Great Britain

John White’s Final Trip

July 11, 2007

I was at the Celebrator offices Monday night, doing a tasting of wheat beers for the next issue, when the sad news came in that John White, the tireless supporter of great beer passed away at 62. I never met the man, but know plenty of people who have and sang his praises. He ran [...]

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Neo-Prohibitionist Math

May 3, 2007

Sadly, the United States is not the only country with people who want others live according to their morals. A British Bulletin reader sent in a BBC article about Alcohol Concern, a UK neo-prohibitionist organization that refers to itself as the “national agency on alcohol misuse.” In the article, “Call to stop children’s drinking,” they, [...]

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Harveys Home Again

April 26, 2007

By the time you read this, you can walk into the Lewes Arms in Sussex, England and once more order a pint of the local favorite, which is brewed down the road, Harveys Best Bitter. Since last December, when Greene King pub owner pulled Harvey’s tap because their own Greene King beer wasn’t selling nearly [...]

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Fill ‘Er Up, Please

April 16, 2007

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), Great Britain’s beer advocacy group has just completed a survey of pubs and how full they fill your pint, and it doesn’t look good. They’re calling for people to sign an online petition and asking the Prime Minister to fix the problem. In addition to CAMRA’s figures, a Telegraph [...]

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SABMiller Eyeing S&N?

April 10, 2007

At the end of March, Heineken appeared to be the leading contender in a takeover bid for Scottish & Newcastle. Now the latest rumors have SABMiller considering their own bid to take over the Scottish beer giant for the sum of £6.5 billion (around 12.75 billion in U.S. dollars). If successful, many believe SABMiller would [...]

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Greene King Visits the Clue Farm

April 5, 2007

The Publican is reporting that Greene King is going to subject its decision to remove the locally brewed Harvey’s Best Bitter from the Lewes Arms to an “internal review” where most expect that decision to be reversed. Though no timetable has been set, Harveys will once more be sold at the pub most likely within [...]

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Snobs, Geeks and a Pinch of Hypocrisy

April 3, 2007

A Bulletin reader (thanks Garrett) sent me this article by Ben McFarland from the British trade magazine, the Publican. McFarland is a two-time recipient of the title, “Beer Writer of the Year,” an honor bestowed on him by the British Guild of Beer Writers. If you’re in America you probably haven’t heard of him, because [...]

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Heineken in Takeover Bid for Scottish & Newkie

March 31, 2007

According to today’s Scotsman, Heineken is the leading contender in a takeover bid for the world’s tenth largest beer company, Scottish & Newcastle. According to S&N’s website, in Europe they’re the fourth largest brewer in volume terms and the number two in profit terms. I believe Heineken is number one in both. The article relates [...]

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Lewes Arms Boycott Reaches 100 Days, Greene King Still Clueless

March 27, 2007

I wrote about this before, the residents of Lewes, in East Sussex, England, have been boycotting their historic local pub, the Lewes Arms, because the new owner, Greene King, stopped serving Harveys beer, which is brewed just a few blocks away. The locals have set up a protest website, the Friends of the Lewes Arms. [...]

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Lewes Arms Boycotts Greene King

March 8, 2007

The small town of Lewes, England (population @16,000) is located near the southern coast, due south from London in the district of East Sussex. It’s also home to Harvey’s Brewery, which has been there along the Ouse River since the late 1700s. According to an e-mail I received from Florrie, a Lewes resident, Greene King‘s [...]

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Photos from Abroad

February 3, 2007

In case you missed it, I went to London and Brussels last week with a couple of Bay Area brewers, Shaun O’Sullivam from 21st Amendment and Christian Kazakoff from Triple Rock. Photos from the trip were posted back to the date when we were there so, unless you were looking for them, you probably missed [...]

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The Old Ale Festival at the White Horse

January 27, 2007

Our primary reason for the trip to London was to attend the 24th annual Old Ale Festival at the White Horse on Parson’s Green, which is located in southwest London. Landlord and cellerman Mark Dorber, who’s been at the pub for decades, is leaving this year and we wanted to visit him at the bar [...]

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London Trip: Day 2, Fuller’s Brewery Tour

January 25, 2007

On Thursday, our second day in London, we had a nice private tour of Fuller’s Griffin Brewery in the Chiswick area of London. The Griffin Brewery in Chiswick, London The “Old Copper,” part of the old brewery. After the tour we isited the Hock Cellar, where we sampled beer made at the brewery. Here brewers [...]

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London Trip: Day 1

January 24, 2007

Tuesday I left for a short trip to London along with brewers Shaun O’Sullivan (21st Amendment) and Christian Kazakoff (Triple Rock) and beer fans Motor and Thomas. Because of the time change, our flight was effectively a red eye and we arrived in the U.K. the following morning around seven in the morning. We had [...]

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Off to the White Horse

January 23, 2007

The Bulletin will be on vacation for the next week, returning on Tuesday January 30. I’ll be jumping the pond this morning to attend the Old Ale Festival at London’s White Horse on Parson’s Green. This is supposedly cellerman Mark Dorber’s last year at the pub, so I’m glad I’ll have a chance to see [...]

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Michael Jackson Reveals His Battle with Parkinson’s

December 18, 2006

To those of us who have been around Michael Jackson any length of time lately, we’ve know something was affecting his health, but beyond speculation, no one knew for sure what. Michael has been understandably protective of his privacy and naturally everyone around him has respected that desire to keep his private life just that. [...]

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