July 2009

Prior to giving a talk and reading from his latest book at the Steyning Bookshop Pete Brown paid a visit to the brewery. Pete’s latest book “Hops and Glory” humorously relates how he re-created a traditional IPA (India Pale Ale) and then set out to take it to India by sea. He is pictured below with Andy who took the opportunity to pick his brains about recipes.

The event formed part of the Adur Brewery’s first birthday celebrations and they provided the beers to refresh the audience – it was a full house. Meanwhile the Steyning Bookshop staff offered trays of delicious home made canapés.
Before and after the event Pete Brown chatted with beer-and-book fans, and signed copies of his books.

In “Hops and Glory” beer writing is combined with travel writing. Pete Brown told us how from the late 18th century the original India Pale Ale (IPA) was made and transported half way round the world from England to India. As a result of a chat with his mates in the pub, Pete set out to recreate that journey, starting out from Burton-on-Trent with a keg of traditional IPA and taking it all the way to India, via Brazil and the Cape of Good Hope. His adventures included a voyage on a tall ship, encounters with Brazilian pirates and problems with Iranian customs, but with disarming modesty, the first story he told the Steyning audience was of how at the start of his journey he fell into the canal just outside Burton and nearly gave up the whole venture.

Pete Brown’s earlier books were the main inspiration which led Andy Dwelly to set up the Adur Brewery. After Pete’s talk, Andy was last seen sitting on a pile of books containing recipes for IPA and looking at another entitled “Tall Ships to Asia – Timetable and Fares” . . .

We are grateful to Pete Brown for coming to talk to us and sharing his adventures with us. Many thanks also to Steyning Bookshop for providing their premises and for their generous hospitality.

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In view of the popularity of our last picture quiz (we didn’t get a single complaint . . . or a single response for that matter . . .) here’s another chance to test your skill. Study the picture carefully and then choose the correct caption.
A) Sussex Mafiosi, under their capofamiglia Andrea Duelli, discuss their takeover of new territory in Steyning
B) Pete Brown (long-lost brother of Gordon), with his cabinet, poised to take over running the UK
C) Pete Brown, well-known beer writer and broadcaster, gets prepared for his talk at the Steyning Bookshop.

In order to reduce your stress levels, we won’t keep you in suspense – the answer is C. If you would like more information about the event read the next post. If you would like to know where Piers buys his cool shades – we don’t know either.

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For the second month running the brewery had a stall at Broadwater (Worthing) Farmers’ Market and thanks to the fine weather (and the fine beer of course!) it was a total sell-out before the market ended.

If you normally do your shopping further north than Worthing why not look in on Burdfields Country Market in Billingshurst? They pride themselves on supplying local ingredients and have a fine display of Sussex ales, including of course Adur Brewery beers.

You can stock up on fresh veg, cheese, speciality breads and their own Burdfield Bangers as well as more exotic ingredients. Then enjoy the restaurant where you can have snacks or meals and a decent beer! (OK, they also serve tea . . . if you must . . .)

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There’s been a bit of a hiatus here, partly because a number of personal matters require attention, and partly (good news) as the brewery itself is extremely busy. So busy, that we are in fact having some trouble keeping up with orders.

So here’s a brief news round up and I hope to be more communicative soon.

• We have taken delivery of our third fermenter. Something of a history behind this, but we got it eventually. We still have to build its platform and add its fittings. Next week ?
• Tickets for the Pete Brown event have all been allocated and mostly went out today.
• Our beers are now available at both the Shoreham and Steyning Threshers.
• I’m doing a new, completely experimental beer today….more on this later I hope.
• We are moving from our slightly irregular brewing schedule to a once a week schedule – about a year earlier than I anticipated. This is in an attempt to keep all our customers stocked.

In fact there’s so much going on that I’m pretty much rushed off my feet. If anyone has had difficulty getting hold of me – please keep trying and I do apologise.

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I’m occasionally asked why I write about politics and the economy on this blog which of course primarily about the brewery.

The answer is that like anyone in business, I keep a wary eye on the economic weather. It’s a substantial part of the environment that we operate in. If no one has any cash, no one will buy our beer. Simples! That’s why the chart above is quite the scariest thing I’ve seen for several weeks. I was alerted to it by this column in the FT which in turn cites this.

