Highlands & Western Isles CAMRA - News
		19^th June 2008 - Champion Beer of Scotland Rob Hill's Orkney based Highland Brewing Company takes Gold for the second year in a row!      Full details here           More here   13^th May 2008 - Chef's Award for The Anderson In front of nearly 200 of her colleagues, Anne Anderson, Executive Chef at The Anderson restaurant with rooms in Fortrose, stepped up to the podium to receive a Bronze Award for her culinary efforts, at the prestigious Scottish Chef Awards 2008 in Glasgow last weekend.      Full details here   8^th January 2008 - Another Top ten Award for The Anderson The Anderson restaurant with rooms, in a small seaside golfing village near Inverness, has just been named one of Scotland's Top Ten restaurants of 2007 by Johanna Blythman of The Sunday Herald. The distinction came shortly after they were placed in the Top Ten in the UK for both their breakfast and their beer selection by Sue Nowak in the CAMRA-published guidebook, Beer, Bed & Breakfast.      Full details here   13^th December 2007 - Barleywine Fest at The Anderson Strong ales on tap until late March 2008.  Discounted accommodation for CAMRA members.      Full details here   14^th November 2007 - Champion Bottle Beer of Scotland Winners Ginger Explosion is crowned.  Full details here   27^th April 2007 - Two more Highlands & Islands Breweries www.colonsaybrewery.co.uk www.theplocktonbrewery.com   5^th April 2007 - Scottish Pub-of-the-Year Winners Pub-of-the-Year winners from around the Scottish and Northern Ireland branches.. Full details here   19^th January 2007 - CAMRA's Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2007 Ales from Orkney and Cairngorm Breweries take Silver in Old Ales & Strong Mild and Stouts & Porters Categories; and Orkney wins Bronze award in overall best winter beer in the land. Full details here   8^th December 2006 - The Anderson Receives Top Award At The Bar Awards 2006 ceremony hosted by Class Magazine in London on 28 November, The Anderson came home with top honours for Best Beer Offering from among all entrants in the UK. Full details here 6^th November 2006 - Berserker is Champion Winter Beer of Scotland Berserker Export Pale Ale from Hebridean Brewing Co. is the winner of the first ever Champion Winter Beer of Scotland Competition. Full details here 14^th September 2006 - XPANSION PLANS FOR ISLES' BREWERY Hebridean Brewing Company is on the hunt for new premises in Stornoway town centre. Full details here 1^st August 2006 - Cairngorm Brewery Press Release Cairngorm Brewery’s ‘Trade Winds’ wins Champion Speciality Beer of Britain for 3^rd year running Full details here 13^th July 2006 - From the Press & Journal Pub changes hands A FAMOUS Inverness watering hole has changed hands. But George MacLean, of the multi-award winning Clachnaharry Inn overlooking the Caledonian Canal and the Beauly Firth, said yesterday: "While it is all change, it is really no change for our customers." The "Clach" has been sold to Belhaven - a brewery company from Dunbar which was recently taken over by Greene King, one of the largest brewers in the UK. Mr MacLean said: "A company I own has leased and will continue to run the business. The Clachnaharry is 'home' for me as I came back here after owning the pub in the mid-seventies. The deal negotiated with Belhaven also allows the opportunity to further expand the existing real ale market."       9^th July 2006 - Old Inn at Gairloch featured in Scotland on Sunday Local produce is at the heart of the Old Inn's philosophy and, with seafood landed just a few hundred yards away, the variety of fish and shellfish on offer is enough to satisfy any gourmand. Full story here       20^th June 2006 - Merger signals a fresh start for troubled breweries Sinclair Breweries Ltd, formed by the hotelier and restaurateur Norman Sinclair and his wife, Christine, has taken over Atlas Brewery in Kinlochleven and the Orkney Brewery Full details here       16^th June 2006 - Another Highland Beer Festival At the Ben Damph Inn, Torridon Full details here       16^th June 2006 - Beer-of-the-Year Highlands & Western Isles Beers-of-the-Year Winners - 1^st- Cairngorm Brewery - Black Gold 2^nd - Isle of Skye Brewery - Black Cuillin 3^rd- Cairngorm Brewery - Trade Winds 14^th June 2006 - Eat Safe Award The Glen Hotel in Newtonmore has recently received the prestigious Eat Safe Award from the Food Standards Agency, Scotland and Highland Council. Full details here       12^th June 2006 - Blackfriars Beer Festival Dates Saturday 17th June - Saturday 1st July An early Summer beer festival at Blackfriars in Inverness with the theme being the animal alphabet.  All ales will either have the name of an animal in the beer's name or in the brewery's name, one for each letter of the alphabet.       9^th June 2006 - CAMRA Press Release Kelburn’s Cart Blanche named Champion Beer of Scotland at the Scottish Traditional Beer Festival! Cairngorm just misses out on a hat-trick! Full details here       16^th May 2006 Real Cider is becoming increasingly widely available in the Highlands, with the Stronlossit Hotel at Roy Bridge, and the Glen Hotel in Newtonmore becoming the latest Highland hostelries to offer this delicious drink (made from fresh apple juice, not concentrate).  See Real Cider pubs list. Not only are real ale outlets on the increase in the Highlands & Western Isles, see updated real ale pubs list, but the number of beer (and cider) festivals continues to grow.  