Newsletter

LYMM WINE AND BEER CIRCLE NEWSLETTER

November 2023

LAST CLUB NIGHT

This was a craft beer tasting from a local firm in Stockton Heath, Anchor and Hops. … gave us a very informative talk on different styles of beer, the different flavours that hops impart to a beer and different brewing techniques for different outcomes. Their shop on Walton Road is well worth a visit if you want to try some unusual beers from around the world.

 


The beers we tried on the night were :-

NEXT CLUB NIGHT – 20th December

This will be our Christmas party.

The main event will be a sparkling wine tasting by Rob and Perpetua. Carrying on from the previous blind tastings of Christmas cake and mince pies this year we will be having another festive blind tasting. Please come in your favourite Christmas jumper or with a bit of sparkle to add to the Christmassy cheer.
We will be offering our bauble tree again this year. For new members, you buy a numbered bauble and at the end of the night if your number is drawn you receive half the proceeds and the other half goes to our designated charity. This year the committee has chosen the Air Ambulance as our charity. Julie will, again, have our Wine Circle Christmas card for you to sign. For new members – rather than sending out many cards we sign just one and make a donation to our Christmas Charity.
For the last few years we have organised a Warrington Foodbank collection. Now, more than ever, there are people in dire need of help over the Christmas period. If you can help please give your food donations to either Jenny in Appleton, David and Angela in Lymm or Perpetua in Grappenhall by Friday 15th December so Perpetua can take the donations down to the Foodbank before Christmas. On the Warrington Foodbank website they list what they are short of:

  • TEA , COFFEE, SUGAR, UHT MILK (GREEN OR BLUE), CUSTARD, JAM, RICE PUDDING, TINNED MEAT,
  • TINNED VEG, TINNED FISH AND CARRIER BAGS, CARRIER BAGS….AND EVEN MORE CARRIERS BAGS PLEASE!

CHARITY RAFFLE

The committee has decided to run the charity raffle this month on the same lines as last year.
If you wish to join the raffle the cost of one ticket is £5. The profit from the raffle will go tothis year’s charity, The Air Ambulance.
Please do a bank transfer, with your name, and an email to Natalia with the number of tickets you have bought. You can also pay on the night but it would be really helpful if you can do a bank transfer.

Account number located here.

Kythe will put all the names in a hat and the raffle will be drawn on the club night. This will enable the people cannot come to the Spread on the night to be included in our fund raising.

This year Kythe has excelled herself with 8 amazing prizes.

CRAFTY WINOES – 6th December

This will be at Keith and Judy’s

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Dave and Jenny have kindly offered to host the 12th night party this year. It will be on Saturday 6th January.

New members will not be aware of our tradition of Festive Season parties ( or any other time of year for that matter). These events have been on hold since the pandemic. The host offers their house as a venue. All wine circlers are welcome just bring yourselves plus a bottle you would like to drink and a food contribution for the Jacob’s Table. This can be salad, cold savoury dishes or desserts. The host does not have to do any extra catering.

Our Annual Dinner this year will be held on Friday 15th March at the Lymm Rugby Club. Further details will be available in the New Year.

NOVEMBER WALK

Wine Circle Walk – 17 November 2023

This walk took us from Runcorn, near the Brindley Theatre, over the old road bridge (the Silver Jubilee Bridge) to Spike Island, on the Widnes side, and back. The walk was led by Keith.

The weather was foul and not forecast to improve, which probably accounts for the fact that Keith and Judy were joined only by Mark and Julie, from the wine circle, plus Keith’s sister and brother-in-law (who were staying with us).
From the SJ Bridge (Mott, Hay and Anderson – 1961) we had a close-up view of the railway bridge (Baker LNWR – 1868) and the new Mersey Gateway Bridge (CH2M, Ramboll et Al. – 2017). We also had good views of the Manchester Ship canal ( Leader Williams – 1894) beneath us, the landing ramp for the Transporter Bridge and a distant view, through the rain, of the soon-to-be-demolished Fiddler’s Ferry Power Station (1971).
After a lap of Spike Island taking in, St Mary’s church and the Sankey canal, we took refuge in the café in the Catalyst Museum for an early lunch, during which Keith gave a summary of earlier crossings of the Runcorn Gap by ferry (made famous by the monologue by Marriot Edgar) and the Transporter Bridge (Webster and Wood – 1905 to 1961). We then walked back across the bridge, in the rain, to our cars, a little damp, but in good spirits.

DECEMBER WALK – 28TH December

Our Christmas walk will set off and finish at Rob and Perpetua’s. There will be mulled wine and mince pies at their house afterwards.

GDPR FORMS

Thank you to all those who have completed the form and returned it to Mark. If you have not already done so please can you print off and complete the form and give it to Mark at the December club night or pop it through his door.

JULIE’S CLIPPINGS

Julie has chosen 3 this month to give you some ideas for your Christmas wine cellar.

Keith And Judy’s cocktail of the month

Keith and Judy will be hanging up their cocktail glasses after this month. They have provided us with 30 different coktails to try. This has taken time and effort to do the research and write up the recipe for the newsletter. So on behalf of the club members I would like to offer a big THANK YOU to both of them.

Judy has compiled a booklet, with an index, of these 30 cocktails which she plans to print. If you would like a copy please let her know. There will be a small cost to cover the printing and binding.

Keith and Judy’s cocktail recipe this month is called a Christmas Martini

Serves 1

50ml of bourbon
25ml of cherry brandy
Ice cubes

For the dried fruit syrup
50g dark brown soft sugar
50g mixed dried fruit
½ cinnamon stick
50ml water

 

STEP 1
To make the syrup, put ingredients in a pan and simmer for 1 minute to soften the fruit. Leave to cool and then strain and discard the fruit and cinnamon stick. You will make more than you need but it can be kept in the fridge for 3 days.
STEP 2
Pour the bourbon, cherry brandy and 15ml of the fruit syrup into a cocktail shaker with ice. Stake well and strain into a martini glass to serve.
Merry Christmas!

OCTOBER NEWSLETTER – QUICK WINE QUIZ – Caramelized Malts

Which of the following types of beer use caramelized malts in their production?
a) lager b) amber ale c) Scotch ale

ANSWER
The answer is b) amber ale. Amber ales are, as the name suggests , typically darker in colour than bitter or pale ales as they incorporate a proportion of caramelized malts to produce the wort to be fermented. The caramel like flavour carries through to the finished product. Similar flavours can be found in Scotch Ales but here it is produced by the use of caramelized sugars not malts. Caramelized malts are never used to produce lagers.

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER – QUICK WINE QUIZ – Maratheftiko

What is Maratheftiko
a) the word used by some indigenous Australians for wine
b) a grape variety from the eastern Mediterranean
c) an Albanian beer