Pellicle x FyneFest — Meet the Brewer Talks and Events Schedule
Pellicle is thrilled to be heading back to Glen Fyne this June after what feels like forever! We’re once again excited to be organising and hosting the talks at this year's FyneFest, with the aim of bringing the joy and positivity our publication has built its reputation on to what is one of our favourite festivals of all time.
We’re also mixing things up a little this time. The last couple of years have been tough on us all, so we want to make sure that as well as delivering interesting panel talks, we also do some events that will hopefully put a smile on your face. For the first ever time we’ll be presenting our brand new beer themed game show Shooting Sparge. And on Saturday night we’re teaming up with our pals at Queer Brewing to host a disco and dance party in the Brewers Lounge on the main festival site. Expect banging tunes and cold cans aplenty!
As per previous years will be taking over the Top Barn, adjacent to the Brewery Tap and Courtyard. All of the events are free to attend, but will require pre-registration due to the limited capacity of the venue. Audience participation will be encouraged, giving festival attendees the chance to ask the brewers taking part in the events any burning questions they might have. If you do happen to miss out on the talks, fear not! Everything will be recorded and published via The Pellicle Podcast shortly after the festival.
Both of Pellicle’s founders, Jonny Hamilton and Matthew Curtis, plus associate editor, and Queer Brewing founder Lily Waite will be on hand to host the events, and chat about all things beer, wine and cider. There will also be a can bar operating within the Top Barn, so you can exchange your tokens for something to refresh yourself with while being entertained.
Check out the full schedule below, and see you up in the Glen!
Huge thanks to our friends at Fyne Ales for being a Pro-Tier Patreon supporter. If you’d like to support Pellicle with a monthly or yearly donation, you can sign up here.
Friday 3rd June
6pm: Pellicle Presents — SHOOTING SPARGE — The Beer Themed Game Show!
Join hosts Jonny and Matt in our beer-themed homage to one of our favourite 90s TV game shows, Shooting Stars! Two teams will compete for the ultimate prize: a feeling of enormous well being and gratitude. This promises to be a whole lot of Jarl-field silliness and fun. We’ve never done this before, so you’ll have to turn up to find out exactly how it goes, because honestly, we have no idea!
Featuring special guests: Lily Waite and Amber Dernulc of Queer Brewing, Colin Stronge of Salt Beer Factory, and Derek Bates of Duration Brewing — Get tickets here
Saturday 4th June
12pm: Weathering the Pandemic Storm — An Interview with Fyne Ales’ Managing Director Jamie Delap
To mark the beginning of FyneFest back in 2019 we held a frank discussion with Fyne Ales owner and managing director Jamie Delap. Given how much has changed in the beer industry since then, we feel it’s apt to pick up this conversation where we left off, and learn how the brewery adapted to the challenges thrown at them, from the pandemic, to the cost of living crisis, and more besides. We’ll also take time to chat about the good stuff, such as how excited the brewery is to once again be hosting FyneFest, and what exciting new beers they have up their sleeve for us later this year.
Featuring special guest: Jamie Delap of Fyne Ales — Get tickets here
1:15pm: The Beer All and End All — An Open Discussion on Mental Health within the Beer Industry
Times are tough in beer, and it’s more important than ever that discussions about how this affects us are honest and personal. Join Pellicle co-founder and brewer at Newbarns in Leith Jonny Hamilton for an open discussion about mental health in the beer and hospitality industries. Perhaps most importantly this will give us the opportunity to reflect on how best to support one another, and ensure a more positive future for everyone involved.
Featuring special guests: Dominic Driscoll of Thornbridge, Andy Parker of Elusive Brewing, and Siobhan Hewison of Jump Ship Brewing — Get tickets here
3pm: More Foeders More Problems — Has the Barrel Ageing Bubble Burst?
A few years ago it felt like beer lovers couldn’t get enough of delicious, complex, barrel aged beers. From sharp, tantalising sours to delectable stouts, these beers were intended to be as collectible as they were drinkable, with the idea that they’d be as at home in your personal stash as they would your glass. Recently, however, tastes feel like they have shifted back to more dependable, core styles of beer—take cask Bitter for example, along with every brewer's favourite drink, Lager. Join us for a chat about what the future for barrel aged beer might look like, and if you’re lucky there might be a few very special free samples available from our guest speakers!
Featuring special guests: Lee Grabham of Brew York, Dave McHardy of Fierce Beer and Toby McKenzie of RedWillow — Get tickets here
4:15pm: The Bitter End — Are Traditional Cask Beer Styles Back for Good?
Look towards the beery corners of social media and it will not take you long to find a delicious looking pint of foamy cask beer, and plenty of chatter in the comments below about the joy of pints. It’s fair to say that traditional cask styles like Bitter and Mild are having a moment in 2022. But are they really? Official data shows that overall sales of cask beer is still in double-digit decline. With this in mind, how strong is the category really? Join our panel to discuss if this emergent love of traditional cask pints just a flash in the pan, or if we’re seeing the beginnings of a true, real ale resurgence.
Featuring special guests: Malcolm Downie of Fyne Ales, Mark Welsby of Runaway, and Laura Rangeley of Abbeydale Brewery — Get tickets here
10.30pm–Late: Queer Brewing x Pellicle Presents a Brewers Lounge Disco Dance Party
Once the hard work of hosting these panel discussions is done, well be ready to party, and we’re teaming up with the partiest people we know to host a disco—our pals at Queer Brewing! Join us in the Brewers Lounge in the main festival site from 10.30pm. Our Jonny will be spinning the tunes, and there’ll be a keg from Queer Brewing on the bar, so you’ll be able to exchange your tokens for tasty beer. Join us for a drink and a dance in a Queer friendly space to see out your Saturday evening in style! (No tickets are required, just turn up and have a dance!)
Fynefest takes place from Friday 3rd — Sunday 5th June 2022. Attending these events will require pre-registration to attend due to the capacity limits of the Top Barn. Tickets for the festival itself are now completely sold out, and we look forward to partying with you all in the Glen!
