WINNER OF SOUTHAMPTON BEER FESTIVAL.....TWICE!

The totally amazing news of last week is that, hot on the heels of Swift One winning Hampshire Beer of the Year, we find that we've won Southampton Beer of the Festival twice with both Swift One and Elderado. They both received seventy five votes, making them joint winners. It's difficult to believe that two of our beers have been awarded two of the highest local awards that there are. And that's after only six months of brewing! Thank you to all of the people that voted for us. It means a hell of a lot.

On the pub side of things we've been bombing around to a growing number of pubs so check out the beer finder.

The Victoria Inn in West Marden is a beautiful little pub in an equally beautiful village. It's tucked just of the road and draws in visitors locally and from far and wide. A good range of beers and some scrummy food make it a must if you are in the area.

Over in Surrey, in the village of Tongham, there is a sizable old pub on the corner of The Street and it's called The White Hart. The new owners are making a real go of this place with an ever changing choice of real ales and the whole place is brightened and buoyed along by their energy and enthusiasm. If you are bombing along the Hogsback and have a few minutes to spare, pull off the main drag and give yourself a treat.

Also in Surrey is The Sandrock in Wrecclesham. I've known this place of old and it's great to go back there. It has a solid reputation for serving ales in superb condition and also has an increasing reputation for good food. A very friendly and unassuming sort of place where everyone is made welcome.

Now if you want a pub that's steeped in history and in a stunning location, you need to look no further than The Anchor Bleu in Bosham. If you were any closer to Chichester Harbour you would be in it! In the drink in fact. An amazing place with seats at the front to look out over the water while supping some damn fine ale.

In Basingstoke. almost hidden by the shadows of modern office blocks, sits a little gem. It's The Queens Arms and when I delivered there I was amazed by this thriving local. It was packed at lunchtime with office workers and people arriving at or coming from the train station which is a few steps away. The way the food was being ordered it must be pretty good and there is a nice little courtyard garden to enjoy a pie and a pint! This little piece of Basingstoke history deserves a trip all of it's own.

And now a blast from my past. At the tender age of eighteen, I used to catch a bus from where I lived in Southampton to a wonderful pub in Romsey called The Tudor Rose. It was full of atmosphere, full off smoke, full of characters and sold some excellent beer. Very little has changed over the intervening thirty odd years. A gem of a place.

Another little gem is The White Hart at Penton Mewsey. It's just a few miles outside Andover, tucked down a country lane and nestles amongst parkland. It's cosy inside and the very friendly landlord and landlady are sure to make you very welcome.

The Red Lion in Oakhanger has good beer, good food and a wonderful tiled floor. This two bar hostelry is in a village with a giant golf ball! The landlord and landlady are working hard to create a real village local and we wish them all the best.

Another nature watch next week if not before. Cheers!

HAMPSHIRE BEER OF THE YEAR 2007!

The great and joyous news is that Swift One has been awarded the accolade of Hampshire Beer of the Year 2007. For the first time in the history of the award there was a tie for 1st place, the other winner being Hole Hearted from Oak Leaf Brewery. So firstly, a great round of applause and shouts of congratulation to Ed at Oakleaf. He brews good beer. Well done mate.

Secondly, it's bloody wonderful to win an award as prestigious as this and that's after only six months of trading. Local beer festivals are the ones that really make a difference. They put your name on the map, give local drinkers a chance to try your product and raise the profile of the brewery no end. So thank you CAMRA and I can't wait to welcome you over to the brewery for a few more beers. Also, well done on a great festival. It really does run like a well oiled machine and it bears repeating that everyone should be aware that these incredible events are all planned, executed, staffed and finally cleared away entirely by volunteers. It's rare to see such dedication.

And so we go on to more wonderful news. Swift One has won a Bronze Medal at the Alton Beer Festival! This is an event run entirely for charity and is worthy of everyones support. Winner of the event was Triple fff with their Moondance and second came Danish Dynamite from Stonehenge Brewery. Congratulations to them both. Alton also holds a winter festival so keep your eyes peeled for details later in the year.

