I’m getting drunk for you

Buy vegan beer online

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If you are a vegan in the UK and you’ve been to a vegan event, chances are you know about Pitfield Brewery.

Pitfield is a company that is everywhere in the vegan scene.

Whether they are running the exclusive bar at VegfestUK London or driving long distances to serve at small vegan events around the country, Pitfield staff are well known to us plant consumers who enjoy a tipple.

But now you don’t have to wait for Pitfield to roll their kegs into your town as you can shop for beer via their brand new online shop!

pitfield

All of your favourites are available and you get a discount when you buy 6 bottles. Get one of everything!

Click here to shop online now.

Extra note: Pitfield head brewer Andy is running the beer bar at Manchester Vegan Beer Fest in September, so you can expect quite a bit of their good stuff as well as plenty of local beers. Click here to buy tickets.

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Listen to this

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Here is a musical interlude to break up your dreary day. Or to add extra value to your already awesome day. You pick!

Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest is just over a week away so I’m thrilled to finally be able to announce some news I was holding under my hat.

Attendees at the 12pm – 5pm daytime session will have the pleasure of not one but two live musical sets by irresistible Scottish band The Swizzle Sisters.

I adore the sound of this folk country band and the fact they are all animal lovers just makes it a sweeter deal to have them on board for the event (Patti and Paula are both longtime vegans while Maggie is veggie – our job is to turn her on the day!).

Have a listen to one of my favourite songs by the band.

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You can like The Swizzle Sisters on Facebook. A limited quantity of the band’s CDs will be sold on the day at the merch stand.

Buy cheap advance tickets for Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest online now for just £4 plus small booking fee.

Read about the special Mono food menu for the event here.

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Menu for Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest

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If you thought we weren’t taking food seriously at Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest later this month, you are in for a rude shock.

I take no small delight in presenting to you the exclusive Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest menu from the Mono kitchen.

Are you ready for this?

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GLASGOW VEGAN BEER FESTIVAL MENU

OUTSIDE BBQ MENU

Seitan burger in a sourdough burger bun with baby gem lettuce, bbq sauce, American mustard, white onions, dill pickles and beef tomato £6.00

Seitan burger in a sourdough bun with home-made kimchi £6.00

Seitan and black pudding burger in a sourdough bun with blue cheese sauce and caramelized red onion£6.00

Frankfurter in a soft bun with home made sauerkraut and mustard £6.00

Falafel burger on a bun with chili jam, mayo, baby gem and pickled veg (gf) £6.00

Add cheese to burgers – 50p

INDOOR MENU

Sourdough pizzas (gf available)

Margarita with fresh basil £7.50

Lahmacun Turkish style pizza with soya mince, roasted aubergine, white onion with a herbed diced salad, and topped with za’atar and yoghurt £9.00

Spicy Italian sausage, fresh red chilies, enoki mushrooms, black olives, fresh basil, smoked chili oil and cheese £9.00

Buffalo cauliflower, red onion, cheese, fresh oregano and Caesar sauce £9.00

Griddled yellow and green courgette with peas, mint and sumac served with or without vegan feta £9.00

Beetroot, kale, dill and garlic cream cheese, sun-blushed tomato, red onion and capers £9.00

Ham, pineapple, jalapeno and cheese £9.00

 

Mac & cheese (gf) £5

Add chipotle bacon bits £1.00

Add jalapeños 70p

Chickpea mayo melt with celery, dill, capers and red onion served on a toasted French roll with tomato and melted cheese £6.00

Buffalo tempeh burrito with coca cola black beans, dirty brown rice, shredded baby gem, sour cream and sweet corn, pineapple and jalapeño salsa £6.00

Bánh mì with crispy smoked tofu, cucumber and carrot pickle, Sriracha Vegenaise, white onion, basil & coriander, red chilies and shredded baby gem £6.00

Fava, raw beetroot, cucumber, carrot, red onion, black olives and salad wrap with house dressing and fresh mint £6.00

(gf sandwiches available)

 

Fries (gf) £3.50

Cajun fries with aioli (gf) £4

Poutine (gf) £5.00

Hot dog with ketchup, mustard and fried onions served with fries £4.00

Caesar salad with croutons £3.50

add chipotle bacon bits £1.00

 

Raw rainbow salad with beetroot, carrot, red onion and cucumber. In a miso and sesame dressing (gf) £4.00

 

Banana split sundaes 3 flav ice cream with choc fudge sauce, mixed chopped nuts and a maraschino cherry (gf) £4.95

Ice cream cones £2.00

Apple pie with ice cream

Cookie sandwich £3.00

 

What do you think of all that?!

This menu has been a long time in the planning and the Mono chef has done a wonderful job putting it all together. There are at least seven menu items I have marked as ‘must haves’ so I’m not sure how I’m going to have space for beer.