It compares world industrial output during the great depression with the current set of events. The conclusion is that we are actually looking at a depression sized event. The paper also claims that policy responses have been better this time around (I disagree as far as the UK is concerned).

Depressions are more than lost jobs and homes, depressions lead to mass migrations, revolutions, and wars. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the close correlation is simply a coincidence and not an example of history repeating itself.

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We are close to the end of our first year and parts of our small brewery are operating at nearly full capacity – notably my ability to cope with paperwork! We are planning a small expansion over the next few weeks and months and after that I’m hoping for the long awaited revamp of this website.

In the meanwhile, out on the street, the economy appears to have take a notable downturn. A few days ago the figure for the shrinkage in the economy in the last quarter was quietly revised to a drop of 2.4%. Multiply that by four for the annual rate and we are close to ten percent! That’s not a recession – it’s a depression.

Several companies in our area have announced big redundancies over the last week. I’m sensing an increasing note of desperation in the people I talk to. In the last few days I’ve had several people approach me personally and ask if there’s anything, any work at all that we could offer them at the brewery [nothing very solid at the moment - alas].

We had some Americans visit me last week as well, and I was told that Gordon Brown is widely regarded as a laughing stock around California, to the extent that they think about him at all. I explained that the reason many people blame him for economic events here, is the fact that he presided over the economy as Chancellor for 11 years prior to his elevation to his current exalted position. His mistakes then are now plain for everyone to see (attacks on pensions, selling off of gold reserves, failed tripartite regulation of the finance industry, unsustainable levels of public spending, profligate borrowing, etc. etc.).

It’s ironic that he’s now as PM enduring the results of his activities as Chancellor, but unfortunately the rest of us are suffering along side him.

The results of all this ? Interest rates can’t go any lower and the banks are still reluctant to lend to small business. The Bank of England is still printing money. Personally I expect a surge in inflation and a currency event at some point over the next twelve months that will require the IMF to step in. Then things will get really tough!

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The original plan was to have a stall at Steyning market as usual, but a tiny delay in submitting the licence application (Temporary Event Notice) meant that the brewery had no permission to sell beer today! Ever skilled at turning a problem into an opportunity, Andy got the Powers That Be to confirm that there was no objection to giving beer away, and used the occasion to mark the Adur Brewery’s first birthday.

Members of the public seemed at first bemused – ‘Surely you don’t get anything for free nowadays?’ – and then delighted – ‘I think I’ve died and gone to Heaven’ – as realisation dawned. So many pubs wittily advertise ‘Free Beer . . . Tomorrow’ but here were some people offering ‘Free Beer TODAY!’

There was a free tombola, where you could win breweriana or extra beer, free leaflets about the brewery (which contained an extra chance to win), leaflets about the book event on 23 July (at which there will be more free beer) and a free Ropetackle Gold or Velocity. Some folks couldn’t have a drink at the market as they were driving – no problem! They were given a free bottle of Ropetackle Gold with which they could drink the brewery’s health when they got home.

Andy was there at the crack of 8a.m. to set up the stall and decided to multi-task by having a shower at the same time as tapping the cask of Velocity.

All morning smitten ladies and envious gents were asking him what was that great aftershave he was using!

Beer ready!

Tombola ready!

All Ready!

Happy Birthday!

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Every TV programme we see nowadays ends with some competition along the lines of ‘Is it a, b or c?’. Not to be outdone we are trialling the concept here. Study the photographs below, and try to answer the fiendishly difficult questions following.

1- Is Chance
a) modelling the latest in green wellies made from cabbages?
b) checking if a phone wired into his head is better than a mobile?
c) collecting the first harvest from the permaculture garden?

2- Is Andy
a) shooting the sun with a sextant to check the location of the brewery?
b) making a quick check of the gravity of the latest brew?
c) checking if the lady next door is getting into the bath yet?

Print your answers on a postcard, together with your full name and address and the following declaration “I am over 18 years of age and I really should get a life instead of wasting time on competitions like this”.

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