And another thing...... We have been nominated for an award at the Hampshire Life Food and Drink Awards 2007. It seems that a few people think it was worth voting us into the top three in the 'Best Newcomer ' category. The ceremony is an evening bash at the New Forest Show, compered by the gorgeous Debbie Thrower and it promises to be a wonderful evening out. We will have to get suited and booted.

On a sad note, I heard last week of the death of Mike Brown. He was one of the founders of Ballards Brewery and our thoughts are with Carola and the family.

There are some more pubs to tell you about but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Cheers all.

Neglect of duty

OK, I hold my hands up. I have been rather neglecting this blog of late and I have no excuses other than we are pretty damn busy (see previous blog). I will try my hardest to rectify this by attempting to do a regular blog every Saturday or Sunday. I know, it's doomed to failure but I will give it a try. On to the news......

Firstly, don't forget Southampton Beer Festival which is on from the 7-9th June. For those of you who haven't been before, this is a fantastic showcase of regional and national beers. There's music and food as well so get down there and get drinking.

There are loads of new pubs to go on the beer finder and they cover quite a large area. Pre-dating the previous blog we managed to get (through the SIBA scheme) some beer into the Hyde Tavern in Winchester. This was the pub where I had my first ever alcoholic drink which I seem to remember was cider. At the time my father worked as a graphic designer for a chap who lived next door to the pub in a huge Georgian place called Hyde House. It's in the dim and distant past but I think his name was Jimmy Hyde! I wonder what the collective noun for Hydes is? Any way, it's a wonderful old pub full of character and with a beautiful garden. A place to sit and enjoy a quiet pint away from the hustle and bustle of busy Winchester.

The landlord of the Yarbridge Inn on the Isle of Wight has taken some over the water and I hear on the grape vine that it sold very well and was much appreciated by all the cork heads and oveners. The Yarbrige Inn is one of the premier real ale pubs on the island, so if you find yourself tired of paddling, remove the knotted handkerchief from your head and pop into the pub for a pint or three. It's what holidays are really about.

In Petersfield, the local population are enjoying the delight of a Swift One at The Folly Wine and Ale House. With tables outside to absorb some sunshine and splendid food as well, this is a great place for lunch. I've known Jerry and Eric who own the place for many years and it's wonderful to be selling them beer. Thank you gentlemen.

Mark at The Watership Down, in between Whitchurch and Overton, has been taking a goodly amount of beer and there isn't a twitchy nosed, floppy eared bunny in sight. This is another bloody good place to sit and enjoy a pint in his wonderful garden, shaded from the sun by some magnificent Beech trees. There's always a good range of beers to choose from as well.

Another pub on the SIBA scheme is the Yew Tree at Odstock near Salisbury. This a classic country pub and definitely worth a trip out. I'm told that the lasagna is particularly good for a bit of lunch. Nice people here and I wish I could have stopped for a drink when I delivered but tempus fugit.

We've had a session on the Real Ale Train or RAT on the Mid Hants Railway. This is a wonderful combination of steam and beer. Obviously all the beer has to be racked bright as the bar is on a train moving from Alresford to Alton and back again. This is a wonderful experience and boy, do they drink some beer. Take a look at their web site for details of forthcoming RAT events.

Is it a Cormorant or is it a Shag? In this case it's a Cormorant and it's a fine pub in Porchester. The landlord is called Mick and we've known him of old. He used to have a pub in Portsmouth but has definitely moved upmarket with this one. Good food, good beer and a very pretty village location. Porchester also has a very good and interesting castle and is steeped in history.

Right next door to the Hole in the Wall in Southsea is the India Arms. This is a class act with spacious light filled rooms at the front and a cosy Chesterfield strewn room at the back that is rather reminiscent of a gentleman's club or perhaps something from Tales of the Raj. They've taken Swift One up until now but are taking some Quiver Bitter next week. The population of Portsmouth and Southsea are indeed lucky people. Two excellent pubs within a few feet of each other. What a way to save money on taxis.

