Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

The Evan-Evans Group is moving into the London cask ale market with the launch today of the Porter Street Brewing Company. Porter Street brewery will be a London-based group company, specialising in brewing high quality craft beers for the specialist London market. The London cask ale markets is still growing, and is an ideal market for an experienced brewer like Evan-Evans to take its market share. Evan-Evans Group Chief Executive Simon Buckley said: "We have been planning the launch of a new London brewery for the last six months and today we launch this unique brewing company, with the very first tastings of these new beers. "Porter Street Brewery beers will, ultimately, be brewed in Essex, at a new brewing site and will brew three core brands and a group of unique seasonal beers designed exclusively for the London market. "I have worked with my brewing team and our technical advisors to create beers that echo the famous past of London brewing. We are ...

The 2014 winners of the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) Beer Academy Beer Sommelier of the Year awards were announced at the BII’s prestigious Annual Lunch held at the Grosvenor House Park Lane. The winning sommelier for the UK is Jane Peyton, who is a beer writer and drinks event organiser. Jane will be invited to present the beers at the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group’s Annual Dinner held in Westminster on July 9. The judges also awarded a second prize for the first time this year for International BII Beer Academy Beer Sommelier of the Year to Hans Tryggvason. Hans, an Icelander, works in the gastropub, Håndverkerstuene, in Oslo. Applicants were whittled down to a shortlist of eight, from which four contenders were selected for a rigorous interview with the judging panel. They were asked to suggest beer matches for the three course BII Annual Lunch menu, conduct a tutored tasting of a bottled craft beer and demonstrate how to present a beer in perfect condition in...

Further technical problems have been encountered at Llanelli Leisure Centre leading to longer delays in reopening the pool. It had been hoped that the pool, which has been closed since major damage occurred during the storms earlier this year, would be reopened before the end of the summer holidays. However, significant changes are now having to be made to the planned works after a higher level of asbestos was found to that originally expected. Although asbestos in older buildings is perfectly normal and left undisturbed pose no problems, the way it has to be dealt with within a construction environment is different to the usual method of work. Therefore, the planned timetable and method of working has had to be altered to accommodate the changes. This has resulted in the contractor having to design additional structural scaffolding and to submit a revised construction phase plan. The work was originally estimated to cost around £300,000, however it is now expected to be higher, but...

This week, beer lovers from around the UK will be spoilt for choice at the 'W-Ales Beer Festival' being held at the Millennium Stadium Cardiff from Thursday to Saturday, June 5-7 . International award-winning brewer Evan-Evans is to launch five new beers at the festival and will be unveiling a new beer brand called Porter Street London Brewery. Evan-Evans is now one of the UK’s leading specialist brewers, brewing a range of cask-conditioned ales that are widely recognised throughout the UK. The company enjoys UK-wide distribution through companies such as Carlsberg, JD Weatherspoon’s, and Mitchells and Butlers. Evan-Evans Group Chief Executive Simon Buckley said: "We will be launching five new beers from our extensive brand portfolio at the festival, including two from our new London Brewery which launches in June. "Beer lovers will be able to enjoy for the first time, Archers Summer Solstice, Artisan Craft Beers, Amarillo and Tank 3, as well as the new Porter S...

The latest 'On Song' column (about the choral scene in and around Llanelli) from the Llanelli Star - Award-winning choristers from Germany are eagerly looking forward to their debut performance at Ffwrnes theatre in Llanelli on Saturday night (June 7). The German choir Singverein 1870 Laudenbach will be joining Côr Meibion Llanelli for a special joint concert. Choir spokesman Gerhard Marsching said the German choristers were looking forward to their trip to Llanelli, with the singers combining the concert trip with a tour of Wales and Cornwall. He added: “The two choirs are old friends and we are looking forward to renewing old friendships and making new friends with concertgoers who will be hearing us for the first time.” Three sections of the Laudenbach choir will be featured in the concert – male, female and junior choirs. The choir will be under the baton of Otto Lamade. The choir's repertoire consists largely of German songs, drawn from classical choral pieces,...

The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post -  Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy. Cyber-bullies, playground bullies, workplace bullies, gay-bashing bullies, celebrity bullies . . . It appears there’s more ‘bullish’ behaviour in society today than in many pedigree herds of cattle. During our lifetimes, we’ll inevitably encounter physical or psychological bullying. Bosses bully staff. Big fellahs bully small fellahs. Ambitious workmates (male and female) bully people they see as rivals for promotion. Politicians and other people in high office bully us through baffling legislation, laws, rules and punitive taxes. So what can we do about it? Well, most people do nothing - for one simple reason; the fear of reprisals. Those reprisals can take many forms - whether it’s from the swaggering, fat-bellied, loudmouthed individual in a vest who shows off his tattoos or from a large organisation that tries to...

Nursery favourite Elmer the colourful patchwork Elephant is 25 years old, and to celebrate, Llanelli Library asked everyone to come and take part in a story session and parade. People were invited to wear their brightest Elmer the Elephant colours, and bring their own elephant toys. Other activities included creating a giant Elmer the Elephant and mask-making. Children's and Young People's Librarian, Lesley Cresswell, said:"These events are really popular with the children. “They show that libraries are not only about books, but are also fun places to visit, and hopefully our young visitors will be encouraged to visit more often and to read more.” Carmarthenshire’s libraries are already successfully involved with local communities offering more than just books, including homework clubs, free internet access and iPad training. The latest addition to their online resources are the first theory test pro and GoCitizen.co.uk. Carmarthenshire’s Executive Board Member for lib...