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WHAT: The Stonehaven Real Ale Festival raised £5,000 for the town’s lifeboat crew.
WHEN: The Stonehaven Real Ale Festival ran from Thursday, November 4, to Saturday, November 6.
WHERE: Stonehaven Town Hall
WHO: Organised by local real ale fans.
Contact is organiser Robert Lindsay on 07840 678243 or at
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STONEHAVEN’S lifeboat crew has been given a £5,000 boost thanks to the town’s real ale festival.
That was the staggering amount raised for the Maritime Rescue Institute by this year’s Stonehaven Real Ale Festival, which was hailed as a sell-out success.
A delighted Ann Laing, general manager of MRI,
said: “We are just absolutely thrilled ... for the beer festival to raise this amount of money for our work is really extraordinary.
“That people think of us and want to support us is always just amazing. We can’t thank them enough.
“Like every other charity, we have been facing a tough year, so this is a more than welcome boost.
“It will help us to do our job of running Stonehaven’s lifeboat service and helping people in need at sea.”
Ann received a £5,000 cheque from Robert Lindsay, organiser of the Stonehaven Real Ale Festival.
Robert said: “We can’t give enough thanks to everyone who helped raise this money for this very worthwhile – indeed, essential – cause.
“It couldn’t have been achieved without the support of all our hard-working volunteers, sponsors and, of course, all the people who attended and supported the real ale festival."
The event, organised by local real ale fans, was held over three days, from November 4 to 6, at Stonehaven Town Hall, boasting a beer from every working brewery in Scotland.
Along with some fine Celtic ales, there were about 70 brews on offer in total.
The festival proved to be so popular that it attracted some 1,800 people and was drunk dry by real ale fans at 9pm on the final day.
Robert, who is also owner of the town’s Marine Hotel, said: “I think it’s fair to say that the real ale festival is now a very popular event in Stonehaven’s calendar.
“We have already started planning next year’s – including booking the Town Hall from November 3 to 5.”
Attached picture shows Robert Lindsay presenting a cheque for £5,000 to Ann Laing at MRI’s base in Stonehaven Harbour.
For more information on the event visit www.stonehavenrealalefestival.co.uk
The festival was this year sponsored by Deeside Brewery ( www.deesidebrewery.co.uk), Harvieston Brewery (www.harviestoun.com) and The Bay Fish and Chips, Stonehaven.
Dram fine way to pay tribute to vanished distillery
WHAT: A unique real ale has been brewed to commemorate Stonehaven’s Glenury Royal Distillery, in the 25th anniversary of its closure.
WHEN: The Spirit of Glenury will only be available at the Stonehaven Real Ale Festival, from Thursday, November 4, to Saturday, November 6, from 5pm to midnight, Thursday and Friday, 1pm to 11pm, Saturday
WHERE: Stonehaven Town Hall
WHO: Organised by local real ale fans.
Contact is organiser Robert Lindsay on 07840 678243 or at
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A UNIQUE real ale has been created as a tribute to one of the North-east’s disappeared distilleries.
The Spirit of Glenury ale is a nod to Stonehaven’s Glenury Royal Distillery which was mothballed 25 years ago before being demolished to make way for houses.
The special beer will be matured in Glenury Royal whisky casks and will only be available at the Stonehaven Real Ale Festival, held from Thursday, November 4, to Saturday, November 6.
Robert Lindsay, organiser of the festival, said: “The Glenury distillery still has a special place in the hearts of many people in Stonehaven – and there’s a few bottles of Glenury Royal tucked away in cupboards around the town.
“All that is left of the distillery now, 25 years after it was closed, are the remains of the lower part of the chimney and a commemorative plaque.
“We thought it would be a nice idea to pay tribute to that part of Stonehaven’s heritage at this year’s real ale festival to help keep its memory alive.”
Robert, owner of the Marine Hotel and a master brewer, said the Spirit of Glenury, this year’s official festival ale, is a classic bitter.
“By maturing it in whisky casks it will take on a deeper flavour and one that will, hopefully, conjure up images of when Glenury was in full swing, creating the water of life.”
The distillery has a long history, founded in 1824 by one of Stonehaven’s most famous sons, Captain Robert Barclay-Allardice, noted for walking 1,000 miles in 1,000 hours for 1,000 guineas.
It was a major employer in the town over its history and today its rare whisky is highly sought after.
Robert said: “The Spirit of Glenury is a one-off and will only be available at the real ale festival.
“We hope people will enjoy the chance to come along, sample this ale and say ‘slainte’ to a little bit of Stonehaven’s history.”
This is the second Stonehaven Real Ale Festival and once again offers the rare chance to sample an ale from every one of Scotland’s working breweries – more than 50 in all.
This year the organisers, a group of real ale fans from Stonehaven, have added a Celtic fringe with the finest beers from Wales, Ireland, Cornwall and the Isle of Man they could get their hands on.
Last year’s inaugural festival was a runaway success, with more than 1,400 people drinking the vent dry. This year an extra day – on the Saturday – will hopefully answer the thirst to try some of the best ales around.
Robert said: “Ours isn’t just a vertical drinking event, though, we have some of the finest local musicians on stage, a big screen showing some fine Scottish films and TV programmes and the friendliest bar staff – all of them volunteers – in the land.
“The aim is deliver good ales, good fun, good craic and a great night.”
The festival is this year sponsored by Deeside Brewery ( www.deesidebrewery.co.uk), Harvieston Brewery (www.harviestoun.com) and The Bay Fish and Chips, Stonehaven.
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