A couple of things caught my eye from the right hand side of the page while reading ukfdra via google groups, so I thought I'd pass them on. cheers, MikeMcG
From ThePublican.com (long URL)
Manchester brewer Hydes has tasked the city's catering students with creating new ideas for pub grub made with beer.
Hydes has teamed up with City College Manchester to develop new dishes using its flagship beer brands, Jekyll's Gold and Manchester's Finest.
Students from catering courses at the college have developed recipes using one or both of the ales, along with beef or lamb to create the perfect new pub grub. The best five have been chosen by Hydes to compete in a cook-off.
The champion dish will be added to the Hydes pub menus for the next three months, with the winning student invited into their local Hydes pub to sample their dish with their family.
Hydes marketing director David Safiruddin said: "The Brewery has an ongoing relationship with the college and wanted to give the students a real commercial challenge.
"It is essential to make links with the future lifeblood of our industry - we believe that working with the college in this way we are involving trainees from the first possible opportunity."
He added: "We really wanted to try something different that really brought out the taste of our flagship brands. The quality of the entrants has been fantastic - I can't wait to sample the winning dish." Quantum Business Media ___________________________________________________________ from Liverpool Echo, via following long v. URL
The Stanhope Street brewery has been developing the new lager for six months.
Joint owners Ajmail and Sudarghara Dusanj have clinched a first in their deal to use Maris Otter barley malt from Norfolk - widely held as the best quality produce in the world - for the brew.
They are the first brewer to use Maris Otter in a lager and the brothers anticipate a winning formula: "This is the most exciting beer that's come out of the brewery for years," said Sudarghara.
"It's brewed using the finest possible ingredients and matured for three months, giving it a distinctive, full-bodied flavour.
"It's the first-ever premium British lager that is cask conditioned. This means that it is hand-pulled at the bar, has a creamy texture and is smooth and full-flavoured.
"We're confident that beer fans at the festival will love the lager, which we hope will secure listings with pub groups across the UK," said Sudarghara who is so passionate about Cains beer that he has undergone training as a brewer.
Pat Williamson, of the Campaign for Real Ale's Liverpool branch, said: "Cains have done a great job of coming up with exciting beers. They've won awards thanks to their focus on using only the highest quality ingredients.
"CAMRA is excited that Cains are using Maris Otter barley malt in their new lager. It's a great addition to the range of cask beers that will be available throughout the festival."
The Liverpool Beer festival takes place at the Metropolitan Cathedral Crypt, Brownlow Hill, from Wednesday to Saturday. _____________________________________________________________