Grog Blog

Cheers' Theory of Intelligence

2011-03-07T09:39:00.002Z

It works for us!

'Well you see, Bob, it's like this . . . A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, Bob, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.'

New Year, New Look

2011-02-11T11:41:00.011Z

The dust has finally settled, the builders have all gone, and the Council have stopped shouting at us for daring to paint the front of our building without paying an exorbitant and totally ludicrous fee for the privilege. Yes, it's a new year at The Grog & Gruel, and a new look.

The impossible brief has been delivered. Congratulations to Burns Design who were asked to modernise the traditional alehouse, but not to break it, to change it but not to detract from what we are. We must admit, we thought we'd got them stumped when we came up with that one, but actually, it all seems to have turned out rather well.

But maybe it's not so surprising after all. Burns Design actually created The Grog & Gruel back in 1994 when we first brought the Traditional Alehouse & Restaurant concept to The Rock & Luigi's, as it was known then. Their working knowledge of the business and our aspirations is probably better placed than anyone else's as a result.

The change has been fairly comprehensive. A new gantry in the Alehouse sets the scene as you walk in through the double doors. The puggy machine has been cast out and in it's place we've now got Chuffer's Corner, possibly the best seat in the house. And the fire helps to add a certain cosiness to the place.

All change in the entrance too. Horace still watches over you as you enter, and we still have a few finishing touches to add here to really make you feel welcome.

Upstairs in the Restaurant there's a new look too. A new servery, new colour scheme, a few more larger tables to help us accommodate you and your friends when you come in together, but, we're pleased to say, still the same smiley helpful waiting staff!

The guys in the kitchen were feeling a little left out, so we took the opportunity of the downtime to bring in a brand new pizza oven, Well, two of them actually. And the difference is, well, you'll need to find out for yourselves!

So, when you're next on Fort William's High Street, do pop in for a look see. You'll still recognise The Grog & Gruel, though you might (hopefully!) spot a few differences.

Hope to welcome you back soon!

Work in progress

2010-12-11T17:35:00.004Z

Working through the weekend, the end of the refurbishment project is now in site. It's all a bit chaotic, but out of the dust and the debris, there are glimpses of the finished product.

Now the frost has gone, the decorators get outside.

We don't want to give too much away - but we can tell you it's going to look fantastic!

The new flock wallpaper has gone on well! (Yes, it's the real thing!)

All will be revealed this coming Thursday. Probably!

Can you tell what it is yet?

Time for a makeover

2010-11-16T13:41:00.005Z

It could be too much day time TV that's done it, but after 16 (long!) years at The Grog & Gruel we reckon that it's now time we had a bit of a makeover.

The Alehouse & Restaurant will be closed from Sunday 28th November, and, assuming all goes to plan, which lets face it is a bit optimistic at best, will re-open on

Thursday 16th December.

Make it a date in your diary. Maybe it's appropriate to bring in the new with a "Bjorn Again" party? 70's flares it is then.

Artist's impression of the new look exterior

No, sorry, forget that. We will have a bit of a re-opening party on Thursday 16th December, but you don't need to come in your flares. Not unless you want to, that is.

The Alehouse will be brought to life with the new karaoke equipment.
Full height, full length wall mirrors will effectively double the size and ensure that you can always check that you're looking hot.

Quit being flippant and tell us what's happening I hear you say?

Back in 1994 we had a clear vision of what The Grog & Gruel was going to be all about. The clue was in the name. Food and drink. No fuss (not an advert for a local events company, but a statement of policy!), no frills, but good honest food and drink in a relaxed environment with a little bit of fun thrown in for good measure. 16 years, we reckon we've got there, and with that in mind, we're not about to change it.

We'll still be The Grog & Gruel, we'll still be an Alehouse and Restaurant, we'll still sell a superb range of real ales, the menus aren't changing, and we'll still be the best pub in town.

We're going for a more retro Italian look in the restaurant, but note that we've made the seats more comfy.

What will change is a little bit of what you see. A lick of paint here, a lick of paint there... And perhaps a little bit extra too. Some stonework, a black stove to huddle round on the very few rainy days we get in Fort William, and..., well you'll just have to wait and see!

Join us on Facebook, and so long as it doesn't all look too scary and off putting, we'll keep you up to date with progress. Now go and find your platforms and iron those flares... Gimme, gimme a man after midnight...

West Highland Way

2010-08-19T13:52:00.001+01:00

So, it's been a busy old summer. Perhaps everyone has come into the Alehouse to shelter from the rain. Perhaps we've just come of age and the word is now out that The Grog & Gruel is just a damn good pub. Or perhaps, it's because the end of the West Highland Way has moved from the Glen Nevis roundabout (was that ever official?) to just outside the doors of the pub. Well, nearly.

The new statue in Gordon Square, Fort William

Regardless of quite why we've been enjoying the sweet sound of cash registers ringing, it's quite refreshing to see a bit of effort being made to welcome tens of thousands of walkers at the end of their ramblings. They've even made a bit of effort to sort out Gordon Square. And look, they've given us a new statue too.

Err..., anyway, The Grog & Gruel is now the end checkpoint (or the first one if you're walking downhill) for getting the final stamp in your West Highland Way Log Book and claiming your certificate.

Friends of Nevis

2010-06-17T17:47:00.003+01:00

A quick thank you from the Friends of Nevis to The Grog and Gruel for being the top fund raiser in the town. But it's not us that should be thanked, it's our customers! So, thanks!

Path repairs 25ooft up a mountain don't come cheap!

Apparently the total to the beginning of June from the bar top collections and trolley token donations is a fairly substantial £617.70 (plus 10 Euros!) Here's a quick note from FoN:

Please pass on my thanks to your team there, because it is definitely the attitude and enthusiasm in promoting/placing the items that really helps. So many times I have been into other outlets to find our leaflets and/or boxes are either under the counter or shoved behind stuff in a corner!

Well, no point doing something if you're not going to do it well. And we're glad to help. Ben Nevis is Fort William's biggest asset. We'd dread to think of the town without it, so it seems only natural that we'd choose to get behind something that helps to protect that asset for now and for future generations.

So, thanks to everyone who's donated. And if you haven't already, see the FoN web site for more easy ways to help out, not all of which involve cash!

I believe the children are our future.

2010-05-24T23:22:00.005+01:00

I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way. So, after much discussion with our lisencing board and paperwork, The Grog and Gruel will now welcome children into our Alehouse during the day in the company of a 'responsible' adult. We hope this is something our customers will find of benefit and also allow parents to enjoy our range of food and drink without having to tie their children up outside.

Although children have always been welcome into our restaurant, getting the green light from the lisencing board to having children into our alehouse took a change in the law to come about. Although under 18's will never be allowed alcohol whilst in The Grog and Gruel a fine range of soft drinks and and excellent hot drinks menu is available as well as a children's menu. We also have a high chair for those tiny wee Grog and Gruel customers. So a trip to the Grog and Gruel will no longer be reserved for the older generation it can be a grand day out for all the family.

Brand New Ales At The Grog

2010-05-17T00:44:00.004+01:00

May is a good month for cask ale. A wonderful range of seasonal ales are on offer from our local Highland breweries to add to their usual listings. One of these to be featured this week is White Lady wheat beer from Cairngorm brewery. A classic light bodied session bitter. This copper coloured beer has a delicate malt flavour and a hint of caramel from crystal grains. It is traditionally bittered with Goldings and has a dry slightly spicy finish. It's proving very popular even for a wheat beer.

To add to our great range of ales this week we also have Hebridean Gold from Isle of Skye Brewery. A distinctively different ale, brewed with porridge oats for exceptional smoothness, with a deep and creamy head.

