Pick your own Chertsey hops!

We've just discovered (through the twin agency of Hugo the Brewer and Sean the Roof) that the hedgerows of Chertsey are literally heaving with hops. How massively cool would it be to brew your own Chertsey beer for the Chertsey St George's Beer Festival with native, hand-picked Chertsey hops? I know. Unspeakably.

So we're organising a posse for mid-September to go out and scrump a fair tonnage, with Hugo as our tracker and guide. We're currently targeting the weekend of 17-19 September for optimum 'hop on' time, although we apparently need a dry day so that may be subject to some variability.

All those in favour say 'aye'!

Any idiot can drink a beer. It takes a legend to make one. 


Chertsey St George's Beer Challenge Blog [LINK]

Results just in: Otters clean up yet again at the Chertsey Show!

Well done all on another awe-inspiring Otter performance at the Chertsey Show. There can be no truer exemplar of the Otter motto 'Just turn up and win' than this year's showing, which was hastily cobbled together at the eleventh hour but yielded more rosettes and little brown envelopes stuffed with cash than a closely fought by-election in an East End marginal.

Apologies for taking so long to post the results, but once again real life intervened and I found myself having to do stuff like make a living, run a(nother) rugby club, wrestle a bear, defeat the dark legions of the resurgent Sith Lords, etc. You know, the usual.

Results

Ann of the Lists - Apple pie (6" to 8") - sixth
Sean the Roof - Loaf of bread most closely resembling a doorstop - first

Sean the Roof - Homebrewed beer - third

Max the Power - Chutney - fourth
One-take Lumsden - Sculpture - not as good as the Dead-eyed Otter from last year
Craig and Molly Christ - Shortbread - first

Gen Christ - Picture of something in the garden - first

Janosch Unmenkable - Victoria sponge - unclassified
Franka Unmenkable - Cookies - fourth
Alan Shearer (Greenwood) - Mis-shapen fruit or vegetable most closely resembling his old fellah - first
Dibs Greenwood - Photo portrait in black and white - third
Nicole di Dutchy - Handmade soft toy - first
Dark Side Lucy - Chutney - first

Tom and Josh Tractor - Favourite meal on a plate - first; Plant grown from seed - second

Unusual Steves of the World - Homebrew beer - second
Fat Lad a.k.a. Richard - Fruit cake - third

Jaego, Jessame and Richard (with unhelpful comments by Janosch) - Scarecrow - first

Jessame - Self-portrait - first; Picture of something in the garden - highly commended; Young gardener - commended

Jaego - Model or collage of a bird - first; Picture of something in the garden - third; Young gardener - highly commended

Jaego and Jessame - Decorated cakes - highly commended

Jaego and Jessame - Vegetable monsters - highly commended

Lyne and Longcross School - Unusual planter - first

The Chertsey Show - just turn up and win!

OK, so that's pretty much what we're going to have to do, given that I've left it until today to actually publish the draw and the show is this Saturday and Sunday, 14 and 15 August. Apologies all, but real life intervened and I was called upon to save the Earth.

Or something.

Anyhoo, all entries must be registered by this Thursday 12 August (details below) but you don't have to take your entries down until crack of sparrows on Saturday morning. That's loads of time, and don't go pretending you wouldn't have left it until this week to do anything even if I had published the draw a month ago like I said I was going to.

In actual fact, I've done a redraw to ensure all categories are for things that are achievable in the time available. Where necessary, I've finessed to play to strengths I know you already have. The draw is in the order of Children, Dogs then Adults. Drum roll and golden envelope please...

CHILDREN

Junior Otters may enter as many of the following categories as they like, given that they're on holiday from school and loafing around with plenty of time to kill.

