit has figured it may be cheaper for most companies to pay online, even with the charge (£1 for a Debit Card...), than post cheques. So the charge can only be another way of screwing extra dosh out of us. Well not us matey. You can damn well pay someone to open our bloody envelopes.
BT though want to charge us extra for not being on Direct Debit - but have trouble understanding that maybe we want a bill first (a little battle we have had with them, which may now be over). So we pay them extra for the privilege for not allowing them carte-blance to take what they like, when they like, from our account. Perhaps not surprisingly the latest bill tells us that the line rental is increasing from November 1st. The bill was dated November 9th, so thanks for the advanced notification. If we pulled a price rise on our customers, but only told them a week after invoicing, they would, quite rightly, be a little peeved. Even BT.
Now we supply a product - we make it (which is rare enough these days), sell it, and distribute it. We then take payment for it, and stick it in the bank. We make a charge for the product - we are after all a business, and so here to make money. The charge we make for the product covers all the above. And that is how businesses have run since Ugg & Prescott first stepped out of their caves and did an honest days work (well, Ugg anyway). Now though we have this increasing trend, as highlighted above, of adding additional charges. Why? Do Business Post charge visitors to their head office for 'wear & tear' on the carpets. Don't smirk, it's only a matter of time - in the 1950's the thought of having to pay to pay an invoice would have met the same derision. Unless of course you a bean counter, in which case you'll be nodding sagely at my idea - consultancy fees apply, and of course a payment processing fee, as will Keyboard Wear Expenses & A Chair Fabric Abrasion Surcharge.
Of course when it comes to charging, the banks are the masters. You'd need the time travelling skills of Dr Who just to work out what may or may not be charged for - that quick phone call, the review meeting demanded by the otherwise elusive 'Business Manager'. And I suspect not even the Daleks have the power to force the banks to actual fully itemise their charges (although it might be worth trying to enter the bank with a sink plunger on my head, and see if it works).
So the bank charges us to deposit our money, then charges us to take it out again. Now of course this is, at the end of the day, a service, and of course it costs money, and I won't pretend that we have a huge bank balance that earns the bank huge sums in investment returns. This is because we don't have a huge cash surplus, and if we did, I'd like to think we would have a better use for it than propping the fat cat shareholders who run our financial institutions. I'm no communist, but I think a fair days hard graft is not too much to expect, and nowhere can I see the words 'hard' & 'graft' connected with wearing a suit, having meetings or taking caviar with your Cornflakes. I do know an almost communist though - but he has a holiday home, so probably doesn't count.
Now to be fair to banks, we have recently switched to Barclays (Royston branch), where there is a Business Manager (who knows everyone it seems), with an assistant, who has a working mobile and an open door policy. And he has (so far) been very happy to help us in any way. True, he likes our beer - but then an understanding of your customers is important. Our previous manager (who has yet to notice we have hardly touched our account with him in three months) once commented, on seeing the brewery "I like Stella. Is that what you do?". Well, bully for Stella, whoever she may be....
BT though want to charge us extra for not being on Direct Debit - but have trouble understanding that maybe we want a bill first (a little battle we have had with them, which may now be over). So we pay them extra for the privilege for not allowing them carte-blance to take what they like, when they like, from our account. Perhaps not surprisingly the latest bill tells us that the line rental is increasing from November 1st. The bill was dated November 9th, so thanks for the advanced notification. If we pulled a price rise on our customers, but only told them a week after invoicing, they would, quite rightly, be a little peeved. Even BT.
Now we supply a product - we make it (which is rare enough these days), sell it, and distribute it. We then take payment for it, and stick it in the bank. We make a charge for the product - we are after all a business, and so here to make money. The charge we make for the product covers all the above. And that is how businesses have run since Ugg & Prescott first stepped out of their caves and did an honest days work (well, Ugg anyway). Now though we have this increasing trend, as highlighted above, of adding additional charges. Why? Do Business Post charge visitors to their head office for 'wear & tear' on the carpets. Don't smirk, it's only a matter of time - in the 1950's the thought of having to pay to pay an invoice would have met the same derision. Unless of course you a bean counter, in which case you'll be nodding sagely at my idea - consultancy fees apply, and of course a payment processing fee, as will Keyboard Wear Expenses & A Chair Fabric Abrasion Surcharge.