Both ales are selling extremely well so worth popping down to The Grog and Grue l before we sell 'oat' !!

Quiz night results

2010-04-07T20:23:00.003+01:00

Another great evening of cask ale and intellectual jousting at The Grog and Gruel last night as another quiz night was held as part of our Easter Ale Festival. Quiz mistress Dr Jacqui Hill was hosting the evening and, after a few half pints of ale and a Wild Boar Chilli, she was in fine form. We had 10 teams in all, including last years winners and reigning champions "The Guessers" and a team of about 12 students from Lochaber College.

So.. what did we learn?? Well, The teletubby with the hat is Dipsy, A laxton Superb is an apple NOT a laxative,and Elvis Presley was did infact die at age 42 and is NOT still alive. Well done to all those who took part especially to the winners "The Guessers", runners up "Trumpton Fire Brigade" and a special round of applause for the 12 Lochaber college students who came in 3rd place (even after trying to use mobiles to get answers)

Our next quiz night will be held as part of our mid summer ale festival.

Opening Up or Closing Down ??

2010-04-03T02:18:00.004+01:00

How can you tell it is getting into the busier trade season in Fort William? Judging by the snow it's certainly not the warmer weather. The easiest way is to look for the shops which open for the season with closing down sales. Like a blot on the landscape.

Everyday of every month of every year there is some kinda of sale on. I too find it hard to understand. Opening a business with damaged stock seems like a very poor business decision. In some small way I suppose its better than having another empty premises, but not by much. So far they have not stuck balloons on the front of the building, which only make it look worse. For anyone wanting to buy quality outdoor equipment (undamaged) in Fort William Ellis Brigham and Nevisport are well worth a visit.

Grog Gifts

2010-03-24T10:41:00.003Z

Having sold out (such is demand!) we've been without any of our much loved Grog & Gruel t-shirts for a few weeks now. However, all that changes this next week as the new stock is due for delivery very soon.

We've made a couple of small changes to our design for this batch, the first such change in 16 years. We've replicated the colour logo on the front left breast for a bit of extra impact and added in our web address just in case you forget it. And if you find yourself lost and can't remember where you live they can always post you back to us as our address is now on the sleeve.

Now taking orders at the bargain basement price of just £9.75

Grog fans can also indulge themselves with one of our navy blue polo shirts with embroidered Grog & Gruel logo for that smart understated look, or buy a coffee mug for that highly caffinated traditional hot drink receptacle.

Could ale be good for you ?

2010-02-17T22:23:00.004Z

Researchers have found recently that beer, in particular light ales, contains a substance that boosts bones and could mean they are less likely to suffer from osteoporosis. The finding, published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, backs up previous research which also showed that the drink was good at fending off brittle bones – especially in women. Silicon which is present in pale ales from the high volume of hops is responsible and may have other health benefits.
As we move, slowly, from winter into spring the number of lighter ales on sale increases here at the Grog and Gruel as customers look for a lighter, refreshing session ale. So good news for all our ale drinkers. Now you can remove guilt from a trip to the pub as you fend of brittle bones with a trip to your favorite award winning cask ale house.

Lochaber's Favourite Watering Hole

2010-02-14T10:08:00.005Z

A big thanks to all the CAMRA members who have recently voted for The Grog and Gruel to be crowned winner of the Fort William and Lochaber Pub of the year 2010. Although we are regular winners, every year there are more folk selling cask ale which makes the competition even tougher. As far as we at The Grog and Gruel are concerned the CAMRA good beer guide is the bible for ale drinkers and awards given by CAMRA are the only ones to be taken seriously.
Our formula for success has never changed. Take only the highest quality local cask ale(and the odd cask of Tetley's..(I do like the odd pint of Tetley's), treat it with love and care and sell it in relaxed, comfortable friendly surroundings. Nice to see our customers agree with our philosophy and chose to vote us winners again. We have a great line up of local, seasonal cask ales over the next few weeks, there is no better time to visit the award winning Grog and Gruel.

Open Mic Night !!

2010-02-04T21:11:00.003Z

We're always being asked when we at The Grog and Gruel will be having another open mic night. Although bands and live music are easy to organise open mic nights are not so easy. It requires a very reliable and talented host able to accompany people when required as they perform and to gloss over those performances we would rather forget.

Luckily on Thursday March 4th we have a date with a great performer and Host "Ian Stretch MacFadyen" who will not only be performing some cracking western swing but also letting members of the public perform. We usually get a great turn out and a good few performers, like our London beat box fellow, and the German poet and of course many great rock ballads from Ryan "skelf" McFall. So come along on March 4th to see open the musical pandoras box that is open mic night. I'll even give a free gift to folk who give us a performance.

Visit Fort William

2010-02-01T10:53:00.005Z

Go on! You know you want to!

A cracking advert! Have a quick peek at this short promotional video clip. What a cracking advert for the place!

For more information check out the Outdoor Capital of the UK web site and the Fort William Film Festival, coming your way very soon.

Champion

2010-01-27T12:59:00.007Z

Happened to be browsing the Mountain Bike tabloids, scanning the bike porn for more sexy (and very expensive) bits of kit that are a must have for all avid bikers, when I came across another little feature on The Grog & Gruel's favourite World Champion, Steve Peat. Check out the digital magazine here and pay particular attention to the bottle of malt on the spread over pages 5 & 6.

We thought it would be a little fun to create a Peaty Malt in homage to our hero when the World Championships came to Fort William a couple of seasons ago.

Apart from Nick's rather embarrassing spelling of the word 'Whisky', it turned out a treat! Unfortunately it didn't inspire Steve to put in a win on home ground. Cheer Steve on when the Mountain Bike World Cup come back to Fort William later in 2010.

West Highland Way Gains a Mile !

2010-01-24T18:39:00.004Z

People travel to Fort William for many reasons, mostly to take part in some kind of outdoor activity in the wonderful natural surroundings in and around Lochaber. One of the most popular activities is walking and by far the most popular route is the West Highland Way. For those who don't know the West Highland Way is a 95 mile walk from Milngalvie, North of Glasgow, to Fort William. The walk uses old Drovers paths, military roads and coaching routes to take you through some of the most spectacular scenery Scotland has to offer.
Since its official opening in 1980 the walk was 95 miles and terminated at a roundabout at the end of Glen Nevis about a mile out of Fort William. Not the best end to a hard 95 mile walk. So, after many meetings and discussions, the end of the West Highland Way has moved 1 mile to terminate at the end of Fort William High Street at Gordon Square (pictured here on a cold January morning). Not only is this a much more central location for the 85,000 walkers who use the path every year but also leaves you seconds away from The Grog and Gruel and a hearty welcome. We think this will prove to be a great move and when the "iconic feature" is unveiled for Gordon Square I'm sure you'll agree.

Japanese Whisky ?

2010-01-14T23:19:00.005Z

With over 70 bottles of single malt whisky on the shelves at The Grog and Gruel, we try to feature whisky from every area available. As whisky gets a lot of its flavour from the water of the area it is produced in, regional variations give each whisky a distinct unique flavour. We have a couple bottles of Irish whisky hidden away for those who wish to drink whisky from our celtic cousins and now we have a Japanese whisky available also.

YAMAZAKI single malt whisky is made from the purest natural ingredients distilled through the art of Japanese craftsmanship in perfect harmony with nature. The whiskies are handcrafted at Japan’s oldest distillery, built by Suntory founder Shinjiro Torii in 1923. The distillery is situated in the Vale of Yamazaki on the outskirts of Kyoto, an ideal environment for whisky production where the same exceptionally pure waters used in Japan’s most esteemed tea ceremonies are used to produce YAMAZAKI whiskies.

