Riviera Brewing Celebrates 10 years of Brewing

Alan Waldron We are pleased to report March 2025 will see 10 years of Brewing for Devon's smallest Brewery.

Its been a challenge from the early days, getting established and growing the customer base. There is no doubt having RBC ale in Local Pubs and Festivals has helped gain the reputation Riviera has across the trade and home drinking markets.
We have to thank Devon Earth, Bridgetown and Teignworthy breweries for the help and advice in the early days, its great we can have such friendships in the Brewing circle.

We must also thank South Devon and National CAMRA branches for the help and support to promote RBC ales at National and Local Beer festivals not to mention the Good Beer Guide. This is invaluable to small micros across the county and Country.

Looking ahead to 2025 its business as usual with Festivals and Pubs ordering Riviera Ales, its a great time for Cask Ale, long may it continue.

Available this Spring will see Drunken Porter 4.4%, Riviera Gold 4.2% and Devonian 4.2% brewed on rotation and occasionally available on the pump in the Railway Inn & Tuckers Maltings Tap House in Newton Abbot and the Upside Ale Bar in Paignton.

Riviera Brewing also supplies direct to the public with free delivery in the Newton Abbot and Torbay areas please do get in touch. Ale is available using 9 and 21 pint cask systems and bottles.
Cheers
Alan Waldron
Riviera Brewing

https://rivierabrewing.co.uk/

We are delighted to announce The Firs Staffordshire, as the winner of our Club of the Year 2024!
The Firs Club was named West Midlands Regional Club of the Year three years in a row, and has now claimed its first ever Club of the Year title. The Club serves amazing quality beer, with its very own on-site microbrewery that has featured in our Good Beer Guide.

CAMRA has launched new logos to replace the old 'bubble logos'

The new logo will only be available in black or white.

. You can read more and sign the petition here:

https://chng.it/phZQcqCB87

- IMPORTANT UPDATE -

As ever we felt we needed to be 100% transparent with our locals, customers and everyone in between. Unfortunately Torbay Council have issued us with a notice explaining their desire to review the licence here at The Devon Dumpling. What Next? As you may have noticed, the council have placed notices on the window of the pub and the lamp post outside the pub. We as a community and pub now have 28 days to gather representations and evidence to SAVE our pub. We have decided to put together a petition (linked below) as this is one of the most effective ways of gaining support. It would mean the world and more to myself, the staff and everyone in between if you could a couple of moments to sign and share our petition. I would like to ask from the bottom of my heart that this post DOES NOT become a witch hunt to ANYONE! Rest assured we are all doing everything within our power to stay positive and do everything we can to keep our pub alive and open. We will be open as normal, and everything will continue as normal, including our live music both this evening and over the weekend - I do however ask EVERYONE to listen and comply when being asked to move in from the gardens, quieten down or anything else they may ask of you. If anyone else thinks they may be able to help/aid in anyway then please don't hesitate to get in touch. Stay Positive, Stay Happy and Long Live the Local x

. You can read more and sign the petition here:

https://chng.it/phZQcqCB87

The Certificate Following our Beer & Cider Festival earlier this year, where Devon Air Ambulance was our chosen charity, we were invited to visit the Devon Ambulance airfield to receive a Certificate of Thanks for the £813 we raised. The depot is at Eaglescott Airfield, Burrington, Umberleigh, Devon, not a short journey. On arrival we were given a presentation of the impressive activities undertaken by the Air Ambulance, We were then given a close up tour of the helicopter, until it had to leave on a 'shout', a very interesting couple of hours.

Presentation of Certificate Taking off Thank You banner presented in Totnes

Sandford Orchards has just launched the 2025 Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards which offer aspiring cider makers the chance to win an invaluable package of advice, guidance and guaranteed listings in the on and off trade. These unique awards, which are now in their fourth year, are free to enter, open to cider makers producing between 3,000 and 50,000 litres of cider or perry per year and designed to support the future of cider in the UK. The closing date is 31st January 2025.
Barny Butterfield, Chief Cidermaker at Sandford Orchards and founder of the awards comments: ”When we launched the inaugural Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards at the end of 2019, we had no idea that they would prove to be such a huge success. I set them up because we wanted to give something back to the industry that I love and I wanted to ensure that fledgling cider makers, who share my passion for real cider, were given the opportunity to thrive. Business is tough and it can be really daunting trying to get started. We are keen to support emerging cider makers in order to secure the future of quality cider enjoyment for generations to come and the response since the launch in 2019 has been incredibly encouraging. There is a hugely talented pool of new cider makers in the UK and we are looking forward to meeting more of them as part of the 2025 award process.”
The Breakthrough Cider Maker Award entrants will be judged by industry experts including Tom Oliver, Gabe Cook and Mary Topp and the winner will receive a prize package that includes a £500 Vigo voucher, a listing at their local Stable Pizza, a listing at The London Cider House, a Sandford Orchards collaboration limited edition cider and a visit by Sandford Orchards’ cider makers to offer practical help and advice about set up. The two runners up will both receive a £200 voucher from Bag In Box Shop UK and all three winners will receive a 12 month listing at Darts Farm, Devon and a 12 month listing on www.sandfordorchards.co.uk. Plus, everyone who enters will receive personalised, practical and actionable feedback.
Andy Jenkins (pictured) from Ganley and Naish, the most recent winners of the award comments : “Winning the award proved to myself that I can make cider, and cider to a good standard. As silly as that sounds, having peer approval has been hugely validating. Being in the company of amazing previous winners and runners up, is an exclusive club that I am going to cherish forever.”