Of course when it comes to charging, the banks are the masters. You'd need the time travelling skills of Dr Who just to work out what may or may not be charged for - that quick phone call, the review meeting demanded by the otherwise elusive 'Business Manager'. And I suspect not even the Daleks have the power to force the banks to actual fully itemise their charges (although it might be worth trying to enter the bank with a sink plunger on my head, and see if it works).
So the bank charges us to deposit our money, then charges us to take it out again. Now of course this is, at the end of the day, a service, and of course it costs money, and I won't pretend that we have a huge bank balance that earns the bank huge sums in investment returns. This is because we don't have a huge cash surplus, and if we did, I'd like to think we would have a better use for it than propping the fat cat shareholders who run our financial institutions. I'm no communist, but I think a fair days hard graft is not too much to expect, and nowhere can I see the words 'hard' & 'graft' connected with wearing a suit, having meetings or taking caviar with your Cornflakes. I do know an almost communist though - but he has a holiday home, so probably doesn't count.
Now to be fair to banks, we have recently switched to Barclays (Royston branch), where there is a Business Manager (who knows everyone it seems), with an assistant, who has a working mobile and an open door policy. And he has (so far) been very happy to help us in any way. True, he likes our beer - but then an understanding of your customers is important. Our previous manager (who has yet to notice we have hardly touched our account with him in three months) once commented, on seeing the brewery "I like Stella. Is that what you do?". Well, bully for Stella, whoever she may be....
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Hops Away...!
It would be nice to say I've been on holiday since the last posting. It would also be a lie, sadly. What's needed is more hours in the day, but I guess we'd only have to pay tax on them, so maybe we don't need any more.
Anyway, back to the real world. Today, we're going to talk about hops.
Hops are rather important to us - they might not add the alcohol or the colour to the beer, but they do have an important role in the flavour of each beer we produce. As you may of noticed, we had a pretty dismal summer, and one of the many crops affected was the UK hop harvest. Hops are a declining crop globally, mostly as a result of the big breweries ever-present drive to keep their costs down making hops an uneconomic proposition for farmers across the world. So harvests reduce each year. Throw in a bad UK harvest due to the weather, and things get a bit sticky. Add storms in the USA, damaging their hop yards, and even harder storms in Eastern Europe, and we have the makings of a problem.
And so, as I write this I am awaiting the prices for this seasons hops. At the moment it's looking like most varieties will double in price (if not more), and some varieties won't be available at all, others varying from plentiful to reduced in volume.
At the present time, only one of our beers is badly affected. Trouble is, it's Britannia - one of our top sellers. Now whilst we could change the hops, it willl either completely change the distinctive spicy blackberry character of the beer, or if we choose to get as close as possible, we'll be using imported hops - not a good thing in a beer called Britannia (the name's origins are in our long-lost industrial power). So we are trawling our archives for a suitable alternative, for inclusion in the range in January.
Other beers may well be OK, we hope....
The other problem is of course the cost. The sort of increases we are seeing will be impossible for us contain without passing them on. Add the large rise in malt prices (again, related to harvest conditions), and the frankly ridiculous increases in fuel costs, and all the other side costs that we have, and it gets a bit much. If we were to pass it all on, we'd lose sales. Now of course all breweries are in the same boat, so from a point of view of competitiveness maybe it's not a big problem. But will you, the drinker, want to pay another 30p overnight for your beer? So we'll end up having to 'swallow' some of the cost, like most breweries.
...Well, until March anyway. Then we have the risk of the Nanny State Health Lobby, bored now that they have waved their sticks at the smoker, having their alcohol duty demands met. And I'm darned if we'll pay anymore to this Wasteful Gubbinsment out of our own pockets....
