Beer-tasting night comes to Wirral in April

Mar 23 2011 by Matt Hurst, Birkenhead News

Beer-tasting night comes to Wirral in April

Head for a Beernight at Ellie’s Bar, Greasby on April 15. Tickets, which include your beer, cost £10 and must be bought in advance, from Ellie’s, on 0151 678 0104

IT usually comes in smaller bottles and you don’t have to spit it out, but there is much to discover about the humble beer.

Wine tasting has been a popular excuse for a boozy evening since the height of the yuppie boom, and now three friends from Wirral are transferring the template to give exotic beers a chance to shine.

Paul Rowley, Jez Lamb and Andy Crompton are bringing a beer-tasting event to Ellie’s Bar in Greasby, and promising your taste buds a trip around the world.

Paul, 40 said: “We started the beer tasting for an evening of amusement for the lads.

“A lot of our wives had been getting together over the years and doing things like a book club, or pudding night, and we felt slightly outdone.

“So I said to friends Andy and Jez, they’re getting out with good excuses and we’re just sat here twiddling out thumbs – we should do a beer tasting night.

“We thought about it, and thought it would be a good laugh, so we researched some worldwide beers.

“The idea is to get some unusual beers that people maybe haven’t heard of, and make them as exotic as possible.”

The nights started at each others’ homes but have proved so popular, Paul and chums decided to broaden out and invite the general public.

And their first event will take place at Ellie’s on April 15.

The format will see everyone given the opportunity to taste a wide range of beers, as part of the ticket price paid.

A champion beer for the evening will then be decided upon, and to ensure an educational aspect to proceedings, a quiz on the beers and associated facts will test more than the tastebuds.

And there’s no wasting good booze in the spittoon when it comes to beer-tasting.

Paul, a building surveyor and dad of two boys, added: “There’s no set rules – you can consume all the beer you taste.”