Photo crop

NEWCASTLE REAL ALE LISTINGS

Lists Beers On Offer In The Pubs In The Newcastle and surrounding Area (updated daily)

Photo crop

This page updated Wednesday, May 1, 09:45

Extended News

FOUR BEARDS - ONE BEER

It’s often said that beer and beards go together but the new beer from Thornbridge puts a different light on the combination. Simon Webster, Thornbridge’s Director, explains “Mark Bull is a well known local film producer and we recently worked with him in filming our collaboration brew with Sierra Nevada brewery. When Mark mentioned that he and his fellow members of “Four Beards” film Production Company had won a competition to film in the Cook Islands we were intrigued but we also knew that the team was finding the cost of taking part prohibitive. Not wishing to see the guys miss out on such a great opportunity we agreed with them that, as beer fans, they should have their own “Four Beards” beer and that we would donate proceeds from this to their fund for taking part”.

The Beards and the Brewers got together and from this emerged “Four Beards South Pacific Brown Ale” (5.1%abv). Rob Lovatt, Head Brewer at Thornbridge,“says the beer is a robust brown ale with a complex mixture of malts that are complemented by pungent southern hemisphere hops of Nelson Sauvin and New Zealand Cascade that produce passion fruit, gooseberry and tropical fruit aromas and taste”.

Mark Bull, the producer of Four Beards, explains “We have been presented with an opportunity to make a cracking short film in an amazing location by winning a place at the wonderful Film Raro challenge. Being the only team selected from the whole of Europe, we want to produce the best film we can. The challenge is a global event but one that keeps the ethos of community and collaboration at its heart. Thornbridge have been brilliant in supporting the arts and community scene in Sheffield and now in giving us a helping hand. We’re thrilled they have become a supporter of our campaign and provided us with the means to transport all the kit we need over to the Cook Islands”.

Four Beards are a film making collective born in Sheffield with a raft of globally award winning films under their belts, they are now setting sail for the South Pacific to make ‘Islands’. Tools are sparse on a desert island so the Beards sent out an SOS and an Indiegogo campaign to help them raise funds to ship supplies out there.

Four Breads Brown Ale goes on sale from the 3rd May with a “first pour” at the Dada Bar, Trippet Lane, Sheffield at 5pm. If you want to support the intrepid film makers on their adventure then raise a glass to them wherever you see the beer on sale. Alternatively you can take a trip to their ‘Islands’ Indiegogo crowd funding page and invest in one of the perks on offer, such as the limited edition screen printed posters by the designer Sean Mort.

‘Islands’ is a screenplay written and directed by Tajinder Singh Hayer. The film is part of the Film Raro challenge in the Cook Islands, bringing six of the finest scripts from around the world to a tropical paradise location. The film will be shot and edited in 7 days before receiving its world premier at the Film Raro festival screening, Rarotonga on 25th May 2013.

Four Beards

LINDISFARNE GOSPELS DURHAM BEER IS CROWNED AT BISHOP AUCKLAND FOOD FESTIVAL

Sonnet 43 Brew House will have the honour of their ‘Insular Art’ beer officially representing the Lindisfarne Gospels Durham exhibition this Summer.

The new micro-brewery’s ale triumphed after it won over both the public and a judging panel, featuring celebrity chefs The Fabulous Baker Brothers, in a battle of the beers competition at the Bishop Auckland Food Festival’s Beer & Wine Festival.

Lindisfarne Gospels Durham will be the highlight of the region’s cultural calendar in 2013. This unmissable exhibition runs from 1 July – 30 September 2013 at Durham University's Palace Green Library.

While the name ‘Insular Art’ refers to the elaborate style of the Lindisfarne Gospels, which is a masterpiece of medieval book painting, the beer takes its inspiration from the drink synonymous with the holy island, Lindisfarne Mead, capturing its signature notes of herbs and honey.

The beer was crowned after the submissions from all the entrants to battle of the beers were opened to a public vote, with the top 3 then put to the judging panel. Tom and Henry Herbert, famous for their Fabulous Baker Brother’s cooking show on Channel 4, announced the win commenting it was the “clear winner” and “an easy decision to make”.

The win for Sonnet 43 Brew House, named after the well-known verse by Elizabeth Barratt Browning who was born and raised at nearby Coxhoe Hall, comes after they have been brewing craft beer for only six months at their premises in Coxhoe.

The Head Brewer, Michael Harker, expressed his delight having won: “I was very pleased to win, especially being a new brewery up against some other very established & respected local breweries.

“From receiving the brief, we all felt the beer need to recreate key flavours of the famous Lindisfarne Mead, so we used herbal hops and honey within the fermentation and I’m proud to say herbal, spice and honey notes really shine through in the beer.”