Anyway, back to the real world. Today, we're going to talk about hops.
Hops are rather important to us - they might not add the alcohol or the colour to the beer, but they do have an important role in the flavour of each beer we produce. As you may of noticed, we had a pretty dismal summer, and one of the many crops affected was the UK hop harvest. Hops are a declining crop globally, mostly as a result of the big breweries ever-present drive to keep their costs down making hops an uneconomic proposition for farmers across the world. So harvests reduce each year. Throw in a bad UK harvest due to the weather, and things get a bit sticky. Add storms in the USA, damaging their hop yards, and even harder storms in Eastern Europe, and we have the makings of a problem.
And so, as I write this I am awaiting the prices for this seasons hops. At the moment it's looking like most varieties will double in price (if not more), and some varieties won't be available at all, others varying from plentiful to reduced in volume.
At the present time, only one of our beers is badly affected. Trouble is, it's Britannia - one of our top sellers. Now whilst we could change the hops, it willl either completely change the distinctive spicy blackberry character of the beer, or if we choose to get as close as possible, we'll be using imported hops - not a good thing in a beer called Britannia (the name's origins are in our long-lost industrial power). So we are trawling our archives for a suitable alternative, for inclusion in the range in January.
Other beers may well be OK, we hope....
The other problem is of course the cost. The sort of increases we are seeing will be impossible for us contain without passing them on. Add the large rise in malt prices (again, related to harvest conditions), and the frankly ridiculous increases in fuel costs, and all the other side costs that we have, and it gets a bit much. If we were to pass it all on, we'd lose sales. Now of course all breweries are in the same boat, so from a point of view of competitiveness maybe it's not a big problem. But will you, the drinker, want to pay another 30p overnight for your beer? So we'll end up having to 'swallow' some of the cost, like most breweries.
...Well, until March anyway. Then we have the risk of the Nanny State Health Lobby, bored now that they have waved their sticks at the smoker, having their alcohol duty demands met. And I'm darned if we'll pay anymore to this Wasteful Gubbinsment out of our own pockets....
Monday, 13 August 2007
Back With A, Err, Ermm, Well, Errr, Something Mildy Interesting. Probably....
Ooh, would you look at that. It's been a month since the last blog, or whatever it's called. And I'm still not sure what to post.
I could say the previously discussed Hobby we have sighted may have been a juvenile Peregrine, according to some observers. I could mention a couple of new beers we have put out - 'Western Harrier', 'Blink Bonny' & the originally titled 'Dark' (hang on, that's three isn't it - sorry). I could even talk at length about various insects observed by the pond. But to be honest, I won't.
What I will say is that we now have the casks to sustain a more regular and intensive brewing schedule, which is keeping us busy, and as a result, and not before time, we are now three. We have been joined by our first employee, Basil. Basil has brewing experience, and is also a fully qualified herbalist - which I suspect may be another unique point in our favour. So I really must get about updating, nay including, a section on the website about the faces behind the beer. It may even make interesting reading...
Since the last post, a few more areas of the country have been flooded, although thankfully for us not round here (it remains to be seen what effects there will be on the hop & barley harvest, but fingers crossed all will be OK). But summer seems to be with us at the moment, and beer sales are for us still on an upwards trend. It seems to be the same for many of the other breweries we have contact with, despite some very downbeat feelings from publicans. The truth I guess is that many smokers are still spending less time drinking, which is affecting pub figures. Statistically though, smokers are more likely (so we are told) to be lager drinkers, so cask sales haven't been hit too hard - indeed it seems that what new trade there is in pubs is mostly folks who have a taste for 'bitters', and are keener to try something new. Again, this is good news for the small producers, and bad news for the big, over-hyped mass produced 'brands'. Which might explain why, as ever, small brewers are always 'bucking the trend' of national sales figures (small brewers sales aren't included in industry statistics...).
The downside of increasing sales is of course that in the short term the cash flow gets screwed up a bit, but hey-ho, this is part of business life. Of course it does hurt to see the cheques to the revenue increasing massively, but that is just relative - it's all based on money coming in, so in many ways it is a good sign.