So if you are looking for a good dram in Fort William, The Grog and Gruel is the place to go. Choose from our massive selection of great Scottish whisky or for something more unusual, why not try Japanese whisky?? Maybe one day we'll be brave enough to stock English whisky too (but probably not :))

Fort William Mountain Festival 2010

2010-01-10T22:55:00.006Z

The big freeze is here. Fort William is covered is frosty snow and Scottish skiing conditions haven't been so good for years. Attention is being turned to the winter mountain sports like skiing and sledging (when I was young it was plastic animal feed bags instead of sledges, sore on the bum but a much greater sense of danger). So just a quick reminder to folk that Fort William will be hosting it's annual Mountain Festival from February 11th - 15th.

Although this is a festival for those with a keen interest in the outdoors, most of the lectures, workshops and events are entertaining for anyone and well worth supporting. A full list of events can be found here. You'll also find events to keep the children amused. Over the past few years Fort William Mountain festival has made a great reputation for itself.

Hopefully you'll find something at the festival you'll find interesting and maybe pop into The Grog and Gruel for a pre-event meet up or post event discussion. I hope I'll get a chance to see some of the festival myself

Festive Williams Brew

2009-12-16T00:06:00.006Z

This weekend at The Grog and Gruel we will be featuring a great winter brew from The Williams Brothers Brewery. "Yule Smile" at 4.5 % has become available over the past couple of weeks to tie in with the festive period. With a great evening of music from Sandra MacBeth on Friday night, we thought there would be no better time to try it out.

So if you are out and about over the weekend and fancy a nice beer, awesome music in great surroundings then The Grog and Gruel is the place to be. Only a limited supply of this great ale is available so try it while you can.

Hot Festive drinks.

2009-12-12T00:36:00.007Z

So finally I put up the decorations in the bar. Before folk started calling us "Bar Humbug". Now full of festive cheer its time to unveil the Grog and Gruel Hot Winter drinks selection, made from the very best quality ingredients to old Grog and Gruel recipes.

You can choose between either our hot mulled wine or our warming hot toddy. Both guaranteed to keep you warm on the coldest of days. Both are available in the bar and the restaurant and will be available until the warm weather returns. Well worth popping in for.

Stuck for a present at Christmas??

2009-12-08T00:16:00.004Z

Only a few weeks till Christmas, I bet there are still folk rushing about looking for those last minute stocking fillers. Some people can be so hard to buy gifts for. Here at The Grog and Gruel we can help with our limited edition "Champagne Heather Ale" made to celebrate 20 years of Williams Brothers Brewing Scotland's wonderful Heather Ale

We have only managed to get our hands on a very small number of these bottles, which are individually numbered, and there is already interest in them. At 11% and matured in ex-sherry casks used to mature single Speyside malt, these unique bottles of ale will prove to be a memorable gift for any ale enthusiast. At only £9.95 per 75cl bottle, you won't want to miss out on this rare opportunity to taste part of Heather Ale history.

Piggy Gifts

2009-11-27T22:44:00.002Z

On trips to The Grog and Gruel you may notice the many pigs and pig related items around. Since before we opened Horace the Hog was planned as the mascot for The Grog and Gruel. Customers seem to really identify with our piggy friend and most of the pig gifts and items around the bar have been given to us by customers and friends. You may notice The Mighty Boar head of Sven above The Grog and Gruel bar, a gift from our local boar farm upon Sven's "retirement".

So just a note of thanks to one of our regulars who gave us this amusing salt and pepper set in the style of an amusing "piggy back" ride. Yes, that's what I said, "piggy back" ride. We are not an adult only blog. They will join the ranks of other piggy collectibles in the bar helping us pay homage to Horace The Hog !!

Over my dead body...

2009-11-18T15:20:00.003Z

Don't you get it? We're a Traditional Alehouse. We do traditional things. We don't do new. We don't do different. We don't do modern. We've got nicotine stained walls and we certainly don't do silly things like online social networks. Over my dead body...

Oh bugger! That's me out voted again!

Become a fan of The Grog & Gruel on Facebook. Whatever that means!

Winter opening

2009-11-06T00:06:00.004Z

As usual Winter is creeping up on us. The nights are getting darker. The mornings are getting colder and you can already see crazy people putting up Christmas Decorations. Another Summer has passed us by in a flash and the time to hibernate is upon us. Although you may think that this means it is time for The Grog and Gruel to completely switch off you'd be wrong. It's time for all the maintenance jobs, staff training, menu reviewing and planning for next year to take place.

As a lot of this cannot take place during trade we will be closing on quieter trading nights. So from Nov 8th till Dec 17th we will be closed all together on Sundays. This is great for staff morale as we now can all watch antiques roadshow together. From November 8th till Dec 17th the restaurant will only be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Unless we have prior knowledge of a Christmas booking. Food will be available as usual from Noon till Nine in our Alehouse and closing time in our alehouse will be dependant on trade. So the more customers we have the later we will open (nudge, nudge).

This should not have a dramatic affect on our customers as the changes have been made after analysis of trade and after we have a few very quiet nights playing "Win, Lose or Draw" with customers. To view our opening hours for The Christmas/festive period click here.

October is Cider Month

2009-10-09T17:15:00.005+01:00

We at the Grog and Gruel not only like to supply you with very best local produce but also seasonal produce as well. This can sometimes mean going a bit further a field than we would like for products. Sometimes even venturing South of Glen Coe. One harvest that is in full production at the moment is cooking apples for cider. This is why CAMRA have nominated October to be Cider month.

So for the whole of October we will be selling Traditional Cask Conditioned hand pulled Thatcher's Cider. Although in England Cask Cider is in abundance it very rarely travels North of the border. This is something that is changing and with a 13% increase in cider sales in Scotland this year it seems that it maybe something customers are looking for also. At 6% Thatcher's Heritage Cider has been produced in Somerset for over 100 years on a family farm. Originally made to top up workers wages on the farm and now 100 years later it is available in most Supermarkets and now at the Grog and Gruel.

Again I had a small taste (hic!) of the cider once it had settled in the cellar and can say it is very drinkable. It has also proven a great ingredient in the kitchen featuring in our own "Pork and Cider Pie" which sold out the first lunch service it was on sale. Well worth dragging yourself out the house for on a cold October night.

Blaeberry Ale At The Grog

2009-10-07T01:42:00.008+01:00

As you know we here at The Grog and Gruel are always trying to find new and exciting beers to tempt our customers. Over the years we have seen many different ingredients added to the brewing process to add interesting flavours. We have seen wheat beer, nut beer, oatmeal beer, seaweed beer and heather beer and these are only in the last couple of years.

As hops were not a traditional Scottish crop we see some great beer recipes coming from old Scots recipes and the Picts. These include heather ale, seaweed and blaeberry ale and many more. If you venture into the Grog this week you will be able to sample two great cask ales from old pictish recipes, Fraoch Heather Ale and Isle of Skye "Cuillingorm" a Blaeberry ale.

I have already tried the Cuillingorm can say it is very drinkable. A smooth tawny ale with a deep fruity flavour. This is a seasonal brew and will only be available for a short time so well worth trying while the blaeberries are in season. As always in The Grog and Gruel we would encourage you to ask for a small sample of the beer as we are sure you will find it hard to resist a full pint to truly taste this great ale.

Going, going, gone...