Craft

• 2C Scarecrow made of recycling (max 2ft high, hanging or freestanding)
• 3C Draw or paint a picture of yourself
• 4C Make a model of your favourite animal
• 8C Take a photo of your best friend
• 9C Fun family portrait (photo)

Domestic

• 31D Victoria sponge (170g fat, 170g sugar, Flour, 3 eggs, red jam and vanilla essence)
• 32D 4 shaped and decorated biscuits
• 35D 6 decorated small cakes
• 34D 6 jam tarts

Horticulture

• 001V Any fruit and veg you have grown yourself
• 001S Tallest sunflower in a 1 litre pot (grown from seed)
• 140H A vegetable monster
• 141H A garden or farmyard in a shallow box (max 42cm x 30cm)

DOGS

We eschew the high falutin' talcum powder and silly haircut world of the professional dog show. No otter dog is a professional in disciplines other than cadging, working their way onto the sofa and rolling in fox shit. The fun dog show categories can be entered on the day, so please bring your fun dog.


ADULTS


Ann of the Lists - Domestic 04D Apple pie (6" to 8")
Uli von Lederhosen von Klinkerhoffen von Kleinsteuber - Craft 22C Planes, trains or automobiles - a photo of any form of transport, the more original the better
Sean the House Stealer - Domestic 25D Small jar of chutney
Max the House Stealer's Wife - Domestic 10D Cottage loaf of bread
Anna the Photographer - Craft 28C Portrait drawing, any medium
Craig Christ - Domestic 12D Two Cornish pasties
One-take Lumsden - Craft 15C Item of handmade jewellery
Ninja Can - Craft 25C Anything to do with the countryside (watercolour)
Phil the Pelican - Domestic 23D jar of marmalade
Janosch Our Second Favourite German - Domestic 01D Victoria sponge (170g fat, 170g sugar, Flour, 3 eggs, red jam and vanilla essence)
Franka Our Joint Second Favourite German - Domestic 02D 4 Cookies
Alan Shearer (Greenwood) - Horticulture 68V Mis-shapen fruit or vegetable
Dibs Greenwood - Craft 21C Photo portrait in black and white, adult, child or animal
Nicole di Dutchy - Craft 18C A handmade soft toy
Pat the Tractor - Craft 16C Article made of wood, acrylic or metal
Dark Side Lucy - Craft 23C 3 photographs with a common connected theme

Big Gay Al - Craft 16C Article made of wood, acrylic or metal
Kate the Eclipse - Domestic 15D Any dessert
Unusual Steves of the World -
Kayteochan - Domestic 14D Any exhibit of savoury cookery
Fat Lad - Domestic 03D Fruit cake 175mm, round tin

Anyone with beer left over from the Chertsey St George's Beer Challenge should enter in class Domestic 47D one bottle of homemade beer. Bottle must be labelled, size approx 50mm x 19mm. One label just below shoulder to show main ingredients. Second lable 25mm from bottom of bottle to show class and exhibitor's number.

Or if you don't like the suggestion you've been given, go to the Chertsey Show website: http://www.chertseyshow.co.uk/ and click on 'View Schedule' in the banner across the top. The schedule also has full rules of entry. Similarly, if I've forgotten you, please let me know what you've chosen to do so I can add you to the list above and we can all come along and cheer you when you take the top gong.

ENTRY

Craft
Contact the secretary, Miss Lucy Watkinson, 2 The Avenue, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3RL
Tele: 01932 342894 email : fandangofreda@btinternet.com. Entry fee: adults 50p per class, children 30p per class. All entry forms or telephone entries must be received by Thursday 12 August. No non-registered entries accepted on Saturday morning. Please bring your entries on Friday 13 August between 2pm and 7pm, or Saturday morning before 9am.

Domestic
Contact the secretary, Susan Murray, 32 Collingwood Avenue, Tolworth, Surbiton, Surrey. KT5 9PU. Tel: 020 8337 7309 email: chertsey@murraysonline.co.uk. Entry fee classes 1D - 27D and 41D - 48D 50p per class. Classes 31D - 36D 30p per class. Entry forms to be submitted by 9pm on Thursday 12 August 2010. No unregistered entries accepted on Saturday. Please do not put your name on your exhibit, only your exhibitor’s number which can be obtained from the Secretary. All beer exhibits are to be staged on Friday 13 August between 2pm and 7pm or Saturday 14 August between 8.30am and 9.15am. All Culinary Art and Children’s exhibits are to be staged on Saturday 14 Aug between 8.15 and 10am. Jam and preserve classes may be staged on Friday 13 Aug between 2pm and 7pm.

