We have recently started supplying Dobbies Garden Centres and they are sending it all over. We actually thought it was just for the Scottish outlets --- but no its everywhere -- so if you are an off island fan of Colonsay beer and missing your holiday pint -- pop into Dobbies. Two pints of lager and a packet of seed please.
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You would think that at this time of year all would be quiet at the Colonsay Brewery - nothing could be further from the truth and we are brewing at the moment more than we have ever done before.
Why?
Because at a recent board meeting we had a bright idea. Why not bottle the beer that sold on the mainland - on the mainland, and save two ferry crossings for the bottles. Brilliant - shame it took us nearly four years to work that one out.
So our first consignment of beer is about to go to our contract bottlers - Williams Bros at Alloa - for bottling. They deal with 20 barrels at a time hence the frenzied brewing going on.
Bottles for the island will contiunue to be filled on the island along with kegs etc.
Its great to get our good idea for the year out of the way before the end of January -- now we can relax.
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We have not been in the habbit of entering competitions. Not that we don't have faith in our product - not that we don't care what folk think - its just we don't think we're a competition type of brewery.
So it was rather randomly that we entered the Scottish Championships being run by SIBA - the trade body for independent brewers - and by chance our beer was judged.
The day we sent the beer off the ferry was cancelled by bad weather and so we missed the deadline for entries. But it was also the day that Scotland ground to a halt, lots of beer was held up and the deadline was extended.
So it was that at blind tasting by a panel of experts Colonsay IPA won its category.
Full reselts can be found here:
http://www.siba.co.uk/events/?page_id=775
So now do we get into competition mode or go back to sleep - only time will tell.
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Now that stocks are back in shape in time for the Christmas rush all was well, we thought, to see beer going out, money coming in and all at the brewery having a happy and prosperous festive time.
Then the snow struck., Not here of course. We've had none - and today has just been unbroken sunshine.
However the beer has got caught up in our ramshackle distribution network. The west coast outlets have been supplied - we have stock in Glasgow waiting for someone to be brave enough to tackle the M8 and relive the Colonsay drought in Edinburgh and East Lothian -- anyone got a number for Wells Fargo?
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We have targeted our next potential market, our first overseas - Australia.
To prepare for this a new range of bottles is being made ready and here is a sneak preview:
Actually we can't work the new labelling machine - but it's good to dream
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