2009-09-07T15:07:00.001+01:00

Having seen the race conditions on Saturday we're surprised that the runners didn't come into the Alehouse all asking for warming cups of tea and hot chocolate. It was a bit wild up there!

But no, the bar was packed with plenty of tales of 30 mph winds, lashing rain and perhaps one of the stormier days on Ben Nevis this year. And rather than tea, it was our special Ben Nevis Race Ale that was the tipple of choice. Made exclusively for The Grog & Gruel by those talented folk at the Isle of Skye Brewery, we quickly sold 3 barrels of the stuff. And if you fancy a taste then you'd better be quick as its likely to be completely sold out by the end of the day.

So, another year over for the Ben Nevis Race. Nice to see so many familiar faces, including that of a certain victorious runner from Yorkshire who may well have been first across the line, but was the last to leave the pub!

Ben Nevis Race Weekend

2009-09-01T13:25:00.003+01:00

Are you ready for it? Well, chances are that if you're not ready now then you won't ever be ready for the annual Ben Nevis Race this Saturday.

Half way! The Red Burn with the dreaded 'grassy bank' on the right hand side.

We're expecting to see a fair few Ben runners through the doors over the weekend so there'll be plenty of pasta available on Friday night and plenty of our special Ben Race Ale on Saturday night.

Good luck everyone!

Yes!! We have no pizzas !!

2009-08-04T00:24:00.004+01:00

At the heart of the Grog and Gruel kitchen lies our trusty old reliable pizza oven. It has stood in place since the day we opened back all the way in 1994, when Blur were in the charts with "Parklife" and "Forest Gump" was in the cinema, good times. Over the past 15 years it has never let us down.

Picture the scene..Its mid summer in the Grog and Gruel. We are at peak trading with a full restaurant and bar with lots of hungry mouths to feed. Suddenly there is a loud bang and a bright flash and suddenly the Pizza oven fails to respond. After a lot of poking and tampering we realise there is nothing we can do. We now have to let customers know there will be a lot of disappointment.

We immediately get on the case of trying to find someone to fix our problem. Sounds easy? Well, no. After speaking to numerous catering technicians and electricians we finally get someone to look at it and find the parts we need to replace. We try to source the parts only to find not only has the original company vanished but also the company who took over from them has also vanished. Finally after days of phone calls and pulling hair out, we find a company that will custom make the parts we need. This will take over a week.

So, now we are waiting for our hand crafted parts to be sent to us. All this just to make a simple pizza. So for the next week to ten days we will have no pizza, or quesadilla's. The rest of our alehouse and restaurant menu is still in operation. Our chefs get a break from endless kneading of dough and spinning of pizza bases. Maybe next time you sit down to enjoy an authentic freshly made pizza you will think of the hassle a simple meal can be.

Trial by internet

2009-07-30T11:02:00.006+01:00

Its taken a while, but finally we've got a review on TripAdvisor. In fact, we've got 2 reviews, although you'll have to look carefully as we've also got 2 entries!

The Grog & Gruel

Not sure how this happened, but it appears that if you'd like to add a review of The Grog & Gruel on TripAdvisor then you've got to choose between The Grog & Gruel or The Grog AND Gruel.

World Trial Championship 2010

2009-06-10T14:42:00.003+01:00

Hot on the heels of the Mountain Bike World Cup comes the news that the web site for the 2010 SPEA FIM World Trial Championship due to take place at Nevis Range in late June 2010 has now gone live.

Ok, so its a bit of a way off just yet, but given the antics of bikes without engines last weekend, I reckon its going to be worth seeing what a little petrol power can do. Try visiting the web site and signing up for the news updates.

Mountain Bike World Cup

2009-06-08T09:34:00.002+01:00

As expected, another busy weekend in Fort William, as the Mountain Bike World Cup came to town. The weather gods smiled upon us, keeping it dry and midge free for the weekend. Great to see another huge crowd at the event, and great to see the High Street busy, busy...

The atmosphere at The Grog & Gruel was great. Live music provided by Sandra MacBeth and the Shoogle Sisters on both Friday and Sunday nights helped. As did a dazzling array of beers, with the rarely seen William Bros. Grozet (Gooseberry ale) selling faster than hot cakes (and the Venison & Grozet Pie on sale in the restaurant).

The highlight of the weekend was again the men's downhill, but mention should be made of the British Trials Championship too. Whilst that pic above of the chap about to commit cycle suicide by jumping off the log is impressive, spare a thought for the juniors tackling the slightly easier course along side. Big respect!

Great weekend!

Party in the Fort

2009-06-05T13:10:00.003+01:00

In case you've been living under a rock recently, its World Cup Mountain Biking weekend in Fort William. We expect another busy weekend at The Grog & Gruel and were ready for it.

On the off chance that you can be drawn away from the town's favourite watering hole, there is a bit of entertainment going on this Saturday. Here's the blurb... (click on it to make it grow bigger!)I bet their burgers aren't as good as ours!

We'll be up at Nevis Range on Sunday, cheering on Downhill Champ Steve Peat. Hot on the heels of his most recent win in Andorra, here's hoping that he can turn on the magic for the home crowd in Fort William.

Any old iron...

2009-06-04T16:00:00.003+01:00

Ok, so they're not made from iron, but aluminium. But that doesn't really make a good subject line does it? Any old aluminium. No. Anyway, we've got lots and lots of them. And try as we might, its a bit of a struggle getting rid of them.

Speak to any brewer about their operating costs and right up there along with the cost of distribution and the upward pressure on hops and other raw materials will be the cost of kegs. And quite likely the difficulty of acquiring them. So you'd think that most brewers would want them back again pretty sharpish, would you?

Week1.
G&G: We've got 25 of your kegs in our garden and we can't get the delivery guys to uplift them. Can you arrange for an uplift? There's also 25 at Clachaig too; similar problems.

Caledonian: Right we'll request an uplift of all 50.

Carrier arrives with an uplift line for 1 keg and won't take any more.

Week 2.
G&G: We've still got 24 of your kegs in our garden and we can't get the delivery guys to uplift them. Can you arrange for an uplift? There's also still 25 at Clachaig too.

Caledonian: Right, sorry about that. We'll arrange for an uplift.

Carrier arrives with an uplift line for 1 keg. Neil sneaks round the back and stuffs as many as he can fit into the truck. But there's still a heap of them in the garden.

Week 3.
G&G: Does anyone want some beer kegs?!

And its not just Caledonian Brewery that we're struggling with. At times the stock pile of kegs reaches well over a hundred, with similar numbers at Clachaig. And each time we think we're going to get rid of them, we (Neil) has to carry them all down the steps, through the Alehouse and onto the High Street, only to be disappointed and carry them back again when it all goes t*ts up.

Carlsberg did exactly this last week. Leave them out and we'll be back at 4pm they said. Which day, we're wondering as they were still here a week later.

God, its annoying. Time spent chasing getting rid of empties when it should be spent chasing the customers. Grrrrr....!

Fort William Wheelchair Curling

2009-05-29T10:34:00.002+01:00

And there was I thinking that the town had got its act together and not only was there a rink where you could try some Curling, but that it also had disabled facilities too...

http://wheelchaircurlingblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/fort-william-cc-renovates-will-host.html

D'oh! Wrong country.

Three Sheets to the Wind

2009-05-19T20:52:00.004+01:00

We're that dedicated and that passionate about our beer at The Grog & Gruel that even when we're not slaving away, striving to serve you the perfect pint, we're reading books about beer. Either that or we're really boring and haven't got any mates. Regardless, here we bring you the debut of The Grog Book Club.

