November has been crazy busy ! I've been traveling a lot with work and it's taken me to the Highlands of Scotland right down to the south of ireland, via middle England.
I was working in Inverness at the start of the month and I managed to take in a few pubs when I was there. check out the reviews of The Castle Tavern, Johnny Foxes, Gunsmiths and Hootananny. The best pub I was in in Inverness has to be Hootananny, I was there with my cousin Eilidh and her fiance Stuart on a Saturday afternoon and the place was packed, with a band playing traditional Scottish music and people dancing. I joined in with the dancing and also enjoyed a few real ales from the Black Isle Brewery. I heartily recommend this bar if you are in town. Check out the pictures below of Hootannany:
I was working in Inverness at the start of the month and I managed to take in a few pubs when I was there. check out the reviews of The Castle Tavern, Johnny Foxes, Gunsmiths and Hootananny. The best pub I was in in Inverness has to be Hootananny, I was there with my cousin Eilidh and her fiance Stuart on a Saturday afternoon and the place was packed, with a band playing traditional Scottish music and people dancing. I joined in with the dancing and also enjoyed a few real ales from the Black Isle Brewery. I heartily recommend this bar if you are in town. Check out the pictures below of Hootannany:
I arrived home from Inverness late on A Sunday night and early on the following morning I was heading to middle England, just south of Bristol to a place called "Shepton Mallet". This is where Gaymers Old English Cider is made, along with a few other ciders. I was working for a company called C & C and went to the cider mill. Shepton is a pleasant little place and we stayed at "The Thatched Cottage". It's a great little hotel and has a well stocked bar and friendly staff
On the 18th of November I was at the Beehive in Edinburgh for the S.I.B.A. bottled beer competition. I was judging in the Porters and golden ales category and in the speciality ales category. I loved being at this event meeting and talking to people with a love for all things beer and brewing. The event was very well run and I tasted about 18 different beers. I met brewers, bloggers, pub managers and well known faces from S.I.B.A. The event took about four hours and the effort that went into judging the beers took me by surprise, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Check out the pictures from the event:

The Beehive Inn - Edinburgh

Walter Dunlop, (TinPot Brewery), and me.

Fiona, the head brewer and owner of "The Loch Lomond Brewery"

Bob Knopps, of the Knopps Beer Company.

Dean, a brewpub manager, and myself out having a few beers after the competition finished.
The Sunday after the S.I.B.A. event I was heading to southern Ireland on another leg of the C & C employee road show. We went to Clonmel to the Magners Cider Mill and bottling plant. It was loud !!! they bottle 60,000 per hour !!! Check out the short video below:
Work is starting to calm down, which means I will soon have enough time to finish my book, "The tartan Pint", which I hope to have ready for Christmas. I hope that you will find this of interest and buy it and read it ! I'm also having some fun designing a few drinking T Shirts which I hope you will like.
Until the next time.................
Until the next time.................