The current bit of good news is that we have had a meeting with the local licencing officer, and any fears re high costs of getting a full alcohol/entertainment licence are seemingly unfounded. So a couple of hours of form filling (umpteen copies of which are to be sent to the world, his dog, and the dog's two mates), and 28 days of notices & adverts later, we might at last be able to sell to the public from the brewery door. All of which we were allowed to do under the old licencing rules...
One of the main concerns of the licence application revolves around protecting society from the harms of alcohol, and how we plan to do this. Well, it's simple really. For a start we won't be selling anything at a ridiculously low below cost price, and therefore encouraging folk to get cheaply drunk before going out. What's that, someone suggesting large supermarket chains are behaving irresponsibly, with impunity? Surely not. Whatever next...
I could say the previously discussed Hobby we have sighted may have been a juvenile Peregrine, according to some observers. I could mention a couple of new beers we have put out - 'Western Harrier', 'Blink Bonny' & the originally titled 'Dark' (hang on, that's three isn't it - sorry). I could even talk at length about various insects observed by the pond. But to be honest, I won't.
What I will say is that we now have the casks to sustain a more regular and intensive brewing schedule, which is keeping us busy, and as a result, and not before time, we are now three. We have been joined by our first employee, Basil. Basil has brewing experience, and is also a fully qualified herbalist - which I suspect may be another unique point in our favour. So I really must get about updating, nay including, a section on the website about the faces behind the beer. It may even make interesting reading...
Since the last post, a few more areas of the country have been flooded, although thankfully for us not round here (it remains to be seen what effects there will be on the hop & barley harvest, but fingers crossed all will be OK). But summer seems to be with us at the moment, and beer sales are for us still on an upwards trend. It seems to be the same for many of the other breweries we have contact with, despite some very downbeat feelings from publicans. The truth I guess is that many smokers are still spending less time drinking, which is affecting pub figures. Statistically though, smokers are more likely (so we are told) to be lager drinkers, so cask sales haven't been hit too hard - indeed it seems that what new trade there is in pubs is mostly folks who have a taste for 'bitters', and are keener to try something new. Again, this is good news for the small producers, and bad news for the big, over-hyped mass produced 'brands'. Which might explain why, as ever, small brewers are always 'bucking the trend' of national sales figures (small brewers sales aren't included in industry statistics...).
The downside of increasing sales is of course that in the short term the cash flow gets screwed up a bit, but hey-ho, this is part of business life. Of course it does hurt to see the cheques to the revenue increasing massively, but that is just relative - it's all based on money coming in, so in many ways it is a good sign.
The current bit of good news is that we have had a meeting with the local licencing officer, and any fears re high costs of getting a full alcohol/entertainment licence are seemingly unfounded. So a couple of hours of form filling (umpteen copies of which are to be sent to the world, his dog, and the dog's two mates), and 28 days of notices & adverts later, we might at last be able to sell to the public from the brewery door. All of which we were allowed to do under the old licencing rules...
One of the main concerns of the licence application revolves around protecting society from the harms of alcohol, and how we plan to do this. Well, it's simple really. For a start we won't be selling anything at a ridiculously low below cost price, and therefore encouraging folk to get cheaply drunk before going out. What's that, someone suggesting large supermarket chains are behaving irresponsibly, with impunity? Surely not. Whatever next...
Thursday, 21 June 2007
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...
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...
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
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.
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.
Monday, 18 June 2007
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.
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.
Wednesday, 18 April 2007
Twelve Days Of Easter
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, 31 March 2007
Just Three Little Letters....
When a pub phones on a Saturday, wanting beer, and being willing to come & collect it, you know they are keen. The pub in question has a fairly slow beer trade, but recently had a firkin of our new beer, Highwayman IPA. Needless to say it sold very well - and whilst I'd like to think it was our beer that caused this, it seems the magic use of those 'Three Little Letters' - IPA - made the difference. Of course we knew they have that effect, which is why we used them. Once upon a time we were steadfast in not using IPA to describe any of our beers, but after much suggesting from the trade that we do, we gave in.