Ok, so I'm not really that into writing about why I found this book interesting or otherwise. Far too traumatic as it reminds me too much of English Literature classes at school. What the hell was that Shakespeare bloke on about? And why couldn't he write in proper english like wot I do.

Anyway, a fairly interesting read and some interesting observations about beer and the world today. Particularly interesting are the comparisons of the liberal attitudes to licensing elswhere in the world and the lack of problems with more British traits such as late night post-pub trouble and binge drinking. Sobering thoughts (see what I did there!) in these times where Licensing in Scotland is going through huge changes.

Back your copy from your local book shop, check out Amazon, or get in touch and you can have mine if it hasn't been scooped up on Read It Swap It already.

On yer bike

2009-05-11T21:02:00.004+01:00

Another busy week at The Grog & Gruel. Well it should be really, as its the week that the show comes to town. The trials show that is. The Scottish Six Day Trial takes over the West End car park for week, the hotel car parks on the golden mile are full of Mercedes Sprinters and Vitos all covered in cool graphics, and men in big boots ride motor bikes with no saddles out into the wilds of Lochaber.

Typically, the weather couldn't have been much worse. Come Monday the tropical downpours began. By Saturday things had improved little, but the winter snows had returned. But oddly enough, when the show packed up on Sunday the sun came out and the temperatures had climbed back into the high teens. However, chances are these guys don't really mind the weather. After all, they do ride those things up streams even when its not raining.

Its always a great week. Lots of really appreciative customers through the bar and the restaurant. Take a peak at some of the photos of the High Street show on the Outdoor Capital blog.

Next year Fort William plays host to the Trial World Championship over the weekend of 26th an 27th June. You can register for more information as it comes available on the dedicated web site.

Swine Flu Fever !!

2009-05-01T21:00:00.004+01:00

As swine flu seems to be spreading across the globe and many folk are taking to avoiding Pork, Flying over seas, and Mexican food, we would like to re assure our customers that here at the Grog and Gruel we are swine flu free. None of the wild boar from Beauly we use has ever visited Mexico, If they had I'm sure they'd be 'cured'. Earlier in the day I was concerned so I phoned the emergency swine flu hot line...unfortunately all I got was 'crackling'.

A customer told me they were suffering from snuffling, coughing and sweating and that they must have swine flu however I think they are telling 'porkies'. On a serious note, with all the global recession business and now a pandemic approaching, now is the best time to go to the Grog and relax with a nice pint of cask ale...the perfect 'oinkment'.

Good bye Easter !!

2009-04-28T08:15:00.003+01:00

So Easter is well and truly over. Everyone is back to school or work and all the chocolate is gone. Fort William saw a very busy time in Fort William with a great spell of good weather, even some Ben Nevis sunburn victims were recorded. Easter also saw a record number of pints and pies sold at our "Pint and a Pie" Festival. The pies proved so popular we found ourselves having to place emergency pastry orders.
Down to business tho, and the big question is "who is the winner of the best ale of the festival?". As always we allow customers to vote for the beer they enjoy the most over the two weeks. As always the results were surprising especially when the quality and range of ales were the best we've seen here at the Grog. The winner was Kelpie Seaweed ale made by those clever Williams Brothers, with Ben Nevis 80/- coming in a close second. Great to see customers at the Grog are brave enough to try a taste of Seaweed ale. But the end of the beer festival ain't the end of the world and we will be show casing another 9 local cask ales this weekend to wash away your thirst. So pop in and see what we've got to tempt you with.

Chinese Whispers on the web

2009-04-27T13:10:00.004+01:00

Right then, what's this a picture of? If you guessed "Mario is fixing the roof of a house", then you'd be spot on. Chances are you'd also either have cheated, or be clearly quite mad. What am I on about?
Visit Broken Picture Telephone and all will be revealed. The name itself means nothing to me. But if you called it Chinese Whispers, then I'd have a better idea as to what this was. Maybe its a regional thing, or perhaps an age thing? Or maybe Chinese Whispers is just plain racist and morally offensive in the 21st century.

So, basically, someone comes up with a written description and someone else then draws a picture of it. The next person then writes what he sees in the picture. And on it goes, with (as they say on TV) hilarious consequences. Here's a couple of games to have a look at. Try the rest of the Mario one, or perhaps the pen is mightier than the sword.

So, when next bored silly in The Grog & Gruel, simply fire up your lap top, make use of our free wireless internet connection and have yourself a quick game of Broken Picture Telephone.

Oh my god! It's Acousticrat.

2009-04-24T11:07:00.006+01:00

One of the better advertising posters for live music at The Grog & Gruel.

See them play live at The Grog & Gruel on Wednesday 27th May, or take a peak at their MySpace page.

For more details of live music at Fort William's favourite pub, keep an eye on our Diary Page.

Say aye tae a pork pie

2009-04-21T15:35:00.003+01:00

So, the Easter Beer Festival has been and gone, and with it all those wonderful pies you've been enjoying over the last fortnight. More on the festival to follow soon, but for those of you who've had pie withdrawal symptoms, here's the ideal solution.

Pies by post!

The Rowan Cottage Kitchen is a small business based way out west at Newton of Ardtoe (that's just beyond Acharacle and the beach nearby is reason enough to go and visit). They came across to Clachaig last night to meet some of the local B&B businesses at the informal 'gathering' of the trade. Great to meet such enthusiasm for doing business.

They say that pies inspired them to start their little business, and pie fans everywhere can certainly appreciate why. And fear not, for you don't need to wait for a sunny day and a trip to the beach to go and buy one of their pies. No, they'll post one to you.

Thing is, I can't work out how much Piccalilli I need to go with a 2 kilogram Pork Pie!

Visit the Rowan Cottage Kitchen web site.

Cask Marque Accreditation

2009-04-06T00:21:00.003+01:00

Our Easter Ale & Pie festival is well under way and we have already got through a fair number of casks and munched through a large number of pies. With 9 local beers for customers to taste it was a great time for us to be visited by our cask marque inspector. For those of you who are not in the trade Cask Marque is an independent check of the temperature, appearance, aroma and taste of the cask ale being served. As always the Grog & Gruel got top marks for all the ale being served at the time of the random, twice yearly inspection. This is no surprise as we are consistently checking the ales for consistent high quality in-house. Why not pop in for a pint and put us to the test yourself??

Festival starting line up !

2009-03-30T22:37:00.007+01:00

Only 3 days to go to the Easter Ale festival and we can now release which ales will be included in the opening line up. All your favourite breweries will be included like Isle of Skye, An teallach, Atlas and Williams Brothers. Ten hand pumps will be on the bar and beers to be included Caledonian 80/-, Black Cuillin, Latitude Pilsner, Williams Red and more.

An Teallach has been in particularly good form of late and has been getting rave reviews in the bar. Remarkable what a man with a keen interest in cask ale can brew up in his barn. I think An teallach is a favourite to win the title of "Best Ale of the Festival" voted for by our customers.

My own personal favourite is also included in the line up. Kelpie Seaweed ale from Williams Brothers is also making an appearance. In addition to the seaweed (Bladder rack) harvested on the Argyll coast, they have also used organically grown malt. Kelpie is a rich chocolate ale which has an aroma of fresh seabreeze and a distinctive malty texture. How many of you will be brave enough to try a Seaweed Ale??Rememer..we'll even let you taste the ale before you buy a pint. It all starts on Thursday so don't be late or risk missing some of these great ales.

The Tail of Sven

2009-03-29T20:47:00.008+01:00

The countdown to our Easter Ale and Pie Festival has begun, only 5 days to go and we are very excited. The ale is settling in the cellar, The final touches are being made to our pie recipes and the staff are undergoing long tasting sessions. With all this hullabaloo going on it's not surprising that some folk have missed the new 'face' at the Grog.

