2012-02-05T10:20:24Z Colonsay Island Micro Brewery Copyright 2012, Colonsay Island Micro Brewery SPHPBLOG
Acting on intelligence received we spome to Barry at the Cloisters Bar and sold him Colonsay IPA in cask, being casked up today for delivery on Saturday.
Talk about a brewery on a roll. The sales director (new proper name) will be looking for a,pay rise. Or even pay!
We'll let you know how we get on. However the Cloisters seems to us to be the perfect balance between a student bar, a tourist bar and a beer lovers bar. What would you call it? Oh yes. A proper pub.]]> http://www.colonsaybrewery.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry111027-154403 2011-10-27T00:00:00Z 2011-10-27T00:00:00Z
So the skiver was dispatched to Belhaven to find the cask. Some chance. We expected to be met with indifference at best, distain more likely.

How wrong can a brewer be? When he turns up looking for one cask amongst possibly 50,000 kegs and casks, the folk at Belhaven could not have been better.

The first to be asked jumped from his seat in a warm dry office and poked about the rain soaked yard and the casks and kegs for the best part of 20 minutes -- and there tucked away out of sight was our cask.

It may be a nuisance to them but its £50 to us---- so thanks guys.
]]> http://www.colonsaybrewery.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry111025-135158 2011-10-25T00:00:00Z 2011-10-25T00:00:00Z
They reckon that Porter is a bit of a niche product, which we agree with, best suited to a bar, probably in Edinburgh, with a reputation ofr said beer style.

However they liked the product, liked the brewery and have bought a keg of Colonsay Lager to try. Now on sale at the Nether Abby.

It should work well there -- they have an excellent restaurant and our low gas high taste lager is great with food - isn't it.]]> http://www.colonsaybrewery.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry111021-134749 2011-10-21T00:00:00Z 2011-10-21T00:00:00Z They're currently opening up some wine/whisky and beer shops called Drinkmonger.
We dropped off samples at one the other day -- they are really smart and have an interesting range of wine displayed by variety.
Skiver claims it was a tough job getting the beer in then requiring multiple meetings and his selling skills tested to the fore.
Almost believed him until discovering the top man is the son of Mike the Colonsay Shop - so perhaps not such a hard sell after all.
]]> http://www.colonsaybrewery.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry111017-161106 2011-10-17T00:00:00Z 2011-10-17T00:00:00Z Then an email pings in from the pier - Ferry cancelled - adverse weather.
So now it will be saturday. Two days lost. That's islands for you.]]> http://www.colonsaybrewery.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry111005-210219 2011-10-05T00:00:00Z 2011-10-05T00:00:00Z However his newly published book seems to reveal all.

Pa Broon was here.

Indeed not only was the patriarch of Glebe Street in our shop he bought IPA and wrote extensively, and in a most complimentary fashion, in his new guide to Scotland.

Ta Pa]]> http://www.colonsaybrewery.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry110930-213849 2011-09-30T00:00:00Z 2011-09-30T00:00:00Z A cask of the brand new Colonsay Porter was en-route to a beer festival in Englandshire that got cancelled -- so, we challenged him, sell it to a pub.
Not only, within 24 hours, was the deal done but the pub in question is one of the very best - the Nether Abby in North Berwick, East Lothian, haunt of the yuppie classes of that county and a favourite with visiting golfers.
They hope to get it on over the weekend - so pop into the Nethers and have a pint of Colonsay Porter. Better still have four.
]]> http://www.colonsaybrewery.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry110928-175832 2011-09-28T00:00:00Z 2011-09-28T00:00:00Z It had an article, September edition, on the delight's of Islay and Mull and a hand drawn map of those two islands included an outline of our our dear landmass.
The Colonsay Map made reference to only two features, the 18th A listed Colonsay House, famed the world over for is magnificent gardens, and the 2007 addition - our brewery. The odd thing was that nowhere in the text, that we could find, is there reference to the finest brewery in the Hebrides.
Talking of such --- we got a great write up following a visit from one of Scotland's most famous sons - more on that tomorrow.
]]> http://www.colonsaybrewery.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry110928-091023 2011-09-28T00:00:00Z 2011-09-28T00:00:00Z
Considering the idea was to buy a plant that could be run successfully at half capacity we kind of underestimated the potential of this place.

So a massive shiny new fermenter, double the size of the existing ones, has gone online and is full already.

We are also working on the first change to our labels, we think its fairly major but most regular consumers will not notice, we bet.

The appeal of the beer to the folk yet to learn of its fantastic flavours is, one supposes, the quirky labelling and the highlighting of our Hebridean provenance.

Beauty in a Bottle has been our slogan all along -- and its staying. However we are adding, we think, the line Colonsay - the smallest island in the world with its own brewery.

We think that's rather appealing - a usp as they say in sales conferences.
]]> http://www.colonsaybrewery.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry110927-150305 2011-09-27T00:00:00Z 2011-09-27T00:00:00Z
The buzz that radiates round the whole island creates a palpable sense of excitement and anticipation as this years acts walk (roll) off the ferry and race to the hall to begin a 48 hours frenzy of top class folk.

Chris the brewer has long talked of creating a Colonsay Porter, a fourth strand to our brand portfolio. He reckoned the festival was the time and place to do it. So in conjunction with our brewing guru George Thomson (remember him) a recipe was devised and the brewing done.

Its always an anxious wait until the day dawns that the brew is thought to be ready for sampling -- but that day dawned a few before the festival and verily the Porter was tasted and found to be good.

Or so we thought.

To be honest the brewery team is not the most dispassionate of observers -- I bet we could talk ourselves into believing the tank cleaning solution is fantastic -- the public had to be consulted.

A second piece of brewery history was made in the process when we decided to cask the porter rather than keg it and serve it via a hand pump.

The general view come the festival - brilliant. A second keg has gone to a mainland bar for more tasting but we reckon it’s going to be a permanent addition to the range.
]]> http://www.colonsaybrewery.co.uk/blog/index.php?entry=entry110920-145250 2011-09-20T00:00:00Z 2011-09-20T00:00:00Z