And so now we have attracted a wider audience it seems. The punter that will only drink an IPA. It matters not who brewed it, just that it calls itself an IPA. No doubt even a stout badged as IPA would sell. Of course, certain big brewers have known for years of this phenomena, and traded very well by using the letters instead of flavour to sell their beer. But the first bit of feedback we get first hand from a drinker? "I really liked all your beers that I have tried, but I don't like IPA, so I'm not going to drink this one". You really can't make it up, can you.
In other news, the annual battle amongst the Buzzards vs All The Other Birds has started. No doubt nesting season creates this seemingly staggering bravery in little birds, but every time one of the Buzzards comes down low, it is attacked. Now a crow I can see is a fair opponent - they are big with a beak that can no doubt remove an eyeball at 50 paces. But a sparrow? Perhaps the Sparrows don't understand odds? Either way, the sight of a Buzzard trying to flee a sparrow - or perhaps even more embarrassingly a pigeon - is quite a shameful sight.
The Buzzard is a large, if graceful, bird, that does not have the turn of speed or cornering ability of your average sparrow. And the sparrow knows it is probably safe. But when the buzzards have got high in the sky, the sparrow buggers off sharpish. And when you see the Buzzard swoop down from upon high, you see why. Suddenly, the speed and agility is all theirs, and very impressive it is to watch, not that you see much as it is done so quickly. High up is where the buzzards rule, gliding the air currents with ease & perfection, gracefully wheeling around all the long day. They do look daft when walking about on the ground looking for a snack though. But I won't tell them that. I'll leave that to those sparrows.
Much more down to earth are the lapwings, who spend their summer on the farm, walking around with their antennae proudly raised on their heads. When they are in flight, they do have a touch of the penguin about them (yes, I know penguins can't fly) in respect of their markings. And now, as I write this, a gaggle of them is picking on, yes, that's right, a buzzard. Still, if the buzzards do for the barn owls again I might just join in. At the least the pied wagtails in the barn opposite seem to getting with nesting, albeit somewhat noisily.
Of course whilst all this happening around us, beer is being brewed, fermented and sold on. Now that is what I call 'Beer From The Real Country'. What say you, my good marketing folk of Greene King Ruddles?
And so now we have attracted a wider audience it seems. The punter that will only drink an IPA. It matters not who brewed it, just that it calls itself an IPA. No doubt even a stout badged as IPA would sell. Of course, certain big brewers have known for years of this phenomena, and traded very well by using the letters instead of flavour to sell their beer. But the first bit of feedback we get first hand from a drinker? "I really liked all your beers that I have tried, but I don't like IPA, so I'm not going to drink this one". You really can't make it up, can you.
In other news, the annual battle amongst the Buzzards vs All The Other Birds has started. No doubt nesting season creates this seemingly staggering bravery in little birds, but every time one of the Buzzards comes down low, it is attacked. Now a crow I can see is a fair opponent - they are big with a beak that can no doubt remove an eyeball at 50 paces. But a sparrow? Perhaps the Sparrows don't understand odds? Either way, the sight of a Buzzard trying to flee a sparrow - or perhaps even more embarrassingly a pigeon - is quite a shameful sight.
The Buzzard is a large, if graceful, bird, that does not have the turn of speed or cornering ability of your average sparrow. And the sparrow knows it is probably safe. But when the buzzards have got high in the sky, the sparrow buggers off sharpish. And when you see the Buzzard swoop down from upon high, you see why. Suddenly, the speed and agility is all theirs, and very impressive it is to watch, not that you see much as it is done so quickly. High up is where the buzzards rule, gliding the air currents with ease & perfection, gracefully wheeling around all the long day. They do look daft when walking about on the ground looking for a snack though. But I won't tell them that. I'll leave that to those sparrows.
