Right Ladies and Gents here’s a nice little project for you to get your teeth stuck into over the winter months. The 2nd annual Strong Island Home Brew competition will see you have a bash at brewing your own beer to be entered into a competition which will be judged by a panel of experts with the winner potentially having their brew/recipe brewed by Irving & Co. Brewers and made for distribution around pubs in the Portsmouth area. This is all providing you have what it takes to be a brewing master of course! Who knows, we may even coax a beer brewing superstar out of the woodwork!
There are 2 categories to enter in this competition:-
1st – The Specified Home Brew Kit category. This is for all the beginners out there who have never attempted anything like this before but are still willing to have a bash at becoming Strong Island Home Brew champion. We’ve specified the Young’s Home Brew Kit available from Wilkinson’s as the kit to use for this category. To enter this all you have to do is pop down to Wilkinson’s or follow the link, purchase the specified kit and then start brewing. A receipt of your purchase will have to be provided as part of your entry form on the night.
2nd – The Unrestricted Brew category. Whether you already are a home brewer or you really want to go to town and build your own micro brewery this is the category for you. Designed to make no boundaries for the brewer, this category is designed to really let the skills be shown of your home brewing talent. Any kit and brewing process is allowed so go for your life.
Rules
The categories to which your final brew will be judged on are -
The judging panel will consist of Malcolm Irving from Irving & Co. Brewers in Portsmouth, Stuart Ainsworth who is Landlord of the Leopold Tavern which is Portsmouth & South East Hampshire CAMRA pub of the year and myself, Ben Mills proprietor of LJRs and The Belle Isle.
- Any brew is welcome to enter be it Ale, Bitter, Ginger Beer, Cider, Lager etc. (Note this only applies to the Unrestricted Brew category)
- There are no limits on team numbers so you can enter as a solo brewer or as a team
- Over 18′s only can enter the competition
- Final entries are to be presented to the judges in bottles. 3 bottles are to be submitted to give a fair representation of your batch.
- Your receipt of purchase MUST be presented with your entry form on the night (for all Specified Home Brew Kit entrants)
- A list of all ingredients and a brief description of the brewing process MUST be submitted with your entry form on the night (for entrants of BOTH categories)
Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places as well as best in show. Remember we won’t just be looking at the brew but also the presentation, name and label design of each entry and don’t forget the golden carrot if the winning brew’s up to scratch you could well see your recipe brewed up by Irving & Co. Brewers and distributed to pubs in and around Portsmouth as happened last year with Strong Island Hopper.
The judging evening will be Wednesday 1st February at Little Johnny Russells, Albert Road, Southsea. Make sure your brew is ready for then along with all the requirements for entry.
Any questions or queries please email ben@littlejohnnyrussells.com
Paul will be posting details at the end of the week about how to do the initial sign up with an online form but until then you can get brewing from now. Get your friends or family involved, spread the word and good luck brewing!
For any web developers out there this could be an excellent opportunity for you. Steve got in touch with Strong Island with regards to his web agency Something Interesting looking to recruit a new developer.
Something Interesting are a website design and development agency based in the Old Treasury on Kings Road. Set up almost 10 years ago, they have worked on a range of projects for companies like Portsmouth Guildhall, The Belle Isle, The Co-operative financial services and Plane Finder.
As they are expanding and taking on more clients they are now looking for a full time developer to join the team.
You can find more about the job here > http://www.somethinginteresting.co.uk/blog/developer-wanted/
As someone who has grown up by the sea and spends many hours during the summer out on the Solent, this is an issue close to me as i’m sure it is many others in the Portsmouth & Southsea area who enjoy the Solent for leisure and recreation.
In December 2010 the UK Government announced modernisation consultation proposals for HM Coastguard. At that time the intention was to reduce the UK’s eighteen Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres to just two centres which would operate 24hrs per day. These centres (MOC’s) would be supported by only five sub centres that would only be operational throughout “daylight hours only”.
UK Coastguard HQ Centres are responsible for the co-ordination of Search and Rescue along the UK coastline, as well as providing shipping information and a number of other essential services along the UK coastline.
Announcing the cuts, Shipping Minister Mike Penning said “Our seas are becoming busier, with larger ships and increasing numbers of offshore renewable energy platforms making key areas of our seas more congested. There are also increasing numbers of people using our beaches, coastlines and seas for leisure activities.â€
The proposals were overwhelmingly rejected by EVERY Coastguard station, campaigners and by the Transport Select Committee who conducted a full investigation and concluded that the modernisation proposals were “seriously flawed”.
If you care to sign this petition in favour of keeping our coastline safe then please visit www.petitiononline.com/SHMCGS
A brand new beer festival organised by Portsmouth’s only brewery, Irving and Company will be upon us this October. Beers, Ciders and Perries from all round the UK will be on offer as well as many local favourites. You’ll be able to enjoy live music, food and a great atmosphere all being hosted at the Groundlings Theatre in Portsea.
Friday 14th October 12-4pm is a preview session at £2 and 6-11pm is £8. Saturday 15th October sees the day session 12 – 4pm at £4 and 6-11pm session is £8. I wonder if this fest will be drunk dry just like the previous Portsmouth beer festivals?
