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I am not Champion of England but vote for worthy ones

Posted on April 6th, 2009

Further to the shock horror that readersheds and myself were nominated for Champion of England the other month.

The short list has been announced and I am not in it… probably for the best as I am Welsh.. but of course lots of the sheddies are English, so you would have been voting for them

not to worry, there are some good ones still in race.

I am either going to vote for Frank Basey or Robin Hutchinson (if I am allowed to vote)

Also you can still Win some lovely beer courtesy of the organisers Wells

Filed under: Ale, Shed News by Wilco - 2602Comments2009-04-06+14%3A51%3A50Wilco

Is uncle wilco a champion of England?

Posted on March 2nd, 2009

Well according to bombardier.co.uk beer I am!, an example nominee for champion of England that is..

To celebrate St George’s Day and Bombardier’s association with English Heritage, we’re undertaking a nationwide search to find the Champion of England - a wonderfully English person that makes this country what it is. The winner will be presented the title at a gala lunch on St George’s Day by another Champion of England - Sir Geoff Hurst

Do you know someone that has campaigned to save their town’s traditional red telephone box, or perhaps led a campaign against developers from building on England’s green and pleasant land. What about the person that has organised your village fete for years, or who has fought to save a local cricket team?

But they do mean readersheds and not me really! but Iam very grateful (and do venture to England a few times a year!) so hopefully I can get a few of there great beers, but you can count me out for the overall title! Dioch…

But if you are English then get over there and submit your local champion.

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Beer of the Week - Get ready for St David’s day

Posted on February 24th, 2009

Hopefully I will be posting more again about my 2nd favorite pastime - drinking real ale….

Weatherpersons (love them or hate them) have got a good range of Welsh beers on at the moment ready for our Patrons saints day on Sunday.

out of my patriotic nature, I have sampled a few..

As usual the Bullmastiff boys (Bob & Paul) pull out the stops and have produced a great drinking session beer

but Conwy brewery have a great one with their Honeyed brew…. shame I had to get back to work.

Golden ale with honey aromas rounded off by a dry bitter finish. ABV 4.5%. Welsh honey sourced from Newquay Honey Farm, www.thehoneyfarm.co.uk

Lovely beer bit a bit strong for lunchtime, from tudor Brewery

If you like beer and would like to add your photos, then join my Beer of the Week group.

Filed under: Ale by Wilco - 2451Comments2009-02-24+20%3A58%3A48Wilco

Shed + sheddies x beer = Shed Homebrew Heaven

Posted on January 30th, 2009

A great little story from the Journal in N’castle

Image from dtbg.co.uk

The equation couldn’t be simpler. While men and sheds have always been an irresistible combination, inserting brewing enthusiasm into the formula results in Paradise.

John Winterburn, John Anderson, Pete Fenwick, Ian Jackson, Trevor Danes, John Penman and another half-dozen ale stalwarts scattered from Hartlepool to Gainford in County Durham meet up every three weeks – in a shed – to sample one another’s latest efforts and talk about mashing, boiling, fermenting and conditioning.

With doors closed, pints poured and spiders on guard, it’s boys’ talk that oft-times wanders along the lines of tongue-and-groove, felt roofs and dovetail joints, but invariably returns to beer.

Darlington Traditional Brewing Group was formed in 2002 after long-time home-brewer John Winterburn was invited by the Workers Education Association to run a course on full-mash brewing in his local community centre. The original scheme has run its course but the 12 remaining members continue to brew in back yards, kitchens and garages – and every one of them has his own shed-based pub to reflect in and mull over what grown men reflect in and mull over.

“We all have our own recipes,” says lollipop man John Winterburn. “We take it in turns to host meetings where there’s a bit of a spread and always a new beer to try. People ask all the time if they can join, but we’ve got no more room at the moment because only so many people can fit into a shed.

“We can brew 10 gallons of beer for £5 or £6 by buying ingredients in bulk. It’s not just about cost, it’s about quality. We can make beer just like you’d buy in a pub. The only thing we can’t do is lager – Darlington water doesn’t have enough carbonates in it – but one member tried it by buying five gallons of spring water from Morrison’s and made a brilliant pilsner.”

Filed under: Ale by Wilco - 2395Comments2009-01-30+11%3A14%3A54Wilco

Win a copy of Brew your own British Ale

Posted on January 29th, 2009

Our friends at Camra of course the people that are Campaigning for Real Ale, Pubs and Drinkers’, like us sheddies!

Has given us a copy of the 3rd edition of the excellent Brew Your Own British Real Ale

You can win a copy here.

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Iam thinking of Brewing Beir/Beer/Ale in the shed!

Posted on January 18th, 2009

I am thinking of getting one of these Starter kits from brewityourself.

But it costs £60, and brews 40 pints, so £1.50 a pint (if it works) of course you can reuse the gear again… but with wetherspons selling IPA at 99p a pint… is it worthwhile for a sheddie like me to brew my own?

Here’s what the kit contains.

This beginners pack comes complete with an award winning Woodfordes Wherry Beer Kit and every you need to turn it into 40 pints of premium real ale.

If you’re looking for the best beer making kit on the market - this is it!

It comes complete with all the equipment you need, plus a 3KG Woodfordes beer kit.

If you’re buying this as a gift, you can be confident that you can present it in the morning and they’ll be brewing in the afternoon!

This beginners kit includes

* 25 Litre brewing bin
* paddle
* Syphon
* Steriliser
* Hydrometer
* Woodfordes Wherry beer kit
* 40 pint barrel

Which hopefully will be everything a total novice like me would need.

Have you sheddies any tips for a numpty like me?

Filed under: Ale by Wilco - 2336Comments2009-01-18+20%3A21%3A19Wilco

Not my beer of the week - 99p Greene king IPA

Posted on January 6th, 2009

My first pint of the new year and I was disappointed.

ipa

It was the 99p Greene king IPA over at my local JD Wetherspoon, I know it will prove popular in these credit crunch times, but it was too cold..and tasteless (I have had GK IPA before and it was drinkable) .. but not today, maybe it was new year flush or maybe it was the bitter taste of paying 99p!

I am sticking to the guest ales from now on, not that Iam made of money but it pays to get a half decent pint.

on the plus side I had they £2.99 Ham, eggs & chips and it was very good.

Filed under: Ale by Wilco - 2252Comments2009-01-06+14%3A52%3A48Wilco

Beer of the week : Wetherspoons beer festival

Posted on November 13th, 2008

I don’t post enough about my other love on this blog as much as I would like - Real Ale that is……

I have been partaking in the wetherspoons beer festival for the last week or so around the pubs of Cardiff, and have had some great beer… here is a selection.