Much more down to earth are the lapwings, who spend their summer on the farm, walking around with their antennae proudly raised on their heads. When they are in flight, they do have a touch of the penguin about them (yes, I know penguins can't fly) in respect of their markings. And now, as I write this, a gaggle of them is picking on, yes, that's right, a buzzard. Still, if the buzzards do for the barn owls again I might just join in. At the least the pied wagtails in the barn opposite seem to getting with nesting, albeit somewhat noisily.
Of course whilst all this happening around us, beer is being brewed, fermented and sold on. Now that is what I call 'Beer From The Real Country'. What say you, my good marketing folk of Greene King Ruddles?
Friday, 30 March 2007
Err, Hello & Welcome...
Well, this seems like a good idea - a blog to record the goings on in & around a small English micro brewery. Of course, in reality, who can say....
So, we plan to record here what is happening (of note), along with what we are thinking and doing. As I write this it is early afternoon on a Friday, that time when it is probably pointless starting a new task, but the enthusiasm to tidy up those last few things is waning somewhat. I ought to do some cask washing later, but I think that will a job for Saturday AM. So what is happening then in the brewery?
One beer is fermenting - a re-brew of 'Isaac's Flying Coach', a special beer originally done for the Ely CAMRA Beer Festival. This morning was taken up with a bit of cleaning round, then a brewery tour from a local school. It seemed odd doing the talk, then not offering round samples. I rather think some of the students found it a little boring, and to be fair it probably is - most of the tour parties we get here are really only interested in the sampling. Once a few samples have imbibed, the tongues loosen and the questions flow. It was even a bit too wet to have a gander at the reed bed & pond. But I hope that they have come away at least knowing what is in beer, and that these days it's not all made in big factories by computers. I just worry that they now think it's also made in small barns by odd folk who need to get out more....
Last year we were free of fruit flies. Such critters plague breweries large and small, and much time & money is spent on fighting them. But not here. Our weaponry sat idle all spring, right through until November, when one last warm spell woke them up. Why? Because the farm is inundated with insect eating birds, and they keep the flies in check. When they all miked off back to Africa/Ibiza/wherever for the winter, the late surging flies had no predators bar us. And now we await their return. At the moment, the flies might be getting the upper hand (slightly), although the cold spell at the mo has seen them off again for now. We are watching the skies for the invasion of Swallows - when they arrive, we know we'll be sorted. And brewery visitors will be amazed at how closely a Swallow can fly to your head without crashing.
So, we plan to record here what is happening (of note), along with what we are thinking and doing. As I write this it is early afternoon on a Friday, that time when it is probably pointless starting a new task, but the enthusiasm to tidy up those last few things is waning somewhat. I ought to do some cask washing later, but I think that will a job for Saturday AM. So what is happening then in the brewery?
One beer is fermenting - a re-brew of 'Isaac's Flying Coach', a special beer originally done for the Ely CAMRA Beer Festival. This morning was taken up with a bit of cleaning round, then a brewery tour from a local school. It seemed odd doing the talk, then not offering round samples. I rather think some of the students found it a little boring, and to be fair it probably is - most of the tour parties we get here are really only interested in the sampling. Once a few samples have imbibed, the tongues loosen and the questions flow. It was even a bit too wet to have a gander at the reed bed & pond. But I hope that they have come away at least knowing what is in beer, and that these days it's not all made in big factories by computers. I just worry that they now think it's also made in small barns by odd folk who need to get out more....
Last year we were free of fruit flies. Such critters plague breweries large and small, and much time & money is spent on fighting them. But not here. Our weaponry sat idle all spring, right through until November, when one last warm spell woke them up. Why? Because the farm is inundated with insect eating birds, and they keep the flies in check. When they all miked off back to Africa/Ibiza/wherever for the winter, the late surging flies had no predators bar us. And now we await their return. At the moment, the flies might be getting the upper hand (slightly), although the cold spell at the mo has seen them off again for now. We are watching the skies for the invasion of Swallows - when they arrive, we know we'll be sorted. And brewery visitors will be amazed at how closely a Swallow can fly to your head without crashing.
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