Horticultural
Contact the Secretary, Helen Dixon,  13 Hythefield Avenue, Egham, TW20 8DD. Tel: 01784 453997 or 453997 email: eghamzoo@talktalk.net. Entry fee: adult 50p per class, children 30p per class. Entries in to Secretary by 10 pm Thursday 12 August - post, email or telephone. No unregistered entries taken on the day. All entries are to be staged by 9am on the Saturday 14 August.

Otters to storm Chertsey Show for second year running!

The Schedule of Classes for the Chertsey Show (14-15 August) has just dropped through the letterbox and once again it's a genuine, full-blown treasure trove of fantastic challenges and prizes just begging to be won.

And won by Otters, dammit.

For those of you who can focus through 12 months of booze-fuddle and associated whimsy, you may recollect that the Chertsey Otters did a random draw of classes for last year's show, with people agreeing to enter whatever they drew out of the hat. And we fair near swept the board , winning everything from Best Victoria Sponge to Most Epic Scarecrow.

LINK: Otters sweep Chertsey Show!!!!

So we're going to do it again. The draw will take place this Friday 9 July and you're in it. Whether or not you actually decide to go ahead and do something about it is entirely up to you, but you'll probably be glad you did.

Such is the way of Otter.

There are a few changes and additions to last year's format. Floral Art is bloody expensive, so we're jocking it off, and the Horticulture section is pretty specialised, so we're jocking that off as well. Obviously feel free to chuck in your own stuff if you have it, but it won't be in the draw on Friday.

Beer, Liqueur and Wine is an open section, so hopefully all the beers brewed for the Chertsey St George's Beer Challenge will be entered, assuming samples have actually survived this long. Similarly, if you have a fun dog, please enter it in the Fun Dog Show. We'd like Harvey, Mozart, Dave, Boz, Bruce and other assembled Otterhounds to show the pedigrees how it's done.

That leaves Craft, Photography, Painting, Drawing, Baking, Jam and Preserves in the draw for the adults. Kiddies will be drawn from Scarecrows, Horticulture, Pot Plants, Culinary and Craft. Naturally, if you'd like to defend any titles you won last year, there's nobody stopping you (Ann).

STOP PRESS! This year will feature a tug-of-war competition on the Saturday. Eat pies in readiness, Otters, your imaginary rugby club needs you...

I'll email you all with the result of the draw, plus entry form and details of when you need to have it done by.

GO THE OTTERS!!!

Otters OWN fourth at Marlow Dragonboating Regatta

Go team. The Otters crew took on 35 other crews at Marlow on Sunday 12 June and claimed a highly creditable fourth place, making us easily the best mixed team in the regatta. The top three places were all claimed by proper dragon boating teams, one of which turned up with its own gold-plated, titanium alloy paddles. So we were the best scratch team too. And the best team with Otter in the title. And the best team from Chertsey.

But the only way we were going to win outright is if we could simultaneously ram and sink the three fastest teams, while somehow managing to limp over the line ourselves.

Of the nine places available in the semi-finals, we qualified ninth after one blinding and two fairly indifferent runs in the heats. Lining up against Paddle Up Your Creek, who only lost out on the title by less than a fifth of a second, we ran them damn close. Playing back through the Sky Four HD Box Office Plus (Extra) footage of the event revealed that PUYK got a rolling start which probably gave them the third of a boat length they beat us by.

