BREW AND THEY WILL COME - OR RAINDROPS KEEP FALLING ON MY HEAD

AS BLOG READERS WILL KNOW THE 6TH AUGUST WAS MITHRIL ALES OPEN AFTERNOON.

THREE BEERS WERE BREWED, FEAST, TYKE ALE AND ROUTE A66 AND WERE READY FOR 'TASTING'

TWO HUNDRED SAUSAGES HAD BEEN COLLECTED FROM MUDD BUTCHERS IN BISHOP AUCKLAND -  BEEF AND ONION WITH DERE STREET BEER, AND BEEF MUSTARD AND PARSLEY WITH TYKE ALE

AND PAULINE FROM THE VILLAGE HAD MADE TWO CHUTNEYS, USING TYKE ALE - ONE A PLAIN CHUTNEY AND THE OTHER A CHILLI

ALL WE NEEDED WAS FOR SUNNY WEATHER,  BUT WHAT WE GOT INSTEAD WAS PROBABLY THE WETTEST DAY I CAN EVER RECALL.

INSTEAD OF TABLES WITH MITHRIL ALES PARASOLS AND HAPPY PEOPLE IMBIBING IN THE SUN IN THE YARD NEXT TO CHEZ MITHRIL, WE HAD

HUDDLING ROOM ONLY IN THE FIRST GARAGE, WITH THOSE OUTSIDE HAVING TO STAND IN THE WET 

BUT THIS WAS WHAT THEY WERE ALL HUDDLING AROUND, THE BEERS AND THE CHUTNEY TRAY - SAUSAGES (UNDERCOVER) BEING DASHED FROM THE HOUSE TO THE SAID GARAGE BY WIFE IN A HAT

I DID SEVEN TOURS OF THE BREWERY OVER THE COURSE OF THE AFTERNOON,

I WAS ALSO PRESENTED WITH TWO CERTIFCATES BY RICHARD, PUBLICITY OFFICER
FROM DARLINGTON CAMRA.

THEY WERE FOR 1ST AND 2ND PLACE IN THE SPRING THING BEER FESTIVAL HELD IN MARCH 2011. ROUTE A66 CAME FIRST, AND FOLK N ALE CAME 2ND.

MY AWARDS HANGING PROUDLY IN THE BREWERY

ANYWAY, OVER THE COURSE OF THE AFTERNOON MOST OF THE BEER WAS DRUNK, MOST OF THE SAUSAGES EATEN AND ABOUT 60-70 BRAVE BEER HUNTERS CAME TO SEE WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT.

THANKS FOR COMING, DESPITE THE BAD WEATHER WE HAD A GOOD TIME

AND A SPECIAL THANKS TO NEIL BERRY FOR SENDING ME A DISC WITH SOME PHOTO'S OF THE DAY !