Since attending the recent local branch meeting (and beer tasting), I've decided to get a bit more involved in CAMRA. I had volunteered to help out at the East Anglian Beer Festival last tear, but of course it got cancelled. But I should get involved in this year's, which has been moved to the end of August. Meanwhile, I saw in the West Suffolk CAMRA spring newsletter, that volunteers were being sought to take up some vacant Brewery Liaison Office positions. It should require only a couple of hours a month and will give a chance to get to know a brewer and their brewery. Interesting - so I volunteered and was appointed BLO for Cabin Brewery in Bildeston.
I had a chat with the owner and brewer Chris Smith over the phone earlier in the week and arranged to visit him and his brewery this evening. Dawn acted as chauffeur so I could sample a couple of the beers.
It is indeed a cabin... in Chris' back garden. This is the current Cabin Brewery Range...
I was given a tour of the store room...
..and brew room...
We had a great chat about the history of the brewery, his equipment and brewing process and beers (and I got all the information I needed to do my first brewery report soon).
Last year Chris got a retail licence so he is now able to sell direct to consumers, not just via the several pubs in the area that stock his beers. (See here if you're local to Bildeston and would like to buy some).
At the end I asked if I could buy some and came away with a pouch of the Mary Celeste...
....which we had with our pork noodle stir-fry. And yes, Dawn does like it!
Thank-you Chris!
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