You know those combined tables and benches you find in picnic areas, pub gardens and some beer festivals. As you know in most cases the benches are joined to the tables.
Well over the weekend just gone Mrs Ken and myself visited the Berwick Food and Beer Festival for the first time. Held in a large marquee outside the old barracks, the place was heaving when we arrived but luckily found some empty seats, sorry benches. Real Ale was supplied by mostly Northumberland and Scottish Borders Breweries such as Bear Claw, Born in the Borders and Hetton Law. They each had their own bar with 3 - 4 handpulls each. Beer was served in plastic glasses.
There were dozens of the aforesaid tables, but unfortunately the benches weren't fixed. This had the amusing result of ; if one person was on one end, and another at the other; and if one stood up, the poor individual at the other end invariably nearly slid off the end. One poor sod sat down and his bench collapsed, spilling his pint dangerously close to yours truly. You know when spilt beer is coming towards you and you try to get out the way.
Still, along with the local beers, the music and the hogroast, it made for an entertaining afternoon.
On Sunday we had a day in Edinburgh then on our way home on the Monday we decided, as the tide was out, to cross the causeway to Holy Island. The main reason for the detour was to visit Lindisfarne Castle. Unfortunately it was closed for a wedding. All I have to say about this is I hope the speeches overran and they were stranded on the island when the tide came in.
Anyhow, I had heard that a new brewery called Beacon Brauhaus had been set up in a coffee bar called Pilgrims. Curious to learn more we battled through all the bloody tourists into the cafe & I managed to have a quick chat with one of the busy servers, who was very patient with me.
Apparently the beer, which is only in bottled form for now, is brewed in the cafes kitchen ! It is to be hoped to move into a shed later, with real ale following next year. The unfiltered beer is only sold in the cafe and in a farm shop in Belford on the mainland.
The Beers on sale were Loss of Signal ( blonde), Lady Eleanor ( Elderflower Pale Ale) and Night Crawler , a porter which I bought.. At £3.80 a bottle - a bit pricey but obviously aimed at the tourists.
As we left the island before the tide rushed in I thought, bugger Ive forgotten to ask what the brewery name means, then I figured it out. Brauhaus is German for Brewery and the name Beacon comes from the 2 old obelisk shaped lighthouses you can see from most of the island. ( probably great from the top of the castle ha ha). Still not sure why use a German name but I'm sure all will becomes clear at some point. 
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