Let me introduce to you Sven the wild boar. Isn't he beautiful? Sven is a gift from our local supplier of wild boar which we use for our sausages, Burgers and Chilli. He was raised on a farm in Beauly, home of Boars of Beauly. In fact The Grog and Gruel and Clachaig Inn buy all the boar meat Beauly has to offer. Sven had a harem of 9 female sows he serviced. He is a reliable 'producer' of large baby boys,the record holder weighing in at 96.4kg at 14 months. Sven's estimated weight was in the region of 250-300kg during the rutting season when they can put on up to 25% extra weight.

We feel very proud to be the home of Sven now that his working life is over. It's nice to be able to show our customers exactly where their Boar Burgers, and Chilli have come from. It's also very nice to receive such a nice gift from one of our local suppliers, another great reason to keep things local. So next time you pop in for a pint in the Grog raise a glass to Sven as he peacefully he enjoys his retirement.

Corny Caption Contest

2009-03-23T20:43:00.002Z

Plans for our Easter "Pie & a Pint" Beer Festival continue to develop. The flyer is now designed and will hit general distribution later this week through a variety of email and snail channels. Here's a copy if you've not signed up to our mailing lists.

Note that we're running a 'corny caption contest' based on our general pie theme. Our graphics chap has set the bar with his stunningly bad 'somewhere over the rainbow wae a pie..." (think about it a little). So if you fancy wining some Grog & Gruel goodies, including a slap up meal for 2, then let us have your (truly terrible) pie slogan. The pie's the limit!

And the award goes to ....

2009-03-16T20:00:00.006Z

Things seem so bleak just now, global recession, costs rising, and a dwindling Fort William High Street dwindling. Good news items are few and far between. Imagine my delight when I received word that The Grog and Gruel had become "CAMRA pub of the year Fort William and Lochaber 2009". The award is voted for by CAMRA members for pubs who are dedicated to the highest quality cask conditioned ale sold in the best quality surroundings. As this years has seen more entries to the competition and a lot more votes it really is something to be proud of.

So how did we manage to win such a prestigious award? Well, we rely on the top quality Highland ales from our local suppliers. An alehouse can only be as good as the ale it sells. Luckily we are surrounded by great brewers working hard to provide great ales for our cellar. We work closely with the local breweries giving feedback and taking suggestions so a good partnership is created and the ale being sold is in the top notch quality. We have also been graced with good staff working hard to keep and serve ale in the best possible condition.

Finding new ways of selling cask ale is also something which we work tirelessly on. This April will see our first Easter 'Pint & a Pie' festival. We take the finest local cask ales, add some great music and entertainment, and create a great selection of tasty and imaginative pies and from this a festival is born. This is just one of the ways we hope to tempt customers to go for a pint in Lochaber newly crowned "Pub of the year 2009"... woot !!

Drink Local

2009-03-10T09:37:00.004Z

Word is that whilst Gordon Brown is taxing us to death and the Scottish Executive appear hell bent on controlling alcohol abuse by putting lots of small businesses out of business and letting the supermarkets off the hook, small independent breweries are actually doing ok.
SIBA, the society of independent brewers, had their annual gathering recently (p*** up, breweries, etc.....?!) and announced that their volumes are up 10%. Very much against the trend of the drinks industry as a whole in the current climate.

For the last 15 years, The Grog & Gruel has been showcasing local beers from breweries in the Highlands & Islands. And we've long since realised that staying local and avoiding national fads, often driven by large advertising budgets, is the best policy. Good news stories are a bit thin on the ground at the moment so this is very welcome news.

Join us with our celebrations at our Easter Beer Festival, which just happens to coincide with National Cask Ale Week.

Easter Festival Headlining Act !!

2009-03-03T18:01:00.005Z

After a lot of missed phone calls, and diary planning, we are pleased to announce "Sandra MacBeth and the Shoogle Sisters" as our "Pie n a Pint"festival opener on April 2nd 2009. Sandra is one of Scotland's hardest working and prolific Singer/Song writers and has been a popular favourite in The Grog for many years. She is always in the company of some of Scotland's best musicians too.

To sample her work check out her myspace site http://www.myspace.com/sandramacbeth or check out her song "Moon Eyes" on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmlXftHAyNc, the full video was too big to upload here. She is the favoured artist on my ipod at the moment. So if you wanna have an exceptional evening of great ale, a hearty pie and some of the best music around you know where to be on the 2nd of April.

Internet Networking Communities

2009-03-03T17:37:00.005Z

As our website increases in popularity and the number of contacts from our website increases we decided to look for new ways to try and reach new customers through the net. As most people now seem to be busy typing away on various Internet networking sites this seems to be the way folk would like to be kept informed on whats going on at the Grog and Gruel.

At the moment we are building our friends list and we need more folk to add us. To see our myspace site go to http://www.myspace.com/grogngruel. To access our Bebo site go to http://www.bebo.com/The_Grog. Both will be updated along with the website and blog by our e-marketing department. We hope this will mean a lot more folk will be able to keep in touch with us in the way they prefer, and remember to keep in contact with your friends while on the move why not stop at the Grog for a pint and use of our free unlimited WIFI?

Quiz Night Announced !!

2009-02-24T13:26:00.005Z

Yes indeed !! We have finally confirmed our quiz nights for the weeks over Easter,during our "pie n a pint" Ale festival. On Tuesday April 7th and on Tuesday April 14th we will be featuring quiz nights as part of our Easter celebrations. Probing questions are being stolen from various sources as I type on a whole range of topics.

We have even found knowledgeable and fully qualified local celebrities to host the evenings In exchange for a few pints and a good feed. Folk will do some crazy things for a pint of ale and a good Grog n Gruel pie.

We have so many amazing prizes, yet to be confirmed, we couldn't list them all here. We can however guarantee that it is well worth popping along.

As always these are evenings in the Grog and Gruel are not to be missed. A great selection of cask ales, top notch food, and great company.... But will any of you be able to beat the local yacht club quiz team. The local "egg heads"....best start revising now.

Monster ceilidh band cancelled !!

2009-02-24T13:11:00.004Z

Bad news indeed folks !! Just as I finished dusting off my dancing shoes I got a call to say that "The Monster Ceilidh Band" would be cancelling their gig on Thursday. They had a full week of Scottish dates planned with 3 gigs in one venue in Inverness over the week. Unfortunately this Inverness venue has pulled out last minute. As The Monsters are based in Newcastle a trip up north is only viable with a full list of dates.

Although the band were happy to travel up to keep the gig they had with us it would be a huge expense to them for a small gig. I tried to chat to other venues to fill the empty dates but few folk will get involved in such last minute bookings, especially in this economic climate. Well at least my dancing shoes are ready for the next time they are needed.

Monster Ceilidh Band

2009-02-16T19:25:00.004Z

Our first Live music date of 2009 is approaching. Thursday 26th of February will see 'The Monster Ceilidh Band" raising the roof in The Grog and Gruel. This will be the first time 'The Monsters' have been to Fort William and it's a date not to be missed.

Although they will be returning later in the year, this will be the first time to listen to their new material as they start off on their Highland tour on their way into the North. A great night of music and ale guaranteed and as always "the best show in town!"

A Pie & a Pint

2009-02-12T13:27:00.006Z

Coming soon..., news of our Easter Beer Festival which, building on the success of SausageFest 2008, will this year will follow the theme of the traditional pub staple, the Pie & the Pint!