Ticket sales are available at Irving brewery 02392 738507 or Groundlings Theatre, Curzon Howe Road, Portsmouth, PO1 3BS 02392 737370 and The Belle Isle, Fountain, Leopold Tavern, Rose In June and The Stags Head at Westbourne.
The beers will be coming from local brewers such as Irvings, Oakleaf and Bowman as well as further afield like Dark Star, Vale, All Gates, Great Oakley and Ramsgate to name but a few and the range of the Ciders will be from Whiteheads of Selbourne.
So don’t hesitate good people of Portsmouth, get your tickets and let’s have a knees up!
My rule as a Strong Island contributor is that I never post anything related to my business directly. However, I was trawling through my hard drive and found some old photos of various guests and DJs we have had over the few years we have been in business at Little Johnny Russells and thought i’d post a small selection of them up.
LJRs will be turning 5 years old this November (where has the time gone?!) and hopefully there will be many more parties and nights to enjoy as well as the great times we have already had.
One Man Party aka Steve from Soulwax
Bestival curator and BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob Da Bank
BBC Radio 1′s Annie Mac
Ex Libertine Carl Barat and Didz Hammond
Hip Hop legend Cash Money
The early days
Simian Mobile Disco
We’re deep into the cricketing season and yet again fast approaching the biggest game in the summer sporting calendar. This Wednesday 13th July sees the titanic battle for the Albert Road Ashes contested for it’s 3rd year.
Held on the front lawn of Stansted House in Rowlands Castle, Lord Sonics XI take on Stanstead Park CC for the coveted urn which genuinely contain the charred remains of an Albert Road kebab. Play starts at 6pm and spectators are more than welcome.
Ladies and gentlemen are you ready? Rocker Soccer is back due to popular demand this Saturday 2nd July and who are we to deny you.
The last tournament saw Circle Square Triangle walk off with the cup, can Sumo regain their championship status or will a new team step up and lift the trophy? We have the I Love Dust crew involved this year as well as some other new faces.
Remember this is a charity event so we will be looking for teams to find unique ways of raising money for this years chosen charity as well as there being collections on the day. The chosen charity this year is Cancer Research UK and you can also make donations to our event here http://www.justgiving.com/LJRrockersoccer
Rocker Soccer will take place at ROKO on Copnor Rd and the tournament kicks of at Midday
I like Your Sleeves is a project designed and created by Southsea resident Hannah Blackledge now studying at Falmouth University. The idea is to use the clothes and items found in a charity shop and prove they can be part of a fashionable wardrobe. This is done by promoting outfits made from at least two items from a charity shop on a catwalk and after the show the audience can buy what they see. The main intention being to prove that integrating 2nd-hand clothing into your existing wardrobe is fun and fashionable whist helping to reduce the unethical waste stream created by mass production.
ILYS has been designed to create a solution to the mass consumption of mass produced, cheap fashion trends with the idea to celebrate ethical shopping focusing on charity shops. Through research Hannah found that there is a common negative opinion about 2nd-hand clothing that made her want to prove the potential that discarded items still have.
ILYS#1 was the guinea pig event to see how it is received from a public audience. The success of ILYS#1 will mean further events are planned, starting here in her hometown of Portsmouth. ILYS is a student collaborative project and invites other undergraduates to get involved as it is a valuable source of work experience and helps to form inter-course connections. If you are a student from Portsmouth and would like to get involved in ILYS#2 please get in contact now with Hannah now. You can contact her at likeyoursleeves@gmail.com
I Like Your Sleeves from Rich Stephens on Vimeo.
Ladies and gentlemen are you ready? Rocker Soccer is back due to popular demand and who are we to deny you.  As with last year we need 15 teams of 8 players (including subs) to come forward and take part in one of the events of the summer! Entry fee per team is £80 (a measly £10 per player!)
Last tournament saw Circle Square Triangle walk off with the cup, can Sumo regain their championship status or will a new team step up and lift the trophy?
Remember this is a charity event so we will be looking for teams to find unique ways of raising money for this years chosen charity. For instance your team could donate a pound for every goal you concede or maybe you could get sponsors for every goal you score. The chosen charity this year is Cancer Research UK and you can also make donations to our event here http://www.justgiving.com/LJRrockersoccer
As usual there will be a plate tournament running alongside.
There will be a BBQ on the day and Bar will be open although no outside drinks are to be bought in. We are currently looking for a band to perform on the day – Jake Hale, Playfootball, has opened up a pitch for half time music – ANYONE INTERESTED IN PLAYING?
This year’s tournament will be hosted on Saturday 2nd July at ROKO on Copnor Road. Again the award ceremony will be held on the night at Little Johnny Russells featuring our charity raffle, your chance to win some great prizes! This event is open to families and spectators as well so we hope to see you all there for another great fundraising event.
Please visit www.rockersoccer.info to download your entry form. Once complete please return your form and your entry fee to Little Johnny Russells in a clearly marked envolope.
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