If you are still a little unsure about attending Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest after seeing the above menu and reading about the wide range of breweries represented at the event, maybe this extra piece of news will spike your interest.

I’m beyond thrilled to announce that newly vegan sandwich emporium Kind Crusts will also be selling food during both sessions of Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest!

Between the amazing Mono menu, Kind Crusts coming on board PLUS two top secret bakery stalls yet to be announced (a different company for each session), you are not going to be hungry at Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest.

Tickets are just £4 plus small booking fee. Limited space at both day and night sessions. Book online now!

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Brewery list for Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest

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If you thought we were messing around with Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest, this blog post will set you straight.

The always amazing William Bros. Brewing Co. is curating the beer bar for our event and the list of participating breweries will leave you drooling.

The line up includes:

Windswept Brewing Company of Lossiemouth, Scotland – visit online
Tryst Brewery of Falkirk, Scotland – visit online
Fallen Brewing Company of Kippen, Scotland – vist online
Pilot of Leith, Scotland – visit online
Jaw Brew of Glasgow, Scotland – visit online
Tempest Brew Co. of Galashiels, Scotland – visit online
The Cromarty Brewing Company of Cromarty, Scotland – visit online
Drygate of Glasgow, Scotland – visit online
Loch Lomond Brewery of Jamestown, Scotland – visit online
Stewart Brewing of Edinburgh, Scotland – visit online
Top Out Brewery of Edinburgh, Scotland – visit online

Of course there will also be a lot of drink from William Bros. themselves as well as the much loved cider of Thistly Cross. Mono will be in charge of wine as well as non-alcohol drinks.

Full beer list will be announced before the event and every attendee will be handed a tick sheet featuring the entire rundown of drinks, as well as collectible branded pint cup to use on the day AND keep forever.

In addition, details of our food menus will be released very shortly with a stunning bar menu by Mono plus several special guest caterers who I know you will all adore.

Add to this some unique musical guests and we have one extremely unmissable event planned for Glasgow on Saturday August 27, 2016.

Buy your cheap advance tickets now and RSVP to the Facebook event page where you can also invite friends.

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A Bottle of Wine with FGV – Jake Yapp

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I’ve started a new series of videos on Facebook Live called A Bottle of Wine with FGV.

Yes, all your Internet dreams are coming true. You get to watch me get drunk in real time with a special guest!

First up to take this adventure was my buddy Jake Yapp. Jake is hilarious. His new stand up show One in a Million is playing in Edinburgh throughout August, he publishes lots of funny stuff online and keeps everyone updated with latest news via his website. Oh yeah, he’s also vegan.

Now for the descent into a tipsy haze with Jake and FGV.

 

Beer and food for charity

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If you are anywhere in the vicinity of Orpington this Saturday (July 30, 2016) you need to make time to get along to this wonderful event.

The Orpington Liberal Club is playing host to a fundraising night called Flap 4 F.R.I.E.N.D.S., with money going to F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Animal Rescue.

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The venue always has an amazing selection of quality vegan ales on offer and my friend Alternative Chef Steph sent me a preview of her special food menu for the night.

It includes:

Ponga Harvest Platter

BBQ jackfruit & smoky cheeze quesadillas
Chorizo & potato tortilla
Tomato salsa
Roasted padron peppers

Cheeze Taster Plate

Dragons Breath (chipotle chile cheddar)
Stilton style
Cheddar style

All served with freshly baked bread & home made green tomato chutney

Raw Cake Taster Plate

Bounty
Carrot with lemon cashew frosting
Ginger slice

All of that delicious sounding food is vegan as well as being gluten and refined sugar free.

On top of the wonderful food and drink being sold, the event will feature music and spoken word performances.

It will only cost you £5 on the door, you’ll have a fabulous night out and you will be helping F.R.I.E.N.D.S. carry on with their crucial work.

Get more details and RSVP on the Facebook event page.

By attending this event, you will be directly helping animals like Gary the goat (pictured below). If you are unable to attend this event but would like to support Gary and his friends, you can donate online.
FRIEND+animals+04

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London pub goes meat free

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This is a bit unexpected.

Just around the corner from where I currently reside in Brentford/South Ealing is a rather gorgeous pub called The Lord Nelson.

The pub has a particularly attractive beer garden and some awesome entertainment, but what really sets it apart from other watering holes in the city is the fact that every now and then it goes meat free.

With a chef who used to work at Vanilla Black now in charge of food, The Lord Nelson is taking an unusual step for a London pub. Or maybe it isn’t so uncommon now. Do you know of any pubs in the UK doing meat free nights or weeks?