The beer festival kicks off on Thursday 2nd April and will run over the Easter fortnight, finally winding down, or it that going out with a bang, on Saturday 18th April. Expect some good food, some excellent beer, and the odd bit of entertainment too.

More on the Blog and The Grog & Gruel web site diary page as we firm up plans. In the meantime we need to continue the painstaking research to ensure that we taste the pies and ales to ensure that they are worthy of inclusion. Hic, burp... etc.

'Open Mic' for Valentines

2009-02-08T03:29:00.004Z

On Saturday the 14th of February The Grog and Gruel will be teaming up with Oxjam to host an open mic night. The aim of Oxjam is to raise money to help end poverty by way of music. Most of us have seen the efforts of our local Oxjam group in the High Street over the last few months, if you have wondered what it's all about or how to help this initiative then Saturday night will be a great opportunity.

Our past open mic nights have been a great success and we have always been 'surprised' by the talents hidden away in Lochaber. We've had everything from beat boxing, guitars, singing and (everyone's favourite) the German poetry. The German poetry was the only act to clear the pub. So don't be shy and come show us what you can do this weekend. Or just pop along for a listen and a pint.

New Ale for February

2009-01-30T21:41:00.004Z

The first month of 2009 has been and gone. I'm starting to notice it getting a bit lighter in the mornings. However there are still some nice winter ales to be had to keep out the cold. During February we will be featuring Williams Brothers Midnight Sun. A dark spicy porter with and ABV of 5.8%.
Although not a new ale to The Grog and Gruel, it will be new to most folk. We cannot guarantee it will be on all the time in February due to the unreliability of trade at the moment being balanced with keeping top quality ales. Just another reason to keep popping into the Grog to see what ales are on offer today.

Now open 7 days a week!! (again)

2009-01-29T20:28:00.005Z

Finally the darkest part of the winter is drawing to an end. All the major work has been done in preparation for "the green shoots" of recovery of the economy to be grasped. This means will be returning to our usual 7 days a week opening for both The Grog and Gruel bar and restaurant. The coming year seems to be shaping up well. Some good music booked, exciting ales coming from our local breweries, and lots of e mail enquiries.
If we were to listen to local and national reports we wouldn't be so optimistic however it has never been our way to follow trends but to set them. If the credit crunch is getting you down then there has never been a better time to raise your spirits with a pint of cask ale and a nachos. Maybe some of our optimism will rub off !

Mr Lover Lover

2009-01-27T10:12:00.003Z

For all you romantics out there, we're now taking bookings for Valentine's Day, with the rather catchy and unique tag line of '... avoid a row with the missus.'

Not my idea, but it makes sense to me. So, come on, you know it makes sense too!

Tommy's Turnips Continued..

2009-01-24T01:28:00.003Z

Here is chef Tommy again, this time with his Burn's Night celebration feast. MacSween's haggis, neeps and mashed tatty. Simple but delicious. The perfect way to celebrate the life of Scotland's most famous bard. As well as the traditional haggis Tommy also spent time 'brewing' a tasty spiced turnip soup, perfect for the cold winter nights.

With all the great things going on that The Grog & Gruel this week, mainly with turnips. It's a great place to celebrate Burns Night 2009.

Tommy's Turnips

2009-01-20T10:21:00.003Z

My, that's a fine pair of turnips you have there, Tommy!

January midweeks are very quiet here on the High Street, and having sorted out the kitchen and got on top of all the cleaning and maintenance, now's the time to have a bit of fun getting all creative. Well, time to have a bit of fun anyway.

With Burn's Night just round the corner, Tommy's got himself a fine pair of neeps and will be ensuring that there's plenty of MacSween's Haggis in too. This week you can expect to see some Haggis Neeps and Tatties and a' that.

Some hae meat and cannot eat.
Some cannot eat that want it:
But we hae meat and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.

Mission accomplished

2009-01-15T10:08:00.007Z

How long does it take to do a job? Twice as long as you allow. Simple. Anyway, after a slightly longer than expected absence, our chefs are back with their brand new kitchen floor, ready to cater (see what I did there!) to your every need.

The new altro floor and a very shiney kitchen.

And all that clutter that we'd piled in the restaurant while we sorted out the kitchen, and also laid a new hard wearing and resistant floor in the food store, is now back in its rightful place. With a couple more weeks of restricted opening as is usual through January, we're ready for everything the coming has to throw at us. Bring it on!

So Long George Dubya

2009-01-10T18:43:00.003Z

Quick quiz. What's rule number one when it comes to running a pub? Anyone? Yes, that's right. No football, no religion, no politics.

So, we're not about to break rule number one and get all political. Far from it. We just want to take this opportunity to wish George Dubya a fond farewell and thanks very much for all the entertainment that you've provided us with over the last 8 years. How much fun we've had with your 'Bushisms' and the odd game of 'Bush or Chimp'.

Please, support our favourite web site and buy a t-shirt today. And join us in wishing ol' Dubya well on his way - don't go misunderestimating him.

Hope that new guy is just as much fun!

What? No Food!

2009-01-07T13:42:00.007Z

Happy New Year!

Another Hogmanay week over and done with. Good to see the place busy again. Lots of happy faces around, thirsty and hungry and somewhat red-cheeked after some stunning days out on the hills. Thick fog lying on the head of Loch Linnhe made the town a bit gloomy on a few mornings, and with a heavy haw frost and sub zero temperatures it looked like something off an atmospheric film set. However, head a few hundred feet up the hills and above the sea of clouds you'd find some stunning sunny weather (and a degree or 2 warmer).

So, doom, gloom recession, lack of Woolies on the High Street and all that, but we seem to have bucked the trend and had our own little oasis of prosperity at The Grog & Gruel. For one week at least!

A different story if you turn up hungry this week though! What? No food!

The kitchen is closed for a few days so that we can replace the floor covering and give it a bit of a makeover. Its now nearly 13 years since we last gave it a complete overhaul and, despite being an incredibly hard worked area, it has stood the test of time well. This essential work is sound investment and will undoubtedly help to keep our already high standards high. Unfortunately, as we need access to the entire floor area in the kitchen and wash-up areas, the sink is now in the restaurant, the griddle is on table 7 and no one has seen the fridge since Sunday. Normal service will be resumed shortly!

Grog's Global Appeal

2008-12-11T21:56:00.004Z

A new web site and the appeal of The Grog and Gruel has gone global.

With Christmas getting ever closer we've been receiving requests for Christmas pressies from all round the globe. Yes, such is the international standing of this modest High Street pub and restaurant.

A selection of t-shirts, polo shirts and Grog mugs are winging their way half round the world to Sydney, Australia. (That's like London, En-ger-land, like they say in the movies). And without spoiling the surprise, suffice to say that we've been helping out with pressie arrangements in Toronto, Canada.

If you're looking for a good way to fill those stockings this Christmas, and you just don't look good in fishnets, then we're happy to help with some Grog Goodies, or perhaps a voucher. Quite literally, beer vouchers!?

So buy your Christmas present from The Grog and Gruel this year or the dog gets it. Don't let him down!

Wanted!

2008-11-28T10:57:00.004Z

Have you seen this ass?

Wanted!

New government that is. One that won't keep persecuting the licensed trade.
No doubt the issue of the VAT change will be rearing its head again soon enough, but have you wondered if the increase in duty on alcohol to offset this decrease will be reversed again when the VAT rate reverts to 17.5%. Or should that be increases to 18.5%

Bar Humbug ??

2008-11-17T01:17:00.009Z

As many folk will have noticed Christmas will soon be upon us. We only have about 5 weeks until its time for the turkey, tree and tinsel. Hard to believe that it has been a full year since Santa last visited us and we had to endure the weeks of turkey sandwiches.

