Summer Lightning
Last summer we sold oodles of Hop Back Summer Lightning - the golden ale from Salisbury - here at The Gunmakers. It's returned to the bar for the rest of this season. It's a brilliant beer and you really should come down here today and start caning it. It's the brew that made Hop Back's name, and it still accounts for the bulk of their output. The brewery's celebrating the ale's 21st year in production, and have sent some point of sale gubbins our way. We've got the glassware, the beer towels and the bar mats. I love all that shit.
Also included in the box of tricks that arrived yesterday were a couple of t-shirts. Cask ale brewers seem to love giving out branded clothing, but why do they insist on supplying it in fat bastard sizes only? I didn't even know there was a size called "2XL", but apparently that's what we should be aspiring to. If you think you can fill out one of these tents, please come and collect your prize (the t-shirt, not the drastically reduced life expectancy).
Kudos to my pal Wee Rossie, who took the photograph outside The Gunmakers last September. Those were two of the last pints of Summer Lightning we served here in 2008.
22 comments:
You should have a competition for the T- shirts . Have to answer the question who makes the best copy of Summer lightning? or rebadge it as Grease's Summer Loving , get all the scoopers in and then let em know they've been conned with the made to measure T- Shirt.
Ps When I worked for a Brewery as Free Trade Rep, I used to hate the landlords who followed me out to the car and wanted to see what P.O.S stuff I had in the Boot.You don't do that do you?
Good beer, but certainly not from Salisbury. It's outside Farnham, in Surrey, or is the countryside all one to city dwellers :) They do fantastic brewery tours, with generous sampling.
No, Coxy, I don't. I'm not afraid to ask for stuff but I don't chase brewery reps down the street!
I tend to get on well with the reps because unlike most publicans I don't spend my time complaining about how hard a life this is (I'll let you into a secret: it isn't).
Winston, you're confusing Hop Back
with Hog's Back Brewery.
Hog's Back is the one in Surrey. Hop Back is in Downton, Salisbury.
PS. I see from your blogger profile you had a proper education, and probably got to shag some deer on the meadows in the process. Good man.
2Xl isnt big. 5Xl is big. i even own the odd 7XL for that baggy look.
Ive seen places selling 10Xl now that is scary.
Now I do look like an idiot, despite the education! Too early in the morning. Hog's Back do great brewery tours and a nice early summer ale, and now I'll have to investigate Hop Back too.
Don't worry, Winston, this isn't some kind of tickers' blog. You don't get points for knowing the location of ale breweries!
What else do you have on at the moment?
The landlord of my local got some SL & Crop Circle delivered last week and was pleasantly surprised that the glasses,towels,beers mats etc came gratis and without being asked for.
Tim, today's ales are Landlord, Harvey's, Summer Lightning and Mordue Workie Ticket.
Workie Ticket is a nice pint!
Cool, I will be in with my boss after work. If my missus comes I might stay for dinner
Actually the Hop Back Brewery first started as a micro-brewery in the Wyndham Arms in Salisbury before moving to an industrial estate in nearby Downton.
Brewer John Gilbert's first brew was called GFB ( Gilbert First Brew ) and is still the session beer of the Brewery.
It's a fantastic beer and I've drunk thousands of pints of it.
Summer Lightning is also one of a great golden beers of Britain.
I'd love the fat bastard size T-shirt but won't be in London until the GBBF Tuesday session and I hope to break my Gunmaker's virginity for a Wednesday lunchtime recovery session.
Christ, all that has made me long for any decent pint of ale here in the stout/lager stranglehold that isIreland.
John O' already claimed one of the Hop Back t-shirts so there's only one going. First (fat bastard) come, first (fat bastard) served.
Jeff, will you have Summer Lightning on when my guest arrives?
I've got a wicked summer brew in the likes of Summer lightning that's going on the engine Saturday. 50/50 English Pale and Belgian Pilsner Malt. Hopped gloriously with Amarillo and Magnum. I'll do a video as I pull it through the engine. I get some fobbing because the dip tube in the corny should be bigger diameter. It's not really a problem though. I just pull through the head. It's ok to drink the slops, as they're only minutes old and the drip tray is sanitary.
CEO APRK,
First post here for me. Referenced to this blog from the morebeer forums. I am a long time homebrewer. Our local homebrew club has a beer engine that we run on corny kegs sometimes. We take out the pressure relief valve in the top of the keg and then run a series of pvc attachments to make a double sided barbed fitting with the corny keg lid sandwhiched in the middle. This allows you to run the proper tubing diameter for the pump. We use semi-ridged food grade tubing run to the bottom of the corny keg. You can run the keg up right by removing the gas in poppet valve, or just attaching a gas in quick connect to vent the beer. Our club usually uses the beer engine for parties and meetings when we plan to drain the entire 5 gallons in one sitting. If you want to be less real about your ale you could also hook up gas to the corny at 1-2 psi...sorry if that is not too authentic.
Jeffery,
I am looking forward to stopping by your establishment this upcomming December as we will be traveling to your island for Xmas and New Years. My wife is British (Welsh) and she has a cousin who lives and works in London. I'll see if I can pack a few bottles of my homebrew in the baggage for you!
I was thinking about drilling another hole in the lid, and buying some stainless steel tubing and flaring it. Weld a barb fitting on top and let it rip. My fathers a retired prototype machinist, so he would probably assist.
What city is your club in?
I am in Lincoln, Ne. Here is a linky to our club's website.
http://www.lincolnlagers.com/
Sounds like you could put together a sweet set up using your Father's experience. Best of luck.
Have just found Summer Lightning in my specialty beer shop. As the weather is struggling to reach double figures overnight down here and the daily maximum is about 15 degrees Celcius - can I drink it and enjy it mow?Should I wait for warmwer weather to fully appreciate it?
Cheers
Prof. Pilsner
Summer Lightning's brewed all year. No reason not to drink it in winter if you want to! I think the bottled version of Summer Lightning is pretty good, by the way. Obviously the cask is far better.
Those who have contributed to this chat will be pleased to hear the firkin of Summer Lightning that went on yesterday was inhaled by closing time. A fresh one's being tapped so that'll be ready for today. We're still rocking the Mordue too. Mais oui, Rodney.
Turns out I was the first fat bastard.
You've got to work on your numbers Jeffrey. 1 FB in 5 days?
Looking those glasses filled with beer has really diverted my mind from my place towards pub.
SB
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