Deeside Brewery

From http://iansaleadventures.blogspot.com/

Greetings once more from USA - we're now ensconced in our daughter's home in Grants Pass, Southern Oregon - home of the local microbrewery Wild River (http://www.wildriverbrewing.com/). They have a few outlets round here - so far, I've only managed to visit the one in nearby Medford. Good IPA, so I took home a small carry-out.


Pizzas and beer seem to be a popular combination. Our first stop when we landed at Medford on Friday was to head for Kaleidoscope (http://www.kaleidoscopepizza.com/) - great selection of beers and the whole place is a bit of a shrine to the Grateful Dead (a favourite of the founder's apparently).


On this Gerry Garcia theme, I saw look-a-like George Howie's note asking the BLO for comments on Deeside Brewery's planning application. It is, of course, a retrospective application, which is not usually the best way to get approval. As reported previously in my blog, the brewery moved from Deeside Activity Park to a steading in owner Mike Bain's home at Auchattie, on the south side of the Dee from Banchory town centre, a couple of months ago.


It is a very quiet part of the country with narrow roads not used to much traffic and I was already aware of local rumblings from some of the neighbours concerning the fact that the brewery had been moved in without going through the usual channels.


The planning application was officially received by the Council on 28th June, 2012 - a month or so after I had visited the new location and posted photos on the blog. So far there are 10 Public Comments listed on ACC's web site - I haven't read them all, but I imagine they are all objections from neighbours.


Only one Council department has commented so far on the application, and that is the Roads Department, who have withheld their formal recommendation pending further information from the applicant - their concern is about turning circles - there is apparently some evidence of damage to roadside verges.


The closing date for Public Comment is tomorrow - 26th July. It's easy to do this - just go to http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/planning/apps/detail.asp?ref_no=APP/2012/2167 and press "submit comment". You don't even have to say anything other than whether you are for or against the planning application being approved. I've already submitted my approval.


I'm sorry to have missed the Deeside Beer Festival at Potarch, but, from comments I've heard, it seems to have been pretty successful. I noted that a few CAMRA members didn't seem to have been aware of the festival, but I thought it was pretty well promoted - at least locally in Deeside, and certainly on Facebook. I'd commented on it in my blog a few times over the last few months, going back to my first meeting with Mike Bain back in February.