Having sworn never to organise another dragonboating team because this one was such a balls-ache, the Chertsey Otters are now committed to defending our title and going for a hattrick of wins at Oakley Court, Windsor on Sunday 19 September. (Rumour is that Kayte may even be organising training sessions, however much this runs counter to the Otter ethos of 'just turn up and win'.)

So if you're interested in paddling, it's £32 a berth (which can be shared, halving the cost). Contact Kayte to sign up!

Otter's Marlow Crew of Legends: Max Parry (drum), Ben Gilbey (stroke), Debbie Hall, Debs Greenwood, Lucy Regan, Richard Cable, Big Gay Al Davis, Sean Parry, Kayte Cable (captain), Chris Mesney, Chris Greenwood and Ulrich von Lederhosen von Kleinsteuber von Kriegsmarine.

Shore support: Kate Smyth-Davys, Jo Mesney and kids, Mr Regan and kids, Suzanne Gilbey and kids, Hamilton, Ben K, James K, Max, Zoe, Zach, Jaego and Jessame.

Thanks everyone for giving it your all. Awesome day - great fun, good result. Bring on Oakley Court!!!

Go the Otters!!!

Beer challenge results and update!

Check 'em out over at the Chertsey Beer Challenge Blog.

• Chertsey St George's Beer Challenge: Results and 2011 Competition [LINK]
  

Any idiot can drink a beer. It takes a legend to make one.

Death or glory at the Marlow dragon boat regatta: Sunday 13 June 2010!!!

After colossal back-to-back victories at Oakley Park in 2008 and 2009, the Otters are once again taking to their natural habitat (no, not the pub) in search of glory on the stretch of river that is fast becoming our nemesis - Marlow.

Everything you'll ever need to know about the Marlow Regatta can be found here, at the Dragons Alive website: Dragons Alive Regatta at The Marlow Town Regatta & Festival [LINK]

It's a cracking day out, usually hot as hell with brilliant sunshine, and a lovely festival atmosphere to boot (on account of it being a festival and a regatta - clue in the title ;).

So if you fancy living the dream and paddling the Otters to their maiden Marlow victory, you need to let me or Kayte know by Thursday 29 April LATEST. It's £32 all in for boat, kit, entry fee, gazebo and helm. As ever, you can share a berth with someone to split the cost.

Let's face it. Do you have a better way to burn off 40 pints of Otter homebrew!?!

Go the Otters!

Thank you!

Huge thanks to the brewers, designers, drinkers and spectators who helped make the second annual Chertsey St George's Beer Challenge such a success. Special thanks go out to Hugo for yet another diligent and sparkling turn as our judge, and Tony for gifting us the function room at the Crown for the day. He's apparently quite a nice bloke really.

There were 18 beers entered by 16 brewers, all of whom put a fabulous amount of time and effort into their entries. At the current rate of growth, in 20 years the beer challenge will feature more than a million brewers and we will have collectively caused the collapse of conglomerate brewing in the UK. Reach for the stars...

The beers ranged from "skunky" to "excellent", and their labels from "filthy" to "inspired". As for the names, anyone who doesn't spend the rest of the week humming "I can't believe it's not butter beer" clearly wasn't in the room.

I'll be posting the results, etc., in more detail shortly, but in the meantime here's a list of the winners, FYI. If you have any photographs of the day, can you email me asap and I'll set up a Flickr stream for your collective delectation and pleasure.

Best beer: Romp of Runnymede; brewer: Big Gay Al
Best name: I can't believe it's not butter beer; brewer: Kayte and a cast of a thousand munchkins
Best label: Yellow and Blue; brewer: Anna R and the Swedish Dream Team

Until the next time, remember...

Any idiot can drink a beer. It takes a legend to make one.

Thank you!

Huge thanks to the brewers, designers, drinkers and spectators who helped make the second annual Chertsey St George's Beer Challenge such a success. Special thanks go out to Hugo for yet another diligent and sparkling turn as our judge, and Tony for gifting us the function room at the Crown for the day. He's apparently quite a nice bloke really.