On the road from Old Alresford through to the Candovers there is a hamlet called Totford and in this hamlet is the Woolpack Country Inn. Axel the landlord has been here for as far back as I can remember and has built a reputation for excellent beer and food. If you find yourself trundling back from Basingstoke or heading north don't take the motorway. Just divert a little and treat yourself to some peace and quiet at the Woolpack.

Back to Winchester, the North Walls is a restaurant and bar situated in, wait for it........ North Walls! The new owners of this place have done wonders. The rooms are full of light, the decor is stylish yet simple and there's some classy art on the walls. Of course this classy establishment can only benefit from classy beer so pop in for a Swift One.

The Wheatsheaf at Titchfield is all of a Quiver. I think the best way to describe this splendid pub is small but perfectly formed. It sits, tucked away to your right as you enter Titchfield from Fareham and is easily missed. Don't miss it. It's friendly, has a great range of beers and some excellent food as well. There's also a garden courtyard to soak up some sun so what more do you need.

That's about it for the pub news unless I've forgotten somebody which is quite likely. My apologies if I have and I'm sure it will soon be pointed out to me. Here at the brewery everything is going well and next week we will have a new beer in the range for you to try. It will be properly launched at the Southampton Beer Festival and it is the long awaited Elderflower beer. A flash of inspiration from Ray means that it is called Elderado. Hopefully it will be well received.

We also had our second delivery of Dalek eggs, no sorry, casks, yesterday which brings the numbers of firkins up to 600. That will hopefully do us for a while as they are terribly expensive. Somebody said to me the other day that isn't it amazing that the container costs more than the liquid inside it. I replied that it wasn't that unusual. Think about cars!

A date for your diary. The Hampshire Bowman Beer Festival is on the 6th, 7th and 8th July. NOT TO BE MISSED!

So much has happened since the last nature page that it's difficult to know where to start. Spring sprung and then went back into winter. April became May or possibly June and then May became April. Anyway, spring now seems to have been a long season with some things responding to the early high temperatures and others just waiting for the longer day light hours. This is particularly true of the Ash trees. They all seem to be very very late. I don't know if this is just that the Oaks were very very early or whether they have just done their thing at the usual time.

It is a good blossom season with an early show of Bluebells that almost seem to turn the air a shade of blue. They grow in such massive profusion that the woods are carpeted with one solid mass of flowers. Following close behind but not quite so common is the Wild Garlic. Their dark green leaves and their pretty white starry flowers deck the woodland in the shadiest of places and colour the air with a wonderful scent. The leaves are good in salad and I have toyed with the idea of making the flower heads into some sort of a fritter but in all honesty they are too beautiful to pick. I shall have to make do with a few leaves for a salad.

Most mornings I take Cara the dog for a walk on Beacon Hill before work and there is always something to see in the stillness before the world really wakes up. Last week Cara managed to get a large piece of Bramble caught up in the furry trouser department, the removal of which necessitated the use of a pen knife. As I straightened up to put the knife back on my key ring, a movement down in the coombe caught my eye. There below me, no more than a couple of hundred meters away, was a Red Kite. Sailing, if not playing with the air, he soared below me along the length of the escarpment. His massive wings barely moved, just the tips showed any sign of controlling his movements. I stood there and watched in stunned silence as he promenaded in front of me. Wondrous sight. Just two weeks earlier as I returned from delivering I decided I'd cut through the back lanes. A short height above a field, a group of birds wheeled and tumbled in front of me. At first I thought that it was a Buzzard being mobbed by a pair of Crows, but as I came closer I saw that it was a Red Kite being mobbed by two Buzzards. The Kite had a strange jagged flight as he tried to evade the constant dive bombing and in the end had had enough. He fell to the ground and just sat there trying to look unconcerned as the, probably juvenile Buzzards, flapped above him. Poor sod. He looked really pissed off!