Andy Jenkins (L) from Ganley and Naish with Gabe Cook

Gabe Cook, The Ciderologist and awards’ judge adds: “It is a joy to be part of these utterly unique and crucial Breakthrough Cider Awards. To give small cider makers not only a platform to shine, but to have real financial and technical support is fabulous. Bravo to Sandford Orchards for, not for the first time, thinking about the big picture and giving something back to the cider community.”

The Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards were launched by Sandford Orchards at the end of 2019 and aim to recognise and celebrate excellent quality whole juice ciders from around the UK. Sandford Orchards would like to thank Vigo, Bag In Box Shop UK, The Stable and The London Cider House for their support and prize donations.
For further information on the Sandford Orchards Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards please visit www.sandfordorchards.co.uk/cider-awards. or follow Sandford Orchards on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The Winter edition of the popular Beer magazine is now available, Click here to download a copy

Overall winners:
Gold: Crouch Vale Brewery, Amarillo
Silver: Anspach & Hobday,The IPA
Bronze: Green Jack Brewery, Trawlerboys Best Bitter

Mild category winners:
Gold: Penzance Brewing co, Mild
Silver: Brains Brewery, Dark
Bronze: Five Kingdoms Brewery, McGregor’s Wild

Session Bitter category winners:
Gold: Logan Beck Brewing, Proper Bitter
Silver: Mighty Oak Brewing Company Captain Bob
Bronze: Windsor & Eton Brewery, Guardsman

Premium Bitter category winners:
Gold: Green Jack Brewery Trawlerboys Best Bitter
Silver: Sharp's Brewery Sea Fury
Bronze: Cairngorm Brewery Wildcat

IPAs category winners:
Gold: Anspach & Hobday, The IPA
Silver: Byatt's Brewery, Mahana IPA
Bronze: Bragdy Twt Lol at The Trefforest Brewery Dreigiau’r Diafol / Diablo Dragons

Session Pale, Blond & Golden Ales category winners:
Gold: Loch Lomond Brewery, Southern Summit
Silver: Oakham Ales, Citra
Bronze: Bewdley Brewery, Sunshine

Premium Pale, Blond and Golden Ales category winners:
Gold: Crouch Vale Brewery, Amarillo
Silver: St Austell Brewery, Proper Job
Bronze: Swannay Brewery Orkney IPA

Winter Round winners:
Stouts and Porters, Session: Lancaster Brewery Lancaster Black
Stouts and Porters, Strong: Green Jack Brewery Baltic Trader
Speciality, Flavoured: Purple Moose Brewery/Bragdy Mŵs Piws Elderflower Ale (Cwrw Ysagwen)
Barley Wines and Strong Old Ales: Sarah Hughes Brewery (The Beacon Hotel) Snowflake

Read the full press release here: https://ow.ly/631J50TRQgz

The Autumn edition of News & Brews will be appearing in a pub near in the next few days. Remember they are free to take away or read and replace

The Sunshine Festival cask ales, ciders and perries are now confirmed and can be viewed or downloaded here

During our recent Annual General Meeting it was decided to update our Branch Logo.
You will now see the new logo starting to appear on digital media and eventually on Branch Leisurewear.

The Blue Anchor in Teignmouth was chosen for the launch of this year's festival special, brewed for us by Teignmouth Brewery - a 4.7% IPA. The initial tasting fell to a selection of branch members and customers, they all look as though they enjoyed it!

Buses are the UK’s most used form of public transport!
17-23 June

Following our Gold Award in 2023, this year we were awarded Silver at the Members Weekend in Dundee

Some of the Burton Union sets, recently decommissioned by Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Co (CMBC), have found a new home at Thornbridge Brewery.

The Burton Union sets in place in Thornbridge’s Riverside Brewery

More details can be found here in an article by Darren for Beer and Cider News

The awards for Pub of the Year, Club of the Year and Town Pub of the Year were presented on Saturday 6th April 2024
Details and photos can be found here

Salcombe Brewery have won Silver Award for their Island Street Porter in the 2024 CAMRA South West Regional Competition in the Strong, Stouts and Porters category.
Photo shows Dave Buckler (right), South Devon CAMRA Sunshine Beer & Cider Festival Organiser, presenting Sam Beaman with the award.