Le Voyageur

Canadian brewer Iain Shuell is leaving for his homeland next week after a 7 year spell here in Blighty. To me he has been, variously: a colleague, an employee and a close friend for around 15 years now, here and abroad. And I'm going to miss him, so we're brewing a farewell beer together.

On Iain's insistence we're keeping the styling English on a brown ale, but with a distinctly Canadian twist: maple syrup. So it's all about crystal malt for sweetness, with roasted barley and chocolate malt to lend some toffee notes and colour, oats to smooth it out and a twist of wheat for the head. Kent grown fuggles in the boil for a very light bitterness and, late on, for an earthy touch. We ferment with a gentle ale yeast, adding a flagon of maple syrup early on, and another just before casking. Mature for 3 weeks and send it out for New Year.

Oh, and there will be tears in there too.

The story of the voyageurs is pretty cool and very Canadian - look.

Bare faced cheek!

You may not know that every brewery in the country receives dozens of requests for paraphernalia every week, but they do. People collect not only beer mats but bottle tops, labels, badges, towels, umbrellas and anything else with the company logo on it. Such is the volume of these pleas that, were we to accede to them all, we'd have no time left for brewing and no money left to run the business.

Thus, it is only in rare circumstance that I reply, I'm afraid. However, I'm tempted by the sheer over the top audacity of the below application:

Good afternoon. I am the director of the company "Beer na ves' mir" in Russia. My name is Arthur ******. At on 11/10/2010 in Moscow there was a beer festival. One man allowed to all to try your drink. I and my assistant have been very surprised, at your beer very unusual and pleasant taste. I would like to have your beer in the menu of my restaurants. Accept to me please your advertising materials, a price sheet for 2010-2011. And there are some souvenirs for our visitors.... Ball pens, supports under glasses, samples of covers from bottles, keychains, notebooks with your symbolics. We have a tradition to give to their good clients. Big to you thanks. I hope that we will co- operate with you. Our legal address: Russia, ******, Moscow, st. Volgogradskiy prospect ***-*-** Always with you: Arthur ******

Name and address supplied, but not revealed (for my own personal health).

The Conkerer

There's a new one-man, micro-pub on Grange Road, Ramsgate. Colin the Mad Man opened the doors for the first time last night. The inspiration came from Martin the Lunatic who established the Butcher's Arms in Herne Village a few years back. This is the thinking:

1. Drinking ale often only accounts for a seventh of a pub's business.
2. Cut out fruit machines, food, pool tables and pretty much anything else apart from ale (including the bar) and you don't really need much room.
3. Not much room = cheap to run.
4. Cheap to run means you don't need a great turnover to make a living.

Cracking idea.

Take a look for yourself.

Good luck to Colin. They say most businesses started in a recession do well; let's hope his does.

Bye Kelly

Thornbridge Brewery manager Kelly Ryan is leaving for New Zealand. No idea why, but he is.

Cheers Kelly, have fun.

Eddie