There were 18 beers entered by 16 brewers, all of whom put a fabulous amount of time and effort into their entries. At the current rate of growth, in 18 years the beer challenge will feature more than a million brewers and we will have collectively caused the collapse of conglomerate brewing in the UK. Reach for the stars...

The beers ranged from "skunky" to "excellent", and their labels from "filthy" to "inspired". As for the names, anyone who doesn't spend the rest of the week humming "I can't believe it's not butter beer" clearly wasn't in the room.

I'll be posting the results, etc., in more detail shortly, but in the meantime here's a list of the winners, FYI. If you have any photographs of the day, can you email me asap and I'll set up a Flickr stream for your collective delectation and pleasure.

Best beer: Romp of Runnymede; brewer: Big Gay Al
Best name: I can't believe it's not butter beer; brewer: Kayte and a cast of a thousand munchkins
Best label: Yellow and Blue; brewer Anna R and the Swedish Dream Team

Until the next time, remember...

Any idiot can drink a beer. It takes a legend to make one.

THE FINAL: Sunday, 25 April, 2 - 5pm

The final countdown has begun. The moment of truth is imminent. A massive 21 brewers have entered the Chertsey St George's Beer Challenge, pouring their heart, soul and cheeky magic ingredients into lovingly crafted ales. Awesome.

Entry details, rules and regulations all detailed below, but if you're entering a beer, here are the key things you need to know:

• Registration for your beer entry is from 130pm on competition day.
• You will need your £5 entry fee.
  
• You will need three unlabelled bottles for the blind tasting.
• You will need one labelled bottle for the label competition.
• You will need to be able to explain your beer's name and the creative journey that led to your label. Short and sweet is fine!
  

In addition to the three Beer Challenge titles - Best Beer, Best Label, Best Name - there will be some additional on-the-day challenges which everyone can get involved in. These include beer tasting, dwyle flunking, eskimo longjump, yards of ale and boatraces.

Suggestions for additional activities welcome!

Any idiot can drink a beer. It takes a legend to make one.

SAVE THE DATE! Chertsey St George's Beer Challenge - THE FINAL - Sunday 25 April

Save the date and be there for the epic Chertsey St George's Beer Challenge Final. We're currently looking at a 2pm kick off for the event, so no need for babysitters. Kids, friends, relatives, random people pulled in off the street, ALL WELCOME.

We currently have 20 competitors in the brewing comp, so we're more than double the size of last year. Great effort by all concerned!

In addition to the three Beer Challenge titles - Best Beer, Best Label, Best Name - there will be some additional on-the-day challenges which everyone can get involved in. Nothing heavy - just fun stuff.

More details as we have them!


Any idiot can drink a beer. It takes a legend to make one.

WARNING: Brewing deadline fast approaching!!!

A friendly warning, mind. If you want to have a beer ready for 25 April, you pretty much have to have to get it under way this weekend (27, 28 March) latest. You need a week for your initial fermentation and probably 3 weeks in the bottle to ensure it clears in time.

That said, last year's winner (Willingale's Willing Ale) was brewed super-late and delivered to the judge still cloudy, so you never can tell!

Bottles!

Right, next up is bottles. Rather than spend a bleedin' fortune on these, I've negotiated with the landlords of local hostelries, chiefly the Crown, to go rummaging in their bins and recycle suitable glassware for your awesome brews. Let me know if you'd like any. First come, first served. (Likely to be 500ml rather than pints, but it shouldn't affect the flavour ;)

FINAL RUN for beer stuff - get your orders in today, 12 March!!!

I'll be making a FINAL run down to the Art of Brewing store this weekend. I'm picking up starter beer kits, ingredients, crown caps and bottles for a range of likely suspects. I've negotiated discounts, so were looking at the following prices:

If you'd like me to pick up stuff for you, let me know by close of play today, Friday 12 March, by giving me a buzz or emailing: chertseyotter@googlemail.com.