‘Insular Art’ beat off stiff competition from other local breweries such as Hill Island, Allendale Brewery and Durham Brewery, all of which had Gospels-inspired names for their beers including ‘Illuminate’, ‘Eadfrith’s Magnum Opus’ and ‘Insula Sacre’.

Dr Keith Bartlett, Lindisfarne Gospels Programme Director said “I am delighted that this amazing book has inspired the creation of a special Lindisfarne Gospels Durham beer. The exhibition has captured the imaginations of businesses across the region and many want to be part of this experience providing Lindisfarne Gospels themed products, events and services”.

Brewery owner, Mark Hird, also commented “I am thrilled that Sonnet 43 will have the accolade of representing such a momentous event and very happy that now more people will have the opportunity to try Insular Art, as I believe it is a really great tasting beer”.

Insular Art will be on sale at selected pubs in Durham, and from the exhibition gift shop in Palace Green Library.

For more information on the exhibition and tickets go to www.lindisfarnegospels.com

The Lindisfarne Gospels will be on display at Durham’s UNESCO World Heritage Site for three months from 1 July to 30 September 2013, on loan from The British Library. The exhibition of the Lindisfarne Gospels is presented by Durham Cathedral, Durham County Council and Durham University working in partnership with the British Library. The Lindisfarne Gospels is a manuscript of the highest quality and one of the most important works of European art of the first millennium, a unique combination of different European artistic and Christian traditions and cultures. Created and used at Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island, the Lindisfarne Gospels were dedicated to St Cuthbert. The Lindisfarne Gospels will be on show in a newly developed world-class exhibition space at Durham University’s Palace Green Library alongside many unique and related manuscripts, artefacts and treasures from the collections of Durham University, Durham Cathedral and other international collections. Support and input is provided by Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums and there will be a related programme of events involving organisations across the region. For more information go to www.lindisfarnegospels.com

EVERY NEW BEER TO BE BREWED IN THE NORTH EAST TO BE STOCKED BY NORTH SHIELDS' PUB

Oddfellows pub in North Shields have had a specialised cabinet built on their back bar which allows a style of service that is almost unique in the region. This has enabled them to claim that every new beer brewed within Northumberland and Durham will be stocked and available to the public to sample, a grand claim indeed.

Selling beer by gravity dispense (direct from the barrel), whilst not new, is nevertheless, an almost unique method in the North East of England. Oddfellows landlord, Graeme Oswald, commented “The only bars I’m aware of that serve beer by this method are some festival bars and as far as other pubs are concerned I don’t know of any in this neck of the woods. It’s a very traditional way to serve beer which actually leaves more of the natural condition (that’s fizz or ‘life’ to the layman) in the beer compared to when it is pushed through a sparkler to create an un-natural head. We are sure that this is going to be a huge pull (no pun intended) to all beer lovers as both the beers on sale and the method of dispense are something new.”

The cabinet is kept at cellar temperature to enable the beers within to always be served in perfect condition. The only beers to be sold via this facility will be new brews created by the micro breweries of Northumberland and Durham, hence the claim of stocking every new brew created in the North East. Achieving this goal depends on the breweries themselves but so far the signs are good with a take up rate of over 96%. A list of the breweries taking part in this ground-breaking scheme is below.

The new cabinet means that up to nine casks can be offered at once (six in the cabinet and three pre-existing traditional hand-pumps) as well as one real cider and the ten strong bottle conditioned range amounting to an impressive 20 real ales potentially on sale at any time. As North Shield’s only representative in the 2013 Good Beer Guide Oddfellows know how to look after beer but the need for throughput is obvious. They hope that the temptation of so many new and different beers, all kept in perfect condition, will be enough to keep beer lovers coming back in the longer term but initially they are offering CAMRA members an exclusive introductory deal. On production of a membership card a saver card will be issued resulting in every forth beer served from the gravity dispense cabinet being completely FREE. This deal runs throughout December.

The breweries that have so far committed to support Oddfellows by supplying all of their new beers are:-

Three Kings
Cullercoats
Mordue
VIP
Jarrow
Hadrian and Border
Tyne Bank
Northumberland
High House Farm
Gun Dog
Wylam
Yard of Ale
Maxim
Durham
G N Porter
Leamside
Bull Lane
Stables
Sonnet 43
Hexhamshire
Consett
Darwin
Black Paw
Anarchy
Hill Island
Allendale

By sampling beers from these breweries you can help not only to support local brewers but also make Oddfellows the premier public house for all that recognise quality beer and enjoy tasting different and interesting beers.