In this month's cool refreshing pint of an issue . . .

-A Beer To Cheer With - "Lions' Pride" our World Cup brew.

-Wirral Food & Drink Festival - August Bank Holiday.

-Farmers' Market News - what's fresh, fine & locally grown.

-Local Food - Why Bother?

-Betwixt Deliver - new home/work delivery of our fresh local brews.
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Football Focus

To celebrate England's almost guaranteed World Cup victory, we are proud to launch our new beer - "Lions' Pride".

It's a rich fruity/nutty ruby-coloured beer of 5% abv.

Two of the ingredients used have an odd Anglo-German influence (more by accident than design, though).

'Brewers Gold' is a fruity English hop variety, but primarily grown in Germany & 'Crystal Rye' (which gives the red colour & some of the sweet & nutty flavours) is an unusal grain to find in an English beer, but the malted version is found in German specialities such as Roggenbier (Rye Beer) or Roggenbrot (Rye Bread).

Free tastings of this new brew will be available at New Ferry Farmers Market, tomorrow - Saturday 10th June, 9am-1pm, so come & stock up on beer in time for kick-off at 2pm.
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Wirral Food & Drink Festival 2006 -
A New Summer Event on The Food-lover's Calendar

Describing itself as 'A Celebration of All Things Homegrown' this new event launched in the local press last month. Its aim is to promote the fantastic range of produce, restaurants, bars, farm shops, and culinary talent that's available locally.

The Festival will be held at picturesque Claremont Farm in Spital on Sunday 27th and Monday 28th of August (August Bank Holiday).

Special events will be held in the run up to the Festival, while the festival itself will include -

. A 60-stall farmers' market offering the best in local food & drink
. A wine and beer marquee- tastings, speakers & local craft-beers
. Demonstrations from celebrity chefs & award-wionning local chefs.
. Celebrity ready steady cook
. Question and answer sessions with producers and chefs
. Entertainment including live local radio broadcast
. Cheese and wine tastings with The Cheese Detective
. Children's entertainment
. More to be announced

Loyd Grossman, (Chair of Culture Northwest) said
"It is great to see a food festival come to the Wirral. There is something here for everyone from food lovers to families looking for a great day out."

For more info see website - www.wirralfoodfestival.co.uk
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Farmers' Market News - What's fresh & seasonal at the markets.

Asparagus - tasting wonderful when fresh & local; one local grower
is John Jones (Farm Shop at Ledsham, Wirral & should be at this weekend's New Ferry farmers' market & Lark Lane at the end of the month).

Strawberries - again a totally different experience to some of the bland & bloated imported strawbs - these are local, fresh & bursting with flavour; get some at a farmers' market near you (one grower is Will Pimlott & family, nr Southport; as well as other markets further afield, he appears twice a month at Liverpool Farmers' Market, London Road, nr TJ's, 1st & 3rd Sats of month)

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Local Food - Why Bother?
OK, OK, apart from promoting healthier eating, the environmental gains from lower food miles, supporting local jobs & the local economy, staying in touch with the year's seasons & the peace of mind of 'knowing where your food comes from' . . . what has local food ever done for us!!??

(with apologies to Monty Python for ruining their 'What have the Romans . . . joke)

"Farmers' markets are one of the most visible signs of this (local food) renaissance, with over 300 having been established over the past three years. Of course, there's nothing new in it at all - it's simply about farmers selling their own produce directly to the people who are going to eat it. But the simplicity of the concept belies a change in thinking which is revolutionary."
(so says Simon Michaels, a director of f3 - the Foundation for Local Food Initiatives - a not-for-profit co-operative offering consultancy services to the local food sector)
read the whole article on the Open University's site -
http://www.open2.net/choices/food/localfood.htm

or have a look at some of these other links
www.eattheseasons.co.uk
www.nwfantasticfoods.co.uk
www.thefoody.com
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Betwixt Delivers.

We are pleased to announce the launch of our home & work delivery scheme - 'Betwixt Delivers'. With a minimum order of 10 litres there will be no additional delivery charge to have fresh, flavourful local craft-beer delivered to your home or work.

The beer can be packaged as -

10 x 1-litre bottles
2 x 5-litre mini-casks
or 1 x 10-litre polypin
or any combination of these.

10 litres of our fresh, fruity Sunlight beer,
delivered to your home or work for just £30.

(= 17.6 pints for about £1.70 per pint)

For parties and barbeques you may need more beer, so we can supply in sizes up to a 'firkin' or more (72-pint cask) - we will provide all of the equipment & advice you need to give your party a fresh craft-brewed beer that your guests won't forget.

£75 for 72 pints = about £1.04 per pint.

A firkin cask makes a real change from all those beer cans & bottles & saves you needing to tidy up or recycle them - we will collect the empty cask & wash & re-use it.

Please note that while there will be no additional delivery charge, the discounts available by buying from us at the farmers' markets will be reduced.

For more information, please email, phone (details below) or ask at any farmers' markets we attend.

Liverpool, London Rd, nr TJ's; 1st&3rd Sats - 17thJune / 1stJuly.
Wirral, New Ferry, Village Hall, off A41; 2nd Sat - 10thJune/8thJuly.
Liverpool, Lark Lane - 4th Sat - 24th June / 22nd July.
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Best Wishes,
Mike McG,

The Betwixt Beer Co, Wirral
www.betwixtbeer.co.uk
brewer@betwixt beer.co.uk
tel - 077 929 67414