A MayFest is just about to start at the Clachaig Inn, and an early summer festival will be held in Blackfriars at the end of June.   There are rumours of a Torridon Beer festival at the Ben Damph Inn in July, which would nicely help to fill the gap between the new Spring festivals and the regular Autumn festivals held at Benleva Hotel, Clachnaharry Inn, and Morefield Motel.  Check our on-line diary for details.        5th May 2006 - The Publican reported - "Scottish brewer goes into administration" Highlands and Island Breweries (HIB) has gone into administration following "cash flow problems". The company owns two Scottish breweries; Atlas Brewery, based in Kinlochleven, where it brews brands such as Latitude, Nimbus and Three Sisters, and the Orkney Brewery, which brews Red MacGregor and Dark Island. Fraser Gray of administrators Kroll says: “We’re continuing to trade the business and are in talks with customers and suppliers to secure their ongoing co-operation." “We appreciate this is a worrying time for employees and would like to thank them for their continuing support.” HIB employs 12 staff and last available figures revealed annual turnover in the region of £1.5m. Highlands & Islands Breweries Limited (“HIB”) was formed in June 2004 when Atlas Brewery acquired The Orkney Brewery. A truly unique beer from the Cairngorm Brewery On Friday, 31^st March, the Cairngorm Brewery in Aviemore released their latest ale Blessed Thistle, .. and yes, it is brewed with Scotland's national flower, the thistle. Full Press Release       23rd January 2006 - Blackfriars Spring Beer Festival.  Dates are Saturday 4^th March - Saturday 11^th March inclusive. 2^ndSeptember 2005 - Blackfriars Autumn Beer Festival Following close on the heels of the first Ullapool Beer Festival is the Blackfriars Beer Festival.  Dates to be confirmed, but probably starting on Wednesday 26^thor Thursday 27^thOctober. In addition to local favourites, landlady Bev Alexander is keen to offer ales not usually available in Inverness. Watch the Branch Diary for confirmation of dates, and full details will be published in our Autumn newsletter.. 26^thAugust 2005 - National Cider & Perry Month October is CAMRA's National Cider & Perry Month and for the first time a Highland & Islands Pub is celebrating by hosting a cider event. On Saturday 15^th October at 3:00pm, The Anderson in Fortrose will host a blind tasting of ciders made from apples grown by Ryefield Farms of Tore. This will be the first time Ryefield's ciders will have been tasted side-by-side.     More Info 1^stAugust 2005 - Morefield Motel Beer Festival A first beer festival is to be held at the Morefield Motel in Ullapool.  Dates are 21^st- 23^rdOctober. Branch Diary Contact mail@www.ullapoolbeerfestival.co.uk for more information. 8th July 2005 - Date Change Please note date of next Committee Meeting is changed to 9th August.     Branch Diary 8th July 2005 - Northern (Scottish) Area Pub-of-the-Year. Congratulations to Benleva Hotel on winning the Northern (Scottish) Area Pub-of-the-Year. Scores -  Benleva Hotel - 194; Ericht Ale House - 176; Redgarth - 169 Other Scottish Areas - Central: Halfway House - 301; Bon Accord - 284; Commercial Inn - 281; Four Mary's - 273 West & NI: White Horse - 284; Steam Packet - 274; Masonic Arms - 271; Coanes - 246. The overall Scottish regional winner will be known announced in late August or early September 24th June 2005 - A New Start for Blackfriars.. Beverley and Graham Alexander took over the Blackfriars on Monday, 20^th June.  Beverley (Bev) is obviously very enthusiastic about taking on this once thriving Inverness hostelry, and plans to return Blackfriars to the very top of the town centre real ale scene.  For now the number of handpumps on the bar has been reduced from nine to five, but Bev explained that their first priority is to concentrate on the quality of real ale being served.  Once turnover builds up they will add more handpumps as demand merits.  We are assured that all five handpumps will always be in service.  Five handpumps serving five real ales has to be better than the nine handpumps serving only four ales when your correspondent last visited!  Reassuringly, Bev also noted that they will stock beers from local Highlands & Islands breweries.  Isle of Skye Cuillin Beast was on sale when I visited “because customers had been asking for it”.  Music nights will be a regular feature and alterations have already been made to the lighting to enhance the atmosphere for these events.  There are plans for a beer festival later in the year. So if you are in Inverness, make a point of paying a visit to Blackfriars.  Help the new hosts to put this once famous real ale pub back on the real ale map. 13th May 2005 - Duck at Conon Bridge Now open, the Duck at Conon Bridge.  Four real ales on tap, including their Conon Goldeneye house ale from the Cairngorm brewery.  Open all day, food served all day, and with a no smoking area.  A large selection of bottled ales from around the world. 25^th April 2005 – Duck at Conon Bridge Opening soon, the Duck at Conon Bridge. George MacLean, licensee at the award-winning Clachnaharry Inn, has taken over the former Drouthy Duck pub. George hopes to create the same homely open fire atmosphere that customers are used to at the Clachnaharry Inn, providing Good Pub Food at reasonable prices coupled with his winning formula of Real Ales.