Calanda Brewery, Chur

Calanda Brewery, Chur, originally uploaded by NorrieP.

No, this isn't a branch trip out. In late January 2009, a couple of friend and myself whent off to Switzerland to visit some sites associated with the artist HR Giger (including two Giger Bars). On the way to the bar in Chur, we passed the Calanda brewery. I've just uploaded the photo so though't I'd stick it on the blog. Swiss beers are brewed to purity laws, but we only found one cask conditioned one, from a micro in Basle

Cider Makes You Happy

Cider Makes You Happy, originally uploaded by NorrieP.

I was asked last year to shoot some photos for the Cider and Perry Trail publicity. One pint lasted for the whole shoot, which it makes it even more remarkable that Ian and Clive found something as funny as this. Needless to say, this one didn't make the portfolio for the newspapers (which didn't use them until the last week of the Trail in any case).

White Horse Inn, Clun

White Horse Inn, Clun, originally uploaded by NorrieP.

Out the back of the White Horse Inn last year at the Clun Valley Beer Festival. I can't remember which brew number this was, but it wasn't half good!

2008 Shrewsbury Beer Festival

2008 Shrewsbury Beer Festival, originally uploaded by NorrieP.

The 2008 Beer Festival was a wonderful event, despite the weather on the Friday night. However, with the Butter Market up for sale, and the Music Hall now closed, finding a venue for a full scale festival might defeat us. Hopes are high for a smaller event later in the year, though.

There were few times in the festival when Keith and Baz could have their hands on the bar rather than pouring. I think this was just at the start of the Friday night session.

Danger! Brewer at work...

Shane's Shovel, originally uploaded by NorrieP.

The Branch headed out on 19 June to Morda to see Shane Parr in his natural environment, brewing Stonehouse beers. Shane, wife Alison and father-in-law Iain (who turns out to have been born in Glasgow) made us very welcome. Shane did a tour of the brewing plant indoors, and the growing plants outdoors, but finally demonstrated that sometimes it just comes down to elbow grease to smooth the production process.

More power to Stonehouse beers!

Care for a drop, sir?

Care for a drop, sir?, originally uploaded by NorrieP.

Another photograph from the Stonehouse trip (16/6/09) As well as a few samples - in lovely nick, of course. Shane and Alison did us proud with a lovely ploughman's. We finished the night with a visit to some Oswestry pubs, which seemed to divide into the very busy and the very quiet, with beer quality not apparently the deciding factor.