The Lord Nelson has its current meat free menu running until July 23, 2016. Ask to see the special vegan version of the menu when you dine.

Now for some photos!

Drinking a pale ale by @littlecreatures_hk at @thelordnelson #vegan #beer

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Mock duck curry at @thelordnelson in Brentford #vegan

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Pulled jackfruit with a chilli sauce at @thelordnelson in Brentford #vegan

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

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My first Zizzi visit

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My blog post about the vegan menu at Zizzi a little while back blew up big time. People love reading about vegan pizza!

I wrote that first post while I was still in Mexico, so one of my first jobs to get done upon my arrival in London was a trip to my local Zizzi.

Oh my!

Checking out the #vegan menu at @wearezizzi in Chiswick right now!

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Guzzling this #vegan berry cider by @aspalluk at @wearezizzi in Chiswick

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

This #vegan pizza at @wearezizzi is DELICIOUS. Check out that @mozzarisella melted all over!

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Vegan cider and vegan pizza? I was in heaven.

I thought the pizza was one of the finest I’ve had in a long while, but not pictured here is the rather dull vegan garlic bread. It had no discernible flavour. We thought we had been given plain bread and, when we asked our server, we were told the kitchen had rubbed garlic across the bread. It must have barely touched it!

The bread was the only disappointment in an otherwise gorgeous meal. The Mozzarisella cheese is perfection when melted.

Yay for vegan options at Zizzi!

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FGV beer

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There is big news and then there is ENORMOUS news.

In conjunction with The Dominion Brewery Company (home of Pitfield), I am beyond thrilled to announce a beer called Fat Gay Vegan.

Yes, that’s correct. My very own vegan beer.

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My love affair with Mexico has inspired my first beer.

A lot of Mexicans are partial to salt in their beer. This was first introduced to me by my friend Julio almost 7 years ago in a gay bar in Mexico City and I was instantly smitten.

When it came to making my own beer, I wanted to reference this Mexican style so ended up with one of the most delicious drinks around by combining pale ale, pink salt and fresh lime juice.

My buddy Laurie of mega-rad band SLAVES heard about my foray into beer production and was keen to get involved. Laurie is an incredibly talented artist with a style I can’t get enough of, so his take of me in a Mexican wrestling mask for my beer label is a dream come true. (Laurie has his first solo art show next month in Edinburgh!)

Bottles of Fat Gay Vegan pale ale are set to start rolling out across London and then the UK in a few weeks but if you can’t wait that long, you are in good fortune.

London Vegan Beer Fest is the first place anywhere in the world you can get a taste of this new beer. Andy from Dominion has kindly organised a strictly limited cask of Fat Gay Vegan to be served at the event on Saturday July 16, 2016.

Be one of the first people on the planet to try Fat Gay Vegan beer!

Please note that there is only one cask of Fat Gay Vegan beer being served. This is a special preview of my beer and it will probably go quickly (mostly into my belly). Be early if you want to buy a pint of Fat Gay Vegan.

Online tickets for London Vegan Beer Fest are only £5 plus small booking fee. Buy them now!

Beer talks this weekend!

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London Vegan Beer Fest isn’t just a place where you drink, eat and have a fab time. You can also learn stuff.

I’m absolutely thrilled to announce Oliver Coningham as a very special guest at our event this Saturday July 12, 2016.

Oliver knows a lot about beer and enjoys sharing his expertise and passion for the good stuff with others. It is for these very reasons we have asked Oliver to host two information sessions during London Vegan Beer Fest.

Session one taking place at 1pm will suit beer know-it-alls and novices alike as Oliver runs the assembled drinkers through the A-to-Z of vegan beer. Why is vegan beer vegan? Why is beer sometimes not vegan? How is vegan beer made? You’ll find this talk fascinating and it will equip you with all the info you need to go forward in life as a vegan beer expert.

Session two at around 4pm is set to feature Oliver telling you everything you need to know about different varieties of beer. Don’t know how to tell a porter from a stout or an IPA from a lager? This session will have you feeling like a beer expert in no time. Your new party trick down the pub will be explaining the brewing process for every drink being poured within your vicinity.

Oliver’s talks will be taking place in the gorgeous Galley, a stunning dining room featuring Thames views from every position. Sip your beer as you listen to our expert talk and make sure you come armed with some questions to ask. Buy your London Vegan Beer Fest tickets now.

oliver collage

Make sure you visit Oliver’s brand new beer and food pairing website called The Fork & Carrot. You’ll find reviews, event news and more. You can also follow Fork & Carrot on Facebook and Twitter.

You can see the full list of beers being served at London Vegan Beer Fest here and the full food menu here. Tickets are £5 in advance online or £8 on the day depending on available space.

RSVP and invite friends on the Facebook event page.

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