TheNoiseThatWeMade

What do Mott the Hoople & Oliver’s Cider Farm share in common? It’s a slim connection but they’re both from Hereford. If you delve deeper you’ll also find Tom Oliver’s done his share of band tour management and as it turns out Mott was Robin from Stourbridge Camra’s first gig (where Queen supported!).  Cider’s just got all rock’n’roll.  It was a cold April Bank Holiday Saturday sat round Oliver’s table in his cider tasting room in Ocle Pychard but after our first sample of Vintage 2010 Real Herefordshire Dry Cider a lovely warm apple infused feeling started to dawn. Sixteen like-minded West Midlands Camra members enduring the weather; all looking to find out more about cider and perry. Tom Oliver talked in depth about his craft and we sampled a wide range of ciders and perries from Shezam to Moorcroft Perry to Red Pear Cocktail Perry to my favourite of the day Posh Scrumpy. Everyone agreed the variety on offer from the ciders and perries was so much more ...

 As I walked upstairs to raucous laughter my heart sank and nerves kicked in as I was entering a room full of comedians already in action. You just knew, as you bumbled through to find seats you’d be like sitting ducks ready for their gag target practice. But after a sip of my first cider of the day a Rich’s Farmhouse Cider at 6 per cent it quelled the nerves and steadied the feet, only to find out that the last remaining seats were right at the front!  Cider has been produced by the Rich’s family business for over 50 years down in Highbridge, Somerset and it was a welcome surprise to find The Red Lion (on Warstone Lane, JQ) had added it to the selection of twenty ciders and perries on offer as part of their well planned tie in with Birmingham’s week long Comedy Festival (7 th -15 th Oct).  Right, one down, nineteen to go! Luckily there were five of us doing the tasting duties and with seven comedians on the bill that worked out, as roughly, well, I don’...

In Birmingham over the last few years, cider, and I naturally include perry in here, has been a more visible offering at you local pub, but usually in bottles and usually about three brands to choose from (with only one on draught and normally only the sparkling variety)!  Now I put it to you  - if you were to walk into a pub nowadays and be offered one beer on draught you wouldn’t be staying in the pub for more than a quick drink! So why settle with this offering for cider and perry? Apples are a native fruit to Britain, their use as a food and drink source indigenous to our population.  With the hundreds of varieties out there growing in orchards up, down and across the country, who wouldn’t want to sample the cider made? Even Yorkshire makers (Udders, local Camra Yorkshire branch award winner) and the Holme Valley’s Pure North are picking, panking and maturing the good juice. In 1230 the first listing of cider presses as a source of income appears in...

***Proudly announcing launch of the next Project Venus brew at the festival*** Entertainment Thursday Throughout Day :- Beer Tasting Sessions: details, timings & bookings tbc. Presented by Jane Peyton, Principal of the School of Booze 8.30pm :– The Trevor Burton Band Friday Birmingham Beer Festival pays tribute to Black Sabbath & Ozzy Osbourne: Fancy dress competition (prize for best Ozzy outfit, more details tbc) Afternoon :- Suzi & The Backbeats Early Evening - The Dirty Old Folkers 9.00pm :- No Rest for the Wicked (Black Sabbath/Ozzy tribute) Saturday 2.00pm :- Phoenix Salvation 6.30pm :- The Damnbusters 8.30pm :- Andy Bennett & Dan Sealey (Ocean Colour Scene) Sound on Fri & Sat provided by Cannock Sound Hire

Vanilla Stout first attempt homebrew                            *you can get great results using a kit and then adding your own flavours in the secondary bottle ferment.     Used real vanilla pods. Bert's R.I.P.A. - All done from scratch. Officially more of a golden ale than an IPA. Added ginger to last 15mins of boil. Dedicated to memory of Bert Jansch.

If you can try this tastiest stoutest stout go out and find it...after hearing Tim O'Rouke and Steve Wellington talking about shipping casks of Imperial Stout over to Russia a few weeks ago...I can't stop sampling the good stout out there. This one is my favourite so far.. http://brooklynbrewery.com/brooklyn-beers/seasonal-brews/brooklyn-black-chocolate-stout

Wearethegoodlife.com   Ricky Powell celebrated his 50th birthday....... Celebrations, produced by   TheGoodLife! Free download of Powell's new mixtape The Funky Uncle's Park Bench Mixtape on above link....

http://www.comicafestival.com/  wow this weekend! Below you will find the complete timetable for the 2012 Drawing Parade -  come along and enjoy the spectacle. We’ll have a seating area for you to sit in and relax and gaze in wonder at the fascinating artistry being created before your very eyes. And yes, the whole day is completely free, so come one, come all! 11.00-11.30: Posy Simmonds ( Tamara Drewe, Gemma Bovery, Nelson ) 11.30-12.00: Luke Pearson ( Hildafolk, Everything We Miss ) 12.00-12.30: JAKe ( Hellraisers, Mighty Book of Boosh, Nelson ) 12.30-13.00: Warren Pleece ( Incognegro, Life Sucks, The Great Unwashed, Nelson ) 13.00-13.30: Sarah McIntyre ( Vern & Lettuce, Morris the Mankiest Monster ) 13.30-14.00: Frederik Peeters ( Sandcastle, Blue Pills ) 14.00-14.30: Sally Kindberg ( The Comic Strip Big Fat Book of Knowledge ) 14.30-15.00: James Jarvis ( De Profundis, Vortigern’s Machine ) 15.00-15.30: Karrie Fransman ( The House That Gr...

