All Mix Blog

An enjoyably positive story to kick off December here . The Highgate Brewery in Walsall has been saved (for the time being) and is hoping to benefit from customers drinking at home over the Christmas period after a surge in demand for its five litre festive cask ales. The wonderfully named Joanne Toon, spokeswoman for Highgate, told the Birmingham Post, ' It is keeping us afloat after a traumatic time, but we are determined to be able to supply everyone.' A quick online search for a retailer selling the festive ale proved fruitless. However, there's some nice merchandise available here on the Friends of Highgate Brewery site. Photo from Express & Star

This fine pub is looking likely to be taken over, or worse demolished. As the Save the Wenlock Facebook group says: 'The Wenlock Arms is a thriving pub and an institution. Whilst those involved in its sale and threatened closure may have perfectly respectable reasons for doing so, were this house to close a large community will lose an amenity and some their jobs.' Picture from Matthew Ogle on the Save the Wenlock Flickr

M&I spent Friday evening drinking many fine ales from across the capital. There's plenty to say about our experience but right now the words are being quelled by the locally brewed hangover. For more pictures please click here

Meanwhile, in the Midlands, Kammac, the only manufacturer of giant 100 litre casks is reporting brisk business. Due to small real ale breweries popping up all over the land, demand is the highest it has been for some time. Speaking on the local BBC news , (what M&I presume is) a spokesman for Kammac said, 'any publican who is not selling a local real ale could be missing out on a real business winner here.' According to the BBC report almost 2,500 British pubs closed last year, at the rate of 39 a week. However, brewers are reporting positive results: a 17% increase in turnover last year and a 4% increase in production during the recession. Can the UK's real ale boom mirror the craft beer revolution in the US? We sincerely hope so.