Viva Brighton Issue #65 July 2018

BITS AND BOGS
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MAGAZINE OF THE MONTH: HOP & BARLEY
Viva has hit the perfect Brighton
theme this month. The dictionary
tells me that botanicals means ‘any
substance derived from parts of a
plant and used in making drugs or
pesticides or flavouring foodstuffs’.
So which drug shall we talk about?
Let’s do beer, which is everywhere
in Brighton and, seemingly,
spreading all the time with the
renovation of pubs and the growth
of microbreweries.
Hop & Barley is a magazine about beer. The title
tells you almost everything you need to know about
beer’s botanical links. The latest issue leaves the big
boys and the microbrewers alone and focuses on
those good people who brew at home.
It’s a frothy issue, covering the waterfront from
the days not long ago of ‘Dad’s bucket in the airing
cupboard and the foul, farty, headache-inducing
brews it used to make’ to the more splendid equipment
of today and its tastier outcomes.
There’s a piece about the Manchester Homebrew
group and their collaboration with the Rivington
Brewing company; homebrew
recipes chosen by five of Hop &
Barley’s favourite brewers; a look
at homebrew machines and other
kit; and a piece about a group of
wine makers who have all turned
their skills to brewing beer.
Oh… and who would have known
that home brewers got caught up
in Gladstone’s legislation of 1880
that required them to pay tax and
be legally registered? Of course,
lots of them weren’t but they were only officially
let loose when the legislation was repealed in 1963
and home brewing was set afire again.
There’s one other reason we are pleased to focus
on beer this month. Our shop is next door to Trafalgar
Wines, which sells relatively little wine but a
fantastic range of beers from small brewers. If you
come to see us, pop in there, too.
That’s it for this month. There’s obviously only
one way to finish this review, so here goes:
Cheers, everyone.
Martin Skelton, MagazineBrighton
TOILET GRAFFITO #42
Our toilet graffiti correspondent came across this
down one of Brighton’s back alleys. We’re not sure
what they were doing down there, but we thought this
was sage advice… No matter where you’re going to,
don’t forget where you’re coming from. [Cue reggae
music.] But where is it?
Last month’s answer: Presuming Ed
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