The Stool Pigeon is presenting an exhibition  of comic art at Orbital Comics, London, from August 19 to September 18. Featuring full-page strips,cartoons and visual gags from throughout  it's six-year history alongside original artwork, line drawings and sketches. The launch of the exhibition, from 7.30pm on Friday August 19,  is an open invitation to all Stool Pigeon readers, Orbital shoppers and comics fans.  They’ll be live music from Babak Ganjei, free drinks, signings with the artists and DJ sets from No Pain In Pop, The Stool Pigeon and Krent Able.   Charlie Parker comic    

Brum XI Beer Fest Brum Beer Fest FB Thurs Oct 27th - 29th The festival will be open between 11am and 11pm. CAMRA Members get £2 back in tokens to spend at the festival. Refundable souvenir glasses are £2.50

Great British Beer Festival 2011 Can't wait for this weekend! Breweries & bars Bières Sans Frontières Entertainment Food & Drink Stalls check out the online programme and decide what you're going to try: http://www.camra.org.uk/WBBEERflippables/gbbfprogramme2011/index.html

Here is a flyer for the next rafters gig at the band on the wall please fell free to distribute it to all and sundry with the promise of  a good night out and sore feets afterwards!

http://kevbeadle.podomatic.com/ Kev Beadle's Podcast Check the upfront niceness this week..... Kev Beadle Solar Radio Show 14/06/11 Send to Friends | Leave a Comment | Download | Permalink June 15, 2011 07:00 AM PDT bugge wesseltoft & henrik schwarz duo – where is the edge (universal) submotion orchestra – pop and lock (exceptional) thundercat – daylight (brainfeeder) the electric – so now you know - tbg remix (electric sound company) teresa jenee – the storm (bandcamp) fatima – mind (eglo) I ced – all in my mind (recordbreakin) question – look to the sky (bandcamp) jesse futerman – a tribute to horace (jus’like music) hypnotic brass ensemble – pluto (hbe) hackney colliery band – no diggity (wah wah) mary mary – walking – ezel remix (cdr) zed bias ft toddla t & mdcl – koolade (tru thoughts) shokazula – part 4 (2000 black) likwid continual space motion ope-ra – space is the place (kindred spirits) cassandra wils...

CHECK LINK FOR SECRET OUTDOOR CINEMA CLUB: Horror Film

- Obey - Women's jewellery range worth a gander with Snakes, anchors, saber skulls, songbirds and all! click here: OBEY                                                                     Keep just keep bringin' it! on the wishlist x The Ramon Sneaker in Navajo http://www.karmaloop.com/brands/Keep   Luxirie cardigan goodness.... WeSC's Ringa Wovendress in Lollipop Red not bad either!

From an overwhelming choice of small pack! Didn't really get to try as much as I would have liked but a couple of standouts: Knappstein Reserve Lager 5.6% citrus, lovely tropical aromas (using sauvin hops) - an Australian winery making beer from their microbrewery set up in 2006 http://www.knappsteinwines.com.au/     Palm Royale 7.5% a beautifully smooth ale-type beer. Re-fermented in the bottle which apparently gives a pleasant dry after taste, I'd definately agree with this. Mild sweetness in flavour. http://www.palm.be/en/collection.php From the range of Casks available to sample:  I tried Robinson's Old Tom (small pack pictured not cask) from the cask and absolutely loved this dark strong ale full bodied kick. http://www.frederic-robinson.co.uk/beers/oldtom.html    Thornbridge Brewery's Jaipur is an award winner for a reason. An IPA at 5.9% containing all the elements you want (citrus, honey, smooth) with that adde...

http://www.birminghamcamra.org.uk/ After the quality Birmingham Beer Festival -  Thursday 28th October until Saturday 30th at The Second City Suite, 100 Sherlock Street in the City Centre - get down to the local meetings! Just a few to look out for - The LocAle bar - WARWICKSHIRE Howling Wolf Moustache Beer 4.4% Vegan - SPECTRUM Old Stoatwobbler MARSTONS EPA [Fast Cask] - using Marston’s Breweries Fast Cask technology, which could revolutionise the industry and removes the need for finings all together. SALTAIRE BREWERY- Cherry Kriek  BLUE MONKEY -BG Sips NOOK- Cheery Stout 4.6% WHEAL MAIDEN -Weapons Grade Ginger