The Team from Blue Ball Brewery.

Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

Alton from Chester's Roman Walls

Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

Second Delivery at the Cellar Bar Chester

Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

First Delivery of CBAS IPA to Artichoke Bistro, Chester

Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

Ann Marie Samples the CBAS IPA on Alton's Chester Beer Run

Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

Alton with Cargo of Beer Aboard on Chester Locks

Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

Alton's Blueball Brewery &CBAS Chester Beer Run

The weekend before last, Saturday 3rd November, we had an unusual job for Alton. Blue Ball Brewery at Runcorn http://www.blueballbrewery.com had brewed a old style special IPA to celebrate Chester Beer Appreciation Societies (CBAS)http://therealcbas.wordpress.com/ first birthday. They wanted to deliver the beer to canalside pubs in Chester & so approached us to see if we could help. We're always up for something new & if it involves good beer then even better.

We loaded the 6 barrels at Christleton & were joined by Mark & the guys from Blue Ball brewery. We gave them lessons in lock wheeling as we made our way down the locks into Chester. Our first delivery was at Artichoke Bistro http://www.artichokechester.co.uk/, which is in the iconic Steam Mill building. We stopped here for a sample of some of their fine ales & chat with quite a few people from CBAS that had come to see the delivery, the food looked lovely & we'll be heading back here again when we tie up in Chester. Andy from CBAS then helped unload the beer & after a few photos it was ceremoniously dropped down into the cellar. We finished our drinks (at least some of us did) & invited a few more guests on board Alton & headed a little further down the cut to the Cellar Bar http://www.thecellarchester.co.uk/index.html for our second delivery, this is a very pleasant modern style bar with good live music. By this time our brewery crew had caught up. We made our way around Chester's Roman Walls to Northgate staircase. We explained & demonstrated how the staircase worked & made our way down the locks accompanied by the flashes of cameras & the gaze of tourists. Our final drop was to Telfords Warehouse http://www.telfordswarehousechester.com/, a brilliantly situated pub over looking Chester Basin. We unloaded the last of the beer & had a good banter with the crew & assembled guests. We left the gang to get more beers in as we headed north towards our final destination of Ellesmere Port Boat Museum, but not before stopping as darkness fell at Stoak where we retired to the Bunbury Arms for a well earned pint & dinner. On Sunday after a very busy morning at Ellesmere Port, we returned to Chester & through Northgate Staircase before the stoppage commenced the next morning. We then joined by my Brother Mike & friends Viv & Jason at Kash Bar where we had an excellent evening drinking Blue Balls fine ales & good food. Amazingly we had no hangovers when we set off at 7.30 the next morning!
Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals