If you’ve ever fancied naming a beer, now’s your chance! The Vale Brewery Company has teamed up with the organisers of this year’s Thame Food Festival to offer one lucky beer lover the chance to come up with a name for a new cask ale being brewed for the autumn and then pour the very first pint.
The award-winning Brill brewery is launching the new beer in conjunction with The Thame Food Festival, to get more people drinking and enjoying cask ales. As well as being Vale’s special beer for the month of September, the beer will also be on tap at many local pubs across the region and available to drink at the food festival itself.
“We’ve been brewing here in Brill since 2011 and before that we were in Haddenham, so we’ve seen first-hand how local people’s thirst for locally brewed cask ales has grown over the years,” says brewery general manager Ian Mackey. “That’s really encouraging, as is seeing our brewery gain a national reputation for the award-winning beers we make – we’ve got several Brewers Association and CAMRA trophies proudly on display at the brewery already.
“Every month we produce a beer of the month with its own unique style and name, beers which go down well in the local pubs we supply and at events like the Thame Food Festival, where we’ve been warmly received each time we’ve taken part,” he continues.
“There’s still a lot more we can do to entice people off the sofa and into the pub to support great locals and the craft brewers who supply them, so this time we decided to go one better. We’ll be giving people the chance to get involved and help us make a really fantastic local beer which they can enjoy in their local and at the food festival itself. We plan to get it into as many pubs as we can in Haddenham and Thame and the surrounding areas, for as many people as possible to try. So if your name wins, it could literally be everywhere on the local drinking scene – what a coup for a beer fan!”
Ian and his team are already working on ideas for the beer, which is a 4.1% mid-strength seasonal bitter, tawny in colour, with a harvest feel to it. The winning name needs to reflect that and also keep the link to the Thame Food Festival.
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Vale will be unveiling the new beer at its annual open day, which takes place at the brewery on Saturday 7th September, when the lucky winner will get to pour the first pint. So that the recipe can be finalised and the beer brewed in August, Ian needs entries to come in by the end of July – midnight on 31st July 2013 is the closing date.
To be in with a chance of naming the beer, simply go to www.thamefoodfestival.co.uk/name-your-own-beer where you’ll find the entry form; all you have to do is write down what you think the beer should be called, along with your email address and contact telephone number.
Ian and the festival organisers will choose the winning name in early August and all entries will be posted at www.facebook.com/Thamefoodfestival
In calling for entries, Frazer Sutherland of The Thatch and James Figg in Thame says, “This is a brilliant way to celebrate local brewers and beers and you can’t get more local than this – Vale is just seven miles down the road from here. People from the area know and enjoy their beers – names like Wychert Ale, Vale Best Bitter and Grumpling are all well trusted and liked round here, as evidenced by the number of pints we sell.
“It’s not often you get the chance to name a beer either; the closest many of us get is having a park bench named after us. I think it’s a great chance for everyone to get behind a great local product and tradition, so get those creative juices flowing and send in your entries today!”
The Thame Food Festival takes place from 9am to 6pm on Saturday 28th September in the heart of Thame town centre. www.thamefoodfestival.co.uk.
More information on the Vale Brewery Company is on www.valebrewery.co.uk
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Thame Food Festival press contact: Sarah Pracey on 07985 112 777 / sarah@praceypr.com