Strathaven Ales Craigmill Brewery Aleberry Damson beer

Strathaven Ales Craigmill Brewery Aleberry Damson beer
Originally uploaded by byronv2

A nice visit to the outskirts of Strahaven to the Craigmill Brewery, a 17th century mill building by the River Avon, where after buying some bottles of various ales to take home I was invited downstairs where I got to taste their brand new Aleberry Damson Beer, made with locally grown fruit. Its not even made it as far as the local pubs yet so only a few folks have had the pleasure of this rather lovely ale, which I've just posted a review of on the Blog o' Beer.

Beer and guest blogging

I've been posting a handful of reviews onto the new Blog o'Beer (BoB) along with Darren (or Ariel as most in the SF&F community know him) and Ed Ashby, who have been seriously piling into the reviews with great gusto (or perhaps they are just piss artists, but if so they are piss artists with some flair). I've just added a new one on a local beer from the Clyde Valley, Old Mortality from the Craigmill Brewery, and this week has also seen our first guest blog from acclaimed fantasty novelist Tim Lebbon, who very kindly wrote us up a report on a local beer festival down in the lovely West Country.

Old Nag Ale

Peggy the horse, long a regular at the Alexandra Hotel bar in Jarrow, Tyneside, has lost her access to her local watering hole. The twelve year old mare usually accompanies her owner Peter Dolan to the pub, where Peggy enjoyed a pint of beer and a packet of crisps (I wonder what flavour?), but now she has to wait outside - no, not because she likes a ciggie, but because the bar has recently been refitted and the owners decided that they didn't really fancy having a horse clip-clopping through it. I suppose it says a lot that they let her up to now, we have trouble in a number of bars if my mate tries to take his dog in with him. Wonder what they'd say if we turned up on our trusty steeds instead? What do you say, chaps, let's form the world's First Ale Cavalry squadron! (via the BBC)

Meet BoB: The Blog o' Beer

My friends and fellow real ale guzzlers Darren (better known to most SF folks as Ariel) and Ed and I have been planning a blog where we could post on one of our passions - proper beer, real ale as it is normally called. We've been planning it for ages and Ed and Darren got it up and running a few weeks ago. Since I have finally, albeit rather slowly and haltingly, returned to the personal world of blogging (as distinct from my work blogging for Forbidden Planet which has continued) this week I thought it was about time I started putting in some of my Tasting Notes as well and just posted my first couple up, starting off with a couple of Scottish ales, one from Bellhaven and one from my own doorstep, Edinburgh's Innis & Gunn, who actually use old oak casks to mature the beer, an unusual process for ales, more something you'd expect in a single malt really, but it gives them a distinctive colour and aroma. Anyway, Darren and Ed have several pieces up on the Blog o' Beer -or BoB as it is also known - and I've now added my first couple of tasting reviews.

Random recent scenes

Princes Street this evening on the way home, basking in late sunshine; outside the oh-so-posh Jenners department store a bagpiper in full highland dress is jamming with two black musicians playing some sort of ethnic variation on tom-tom drums. They're clearly all enjoying themselves as are the locals and tourists who stop to listen to this mix of African and Scottish. It sounds brilliant.

On my way in and out to work I pass some spectacularly beautiful displays of bright, colourful, fresh flowers in Princes Street Gardens and the crescents at the West End; in the bright sunlight the flowers almost glow. The council mismanages a lot of things in Edinburgh but kudos to the gardners for creating such beautiful, eye-catching displays that just make your day nicer by being there.

Making the most of the sudden burst of warm, summer-like weather we head down the coast where near the beach at the Fidra Lighthouse I bump into my friend Claudia with her visiting parents. After a very long walk all the way down the beach to North Berwick we're licking our yummy ice creams when my big cousin and her husband suddenly appear.

Bus to work on Monday; as I am getting off one of my friends from the book group is getting on although I only have a chance to say hello to her as we pass. Clearly it is my week for randomly bumping into friends and family as I go about. Who will be the next Guest Star in the ongoing soap opera of life?

Walking down Middle Meadow Walk a temporary wooden wall hiding the building works in the old Royal Infirmary which has been covered with posters for Fringe shows is now peeling and torn, scraps flapping in the breeze now it is all over. The grass of the Meadows still shows the marks of the recently departed marquees and big top from shows.

Hot, sunny day, warmer than most of the summer - great. Except it is too hot and dreadfully airless at my desk at work and I'm dying for some fresh air all afternoon - a good excuse to meet a friend and sit outside a pub on the way home drinking cold beer in the fresh air and watching the sun slowly dipping towards the horizon.

Sitting in Beanscene with Mel, enjoying coffee and cake I notice they have details on how to buy the antiqued leather sofas they have in the cafe - the sign advertising this is simple but brilliant "order a sofa to go". Oh yes, please, can I have a skinny latte, triple choc muffin and a sofa to go?

Big, shiny bauble



I got lost trying to get from the comics expo to my hotel; well, I say lost, actually I navigated my way perfectly well to where it was supposed to be according to Google Maps, except it wasn't there. Neither was the lane it was supposed to be on. Check my little printed out map - so organised, navigating my way in a city I've never been to before quite well, shame the hotel wasn't there! Check street names, yup I have come to the right spot on the map. But no hotel and no lane for the hotel... After several circuits of the block it should be on I spot a branch of Stamfords, the travel book specialists and try in there - a look in their A-Z maps shows the street isn't even on the print maps. Sinking feeling. The helpful bookseller recognises the name of the hotel though and points me over the river to an area being redeveloped (hence why not on the map yet, I suppose), so an extra few minutes later and finally I find my hotel and can check in. It turned out to be right behind this retro-futuristic silver sphere by the riverside.



Now I knew where the darned place was in relation to the convention I walked a different route back this time (luckily I have a knack for working out my way round places, so I thought I'd get at least a tiny bit more of the city as I went back and forth). Just past here on the riverside there were lots of bars and restaurants; after a showery day the evening became clear, warm and sunny, quite perfect for a walk back (and it was nice to see Edinburgh doesn't have the monopoly on badly dressed hen parties on Saturdays!).



After not having much time for a proper meal during the day it was time for some decent nosh and oh my, what's this, a gorgeous cool ale from the local Butcombe Brewery (Butcombe Gold, I think I just found my perfect summer ale, must see if the local Wetherspoon here has it).



Just what I need, a reflecting surface which makes me look shorter and fatter...



I liked these colourful old tenements overlooking the river - the Bristol version of Balamory :-)?



Just across the river from the hotel was Brunel's great S.S. Great Britain, although sadly seeing the masts of this revolutionary huge steamship was as close as I got to her.