#BigBeeryNight – @BeerOClockShow

We all love doing something “for charridy mate”, not aarf! But of late, never a month seems to go by without beer or alcohol in general getting a bit of a bashing as a tool for doing so.

People are encouraged to abstain from their favourite beverage for a month with events like #Dryathlon, #DryJanuary, #GoSoberForOctober, and “Don’t Go On A Bender In November” (OK, maybe I made the last one up), with a view to being sponsored for doing so to raise money for some excellent charities.

I have no problem with that in principle, and with MacMillan Cancer Support especially in mind as being very close to my heart, clearly wholeheartedly approve. But, this constant use of beer as a fundraising tool, must impact on the industry, especially with smaller businesses. I think is beginning to lose its impact through overuse, which is where this idea came from.

“Rather than stop drinking for charity, why not have a drinking event, where people give to a charity FOR DRINKING!”

With this in mind, I got chatting to Steve over at the Beer O’Clock Show this morning. He liked the idea; and from that spark, fanned by his MASSIVE enthusiasm, it grew and the event was born in a few hours. Steve quickly set up the Just Giving page and has written his own post here.

Clearly out aim is not to go out against MacMillan or anyone else, so with that in mind we decided on a date that coincides with their “Worlds Biggest Coffee Morning” that being Friday 25th September 2015 to host our own way of supporting the cause.

So after you have had your coffee and cake fix, you can sit back and wait to enjoy “Big Beery Night”.

The basic idea is this. You have a drink (or drinks) on Friday evening, and post pictures of your beer, or you AND your beer, using the hashtag #BigBeeryNight. This is then your pledge to then donate the equivalent cost of your beer(s) to our Just Giving page.

We have set a target of just £1000, but with your help we hope to absolutely smash that!

So what can you do to help?

Well, obviously, join in, have a beer or two, post your pictures to twitter, Facebook or whatever. Use the #BigBeeryNight and donate to the page.

Big Beery Night 

https://www.justgiving.com/bigbeerynight

Share the link!

Bloggers and beer writers, write your own posts, share the love, get the message out there that beer drinkers care too, lets smash this target together.

Host a bottle share, with a kitty for beers thrown in.

Untappd badge fines, for some top-level badgewankery.

Anything!

Here’s that date for your diaries again.

Friday 25th September 2015

Big Beery Night – https://www.justgiving.com/bigbeerynight

 

Twissup Macclesfield II – #BackInMacc

A date for your beer diary, at last, after much moaning, groaning and gnashing of teeth, we finally have a date that fits the bill.

After last years event I had no idea that we’d be “Back In Macc” (hashtag alert). #Twissups don’t tend to be annual, they are usually wild sporadic beasts that pop up, create a fuss and are gone before you know it, at least for a year or two. However, the feedback from last year was ace, people have asked if I can pull another together and the venues seem game, so hey, let’s do this thing!

The aim will be to try and improve a little on last year, but keep the format similar. A group of great venues within a short walking distance of the train station each with some hand-picked beers for your delight. A brewery visit to Red Willow and all the joys that such visitations bring, plus, if all goes to plan, at least one completely new beer at each place we visit, hopefully with brewer/s in tow, and of course a selection of quality munchies to mop up some of the many beverages consumed.

That is the plan at least, it’s tough, but there’s only one way to find out if I manage it, turn up.

September 13th is so far away though, why wait so long I hear you ask?

Well it’s a number of things really, the first is time. Ask anyone who’s pulled together anything like the above and they will tell you it doesn’t happen over night. Then there are dates that clash all over the place. Last years date for example was scuppered by both an extended Barnaby Festival (a local Macclesfield event) and the European Beer Bloggers Conference, excluding lots of potential attendees. Of the other three potential dates, two clashed with large “craft” beer festivals in Leeds and Liverpool, the other was just too short notice to make it viable. On top of all that, August was pretty much wiped out by some of our protagonists taking three week well earned holiday.

In short, the next five months are just a bit mental, it also gives you all plenty of time to plan ahead..

As usual, more info will be posted up here as and when things develop, please share this post register your interest in comments or via Twitter.

(Read more about last years event here and here, there are lots more too, just follow the links on the pages)

Join the Facebook Page too, there you can get easy access to last years updates and chat to each other and social-mediarise or sammink!

Cheers all

Memories 

GBBH Twitter Tasting #Sainsbeerys

Just a short post to remind folks to get down to Sainsbury’s and hit the seasonal aisle in search of this years Great British Beer Hunt finalists, better still get them tomorrow and join in a mass tasting session tomorrow night via Twitter and any other social media item as you will, as mentioned in my last post on GBBH.

There’s no set criteria, no drinking order, and you definitely do not need to be an expert. Just grab some of your favourite beers or whichever catch your eye (as shelf presence is important too), then join in and share your thoughts using the hashtag #Sainsbeerys as suggested by @BeerOClockShow and/or #GBBH if you have space.

Tell us what you think, promote your top three or just sit back, drink and enjoy the fun, hopefully some of the brewers will join in the banter too.

Time is what suits you obviously, but let’s aim for 7:30 onwards for the main shenanigans to commence.. 😉

So that’s Wednesday 18th September 2013 at 19:30 onwards

Cheers