GAVIN AITCHISON brings news of how home brewers can now pick up tips from the experts.

THE pub is prime breeding ground for weird and wonderful ideas. Most of us, I’m sure, have sat down with a pint and a pal and come up over the course of the evening with phenomenal ideas, world-changing schemes, and marvellous adventures – even if many do seem somewhat less splendid the following morning.

So putting a load of brewers in a pub, and challenging them to come up with ideas, is a promising proposition. Brewers are experimental beasts even at the worst of times, bored by the mundane and craving creativity, so ramping up the randomiser could lead to exciting results.

I won’t be the only one waiting with interest to hear what comes out of The Craft Ale Exchange, an exciting new project in York. Home brewing is enjoying a resurgence right now, aided by the broader growth in beer enthusiasm, and York’s scene is gradually growing.

Under the banner of The Craft Ale Exchange, budding home brewers and more experienced professionals from local breweries will be meeting up in The Blue Boar in Castlegate to brainstorm, share ideas and expertise, and to discuss their latest and next brews.

The meetings will be bi-monthly, with the first at 7pm on April 25, and it is hoped a different local brewery will appear as guest each month.

Any local home brewers are invited to head along, with a bottle of their latest brew.

Gareth Hughes is the man behind the project. He said: “Simply bring along a bottle of your latest brew for tasting and discussion.

"We shall even have access to our own music choices, so expect an eclectic mix of genres. The aim of the Craft Ale Exchange is to also pool our collective knowledge via our Facebook group, as we hope the community grows as a vital resource for the swapping of stories and ideas.

“My aim is for it to be a craft ale social, everyone sharing their knowledge and experience. You don’t have to bring a beer if you’re not brewing yet (in fact the manager will like extra sales at the bar), so it’s open to everyone who’s interested.”

Anyone wanting to know more, or to join the group, can visit facebook.com/groups/craftaleexchange or email cawoodbrewery@outlook.com or follow @cawoodbrewery on twitter.

• TALKING of creativity....

There are some exciting beers coming out of Rudgate Brewery in Tockwith these days. This month, they produced Brew No 15 on their experimental series, a coffee and date brown ale.

In April, that will be followed by No 16 – “Stars & Stripes”, a 5.2 per cent “supercharged IPA”, brewed with seven American hops. And next month, No 17 is a Dark Cherry Mild. The brewery says the cherry will be quite subtle, but time will tell.

• A REMINDER about some upcoming beer festivals....

Suddaby’s at The Crown Hotel in Malton has its spring festival from Thursday to Sunday, Easter Weekend. There will be around 25 beers and three or four ciders, as well as live music on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.

On May 2, Yorkshire Heart Brewery in Nun Monkton has its beer and music festival, and throughout that weekend, to coincide with the Tour de Yorkshire cycling race, four York pubs are holding the Four de Yorkshire beer festival.

The participating pubs are The Phoenix in George Street, The Masons Arms in Fishergate, The Waggon and Horses in Lawrence Street and The Woolpack in Fawcett Street.