BBC News Scotland - Ale rescue funds no small beer

Robert talks about the Festival to the Daily Record. Days after being hit by severe flooding the Stonehaven Real Ale festival is taking place raising money for local lifeboat crews who helped in the rescue operation

1400 attend inaugural festival...

THE first Stonehaven Real Ale Festival has been a runaway success with about 1,400 people flocking to the two-day event - and raising £3,500 for the town's brave lifeboat crew in the process. On the opening Thursday night of the event, an astonishing 600 people enjoyed the 56 fine ales on offer at Stonehaven Town Hall, one from every brewery in Scotland. On the second and final night of the festival, more than 800 people came through the doors to enjoy the music, the craic and the company and the beer. Festival organiser Robert Lindsay said: "It was always our aim to deliver a festival to remember for Stonehaven. We hope we've done that. "We want to thank everyone who came along over the two nights. The atmosphere was just brilliant. "We've had so many people telling us how much they enjoyed the laid-back, friendly and easy-going feel to the event ... and they liked the ales too, given that they literally drank us dry." 

However, the event, sponsored by Deeside Brewery, was about more than just a great night out and good memories. It was about raising money for Maritime Rescue Institute, the brave men and women who man Stonehaven's lifeboats.

Their dedication to the community was shown during the recent flooding when they rescued people from their homes at the height of the floods. Robert said: "All the profits from the real festival will go to MRI. We hope to have raised some £3,500 for them." MRI manager Ann Laing said: "We are just jumping for joy at this news. That is a fantastic amount that will boost our work."We also thought the event itself was just fantastic, with everyone there having a great time. It came at just the right time to cheer Stonehaven up after the terrible flooding last week. "That is quite an achievement for the first Stonehaven Real Ale Festival and I look forward to the many more to come."

By 9pm on the final night, it was physically impossible to get any more people into the Town Hall and with drouthy ale fans fast clearing out the line-up of beers, the tough decision was made to close the doors.

The organisers said they were sorry for those who couldn't get in. They have already put in place plans for next year's beer festival, booking dates at the Town Hall for the first Thursday, Friday and Saturday of November, 2010, and possibly looking at other venues in the town.

Robert, who owns the town's Marine Hotel, said: "This was our first beer festival and we have had so much positive feedback from people. "We must thank all the volunteers who helped before and during the event, more than 80 in total. And we also have to thank the musicians,  businesses and firms who gave us their support to make the festival happen. "This was our first festival, it won't be our last and the best is yet to come. See you in the first weekend in November, 2010."

A BEER from a long-vanished North-east brewery will be brought back to life as part of  the Stonehaven Real Ale Festival. For the first time in 100 years, drinkers will be able to enjoy a pint as produced by the town's once-thriving Bridge of Cowie Brewery. The Memorial ale is being recreated by organisers of the festival, which is being held on November 5 and 6 at Stonehaven Town Hall as a Homecoming of Scotland's Beers. Festival organiser Robert Lindsay said: "The festival is a celebration of Scotland's brewing tradition, so we thought it only right to recreate the sort of ale brewed in Stonehaven's last working brewery.

"Bridge of Cowie Brewery stood on the site of today's Burns Memorial Garden in Stonehaven, but closed its doors around 1909. It marked the end of a thriving brewing industry in the town, which once had two breweries on the go.

"It's a real thrill to bring back an ale that was last seen more than a century ago. We think that nod to the past will strike a chord with the hundreds of folk we will welcome to the festival." Robert, a master brewer and owner of the town's Marine Hotel, carried out extensive research to come up with the recipe for the Memorial ale. "You can tell from excise records what sort of malt was being bought in and what strength of beer was being brewed.

Organisers of the event have named the town's Maritime Rescue Institute as its charity of choice, to benefit from the two-day celebration of Scotland's real ales on November 5 and 6. MRI runs the local lifeboat, supported by 20 volunteers from all walks of life and serviced by two lifeboats declared to HM Coastguard.

This courageous crew answers an average of 18 rescues per year, often putting themselves at risk to pluck others from danger at any time in all weathers. Money raised by the not-for-profit real ale festival, to be held at Stonehaven Town Hall, will help pay for a refit of one of MRI's two lifeboats.

Robert Lindsay, organiser of the Stonehaven Real Ale Festival, said: "We could think of no better charity for our first real ale festival to support than MRI. "Hero is a word that's bandied around freely these days, but the folk at MRI truly justify that description.  "There are people who owe their lives to MRI and you cannot put a price on that. We just hope we can raise as much money as possible for them to keep up that great work. "I think the hundreds of folk we expect at Stonehaven Town Hall will be delighted to know that not only are they having a good time, they are helping to save lives, too."

The work of MRI includes training other national and international lifeboat crews and it has built up a reputation second to none. It has a superb schools education programme, to get across the safety at sea message and also helps research and develop state-of-the-art rescue practices and equipment. To do all of this requires a huge fund-raising effort by this registered charity. MRI manager Ann Laing welcomed the support of the real ale festival. She said: "It isn't just the financial support from this event that is exciting, but the fact individuals, like these guys from the festival, are prepared to support MRI and appreciate our work."

Ann added, tongue in cheek, : "It is absolutely fantastic that a group of blokes from our home town of Stonehaven are prepared to go through the hard graft of sourcing, sampling and sipping Scottish ales, all in support of their local lifeboat." The festival, which will feature one ale from every Scottish brewery, as well as music and entertainment is expected to draw hundreds of real ale fans - and novices - to the town.
The event, which aims to grow in years to come to become a fixture on the North-east calendar, is being sponsored by Deeside Brewery.