• Complete ingredients for Chertsey Otter Ale = £30 (makes 40 pints)
• Full starter brew kit (includes 5g fermenting bin, syphon, airlock, beer paddle, beer finings and sterilising solution) = £20
• Crown caps (available in gold, blue, red, green) = £1.50 for 40
• Standard 500ml glass bottles = £1 each (these are slightly less than a pint so you'll need 44 of them. If you can be bothered, it's cheaper to use recycled.)

I'm going to bag a crown capper as well, which anyone is free to borrow.

Thanks!

Buying ingredients, kits - get your orders in before Friday 5 March

I'll be making a run down to the Art of Brewing store this weekend. If you'd like me to pick up ingredients or kit, please let me know (and let me have payment) before Friday 5 March by emailing: chertseyotter@googlemail.com.

• Complete ingredients for Chertsey Otter Ale = £35 (makes 40 pints)

• Full starter brew kit (includes 5g fermenting bin, syphon, airlock, beer paddle, beer finings and sterilising solution = £20
  

Thanks!

Any idiot can drink a beer. It takes a legend to make one.

The second annual Chertsey St George's Beer Challenge is ON.

Full details here at the brandspanking new Chertsey St George's Beer Challenge website.

UPDATED: Six Nations Opener: This Saturday (6 Feb) 5pm kick off

Calling all Otters. It's that time again. Yes, the frozen misery that is January has subsided and the warming winter sunlight of February dapples Chertsey and bathes it in a sultry golden glow.

Hear it. Hear the siren song of our good friends Bombardier and Kronenberg as they serenade you towards the Crown (boutique hotel and hostelry) and the opening match of this season's Six Nations campaign - England versus Wales at Twickenham, 5pm kick off.

And to make things extra special, it's Ulrich von Lichtenstein von Lederhosen's 33rd birthday and he's chosen to spend it with us and the England rugby team, celebrating in true Island Monkey style by drinking his own weight in beer and shouting a lot. God bless you sir.

Kick off at 5. Get there as soon as you can. Let's start the campaign in style.

We will also be launching the Inaugural Chertsey Beer Festival featuring the Otters St George's Beer Challenge II. The beer festival itself will be held on Sunday 25 April. More details when I've worked them out.

Here's some stuff from last year's to remind you: Inaugural St George's Day Beer Challenge

Happy New Year Otters!

Update on events for early 2010

Early February - Table Football World Cup POSTPONED - will now be held as warm up to real Football World cup

Still agreeing a date, but the venue is Chertsey Cricket Club and the format as follows: doubles, £5 entry, come themed as the nation of your choice. Jan/Feb are a piss-awful, brassic, cold, wet snowy, miserable months, so why not brighten things up with an impromptu world class sporting event hosted in the cheapest place to drink in Chertsey? Why not indeed.


February - The Otters' Ergo Challenge

Date and venue TBC, but here's the format: 2000m timed sprint with best time winning, then beers somewhere afterwards. Depending on numbers, we may split the categories into light, welter and heavyweight with a row off for the grand champion. There will be a men's and a women's competition, so don't feel excluded.

There will also be the grand prix spectacle of Al 'Big Gay Al' Davis versus Phil 'Phil the Pilot' Bachelor over 10,000m, with the winner taking bragging rights for time immemorial. Anyone else wants to get involved in this madness,let me know.

Sunday 25 April - The Inaugural Chertsey Beer Festival featuring the Otters Beer Challenge II - LAUNCHING SAT 6 FEBRUARY

Hosted at the Crown with professional beer judge(s) and (hopefully) some sponsorship from a brewery, we're aiming for a date around St George's Day (23 April), which means we'll have to get brewing sometime in Feb/March. More details v soon.

The plan this year is to throw it open to all-comers, converting our stunning 2009 beer challenge into Chertsey's very own annual beer festival and hootenanny. Format will be the 'fixed recipe' competition as per last year (new recipe though), plus a 'freestyle' category for those who want to go off-piste. We'll also be retaining the best label and best name comps. Stay tuned.