It's not only our own family Christmas we have to organise but many of you will also have to organise evenings to celebrate the yuletide cheer with social, leisure and work groups. Sometimes I think by the time Christmas actually arrives I will be sick of the sight of turkey and those little sausages wrapped in bacon... though it hasn't happened yet.

For all of you who have the daunting task of organising a group outing or group meal we would like you to keep in mind the Grog and Gruel. As always we give Christmas our own unique touch. Although we generally don't have a set Christmas menu ,due to our standard menu always proving to be far more popular, our chefs will be preparing festive specials for your delight. A copy of our menu can be downloaded from our main site. If more information is needed a quick e-mail or phone call to Neil or Sarah Louise on 01397 705078 will answer any questions.

With our town centre location, massive drinks menu, great dining and bags of festive cheer The Grog & Gruel is a great choice for your evening out this Christmas.

Probably The Worst Decision in the World

2008-11-11T00:17:00.006Z

Last week it was announced that in 2011 Carlsberg UK plan to close its iconic Tetley Brewery in Leeds. Independant consumer group Camra are reeling, blaming Carlsberg for failing to promote this epic ale in a time when interest in cask ale is booming.

Although questioned by many locals The Grog and Gruel, and its manager, have always been proud to supply Tetley's on draught and have done so for the past 14 years. Rarely do we pick ales outside our local area, even more rare is picking an ale from south of the border. In order to provide Highlanders with a true 'classic' Bitter it is necessary to take a trip to the ionic waters of Englandshire. We have in the past featured other famous bitters.. Ind Coope Burton, Greene King IPA, Marston Pedigree to name a few.

Though when most breweries merge, increase/decrease business size or change the nature of their business, the main priority is to keep the brewing done in the original site. Carlsberg seem not to see this as important. CAMRA is seeking a meeting with Carlsberg in order to discuss the future of Tetley's cask ales. We will keep you informed.

Winter Opening Hours

2008-11-09T13:55:00.004Z

Due to the decline in trade we will be reducing our opening hours at The Grog and Gruel. The cold dark nights are upon us. The tourists have gone home, and locals will be watching their pennies for Christmas and with recent economic downturn our quiet winter nights are proving even quieter.

As we always have in the past we will be closing on Sundays. This gives us a chance to carry out essential maintenance and staff training that would not be able to be carried out with customers in the building. In addition our restaurant will stay closed on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

It's not all doom and gloom though. The Alehouse will continue to keep the same hours for food and drink Monday to Saturday, maybe the odd early night for those occasions when even locals wouldn't venture out. Although we will reduce our number of cask ales on tap we still have a great range of cask ales coming in the next few weeks...including Seven Giraffes, Tradewinds and Red Squirrel ale. Also some good deals on malt whisky.

If you find yourself in need of a nacho on a Sunday, remember the Clachaig Inn is only a short drive away.

Fort William Cinema set to return?

2008-10-22T11:01:00.004+01:00

Well, its been quite a while since we had the pleasure of sticking to the carpet as we found our seats at the Fort William Cinema. Can't remember when it actually closed, but can tell you that its a long drive to Inverness or Oban to see the latest release.
However, all that could be set to change if Croft Digital Media (Fort William) Ltd get their way. Plans are afoot to re-open the cinema as the first Digital Cinema in the Highlands and Islands. And to make it all happen there needs to be a show of community support, so now is the time to become a member of Croft Digital Media.

Can't see any forms on the web site but they're doing the rounds. Get one and join now! I have. But there again, I've got fond memories of the heady days of watching Batman with the late King Hussein of Jordan (evening entertainment at Inverlochy Castle must be a bit dull), and Braveheart premieres.

Yes We Are In It !!

2008-10-18T19:45:00.006+01:00

The CAMRA Good Beer Guide is out for 2009 and once again The Grog and Gruel is one of the few Lochaber entries. We have now been featured in the Good Beer Guide since 1995 as we continue to keep a great range of local cask ales from around the area. In order to get a mention in this "real ale enthusiasts hand book" requires a dedication to serving a continued range of top quality cask conditioned ales and for the last 15 years that's exactly what we've been doing.

As always our entry is written by our local CAMRA group. For us that is the Inverness based group. Although we'd like to be mentioned for our strong links with small local breweries, our menu of Local produce including Highland wild boar, Salmon and Aberdeen Angus steak... maybe even a mention of our very popular upstairs Restaurant or our 60+ Malt Whisky selection.. it seems that CAMRA choose to cherish some other features. As always our "church pew seating" is noted. Also for the first year Our webcam has had a mention which we had removed in 2000. Maybe someone got confused with our high speed customer WIFI service which we now offer?!

For anyone wanting to see The best pubs in the UK while travelling or to learn more about beers and your local breweries the Good Beer Guide is a must. Many a traveller arrives on our doorstep clutching a copy and using it to make an informed choice as to which Ale to try. Well worth a read and a copy is available for browsing in the Grog right now. Go have a read today !

We aim to please.

2008-09-30T14:25:00.004+01:00

Its been another long season. Lots of good fun. Lots of hard work. So, as the season begins to slowly wind down for another year, now's probably a good time to reflect on things, and say a big thanks to one and all; our customers for helping keep the bank manager from pestering us all the time (and boy, does he want to at the moment!), and our staff, for working so hard and helping to make it all happen.

We don't do it for the thanks. Its more to do with the cash actually. But when we get a bit of positive feedback, although it doesn't pay the leccy bill, it does kind of make us feel all warm inside. Nice then to receive this on the email last week...

----------

Hi there,

Just wanted to let you know that after lots of visits to Fort William over the years and numerous evenings in disappointing venues, I finally stumbled into the right pub on Saturday night.

Having just spent a wet week tramping and camping the West Highland Way, myself and my two brothers wandered, tired and footsore, into The Grog and Gruel. It was immediately obvious why the place was packed out. One look at the beers available at the bar and the food people with shovelling down and there was no chance we were going anywhere else.

Happily wrapped in a warm and comfortable proper pub, we indulged in excellent and well kept real ales in the bar as well as hearty food in the restaurant. The atmosphere was spot on and all of the staff were very friendly, helpful and welcoming. The girl running the restaurant on Saturday night was also entirely lovely in every way by the way,and had great taste in beers, which helps a lot.

Anyway, thanks for providing a great pub in a town that deserves at least one! Won't be long before I'm back - and when I am, I know where I'll be headed after a tiring day. I also know exactly where I'll be recommending to all my friends.

Cheers

David Forbes

Bristol

---------

Thanks, David!

What's wrong with Daddy...?

2008-09-08T20:42:00.003+01:00

Another Ben Nevis Race over! If you haven't run one then you might not understand the feeling. But you might have a good guess. Regardless of how much training and preparation you put in before hand (usually nowhere near enough in my case), the pressure of race day just gets to you. Maybe its the thought of the finish line. Invariably, flat out on the grass writhing about with cramp shooting through the legs, feeling like you've just done 10 rounds with a sumo wrestler, with your hands tied behind your back. Blindfolded. No wonder my children are now banned from the finish line. Too many, "What's wrong with daddy? Why is his face all green?" questions.

But not so this year. I actually had quite a good race, feeling vaguely human even at the end. Near perfect conditions for 2008 and a record number taking to the hill.

Still, another year over. And seems that I wasn't the only one who enjoyed the weekend. The restaurant at The Grog & Gruel was packed on Friday night with demand for Adam's homemade pasta reported to be high (worked for me!) and the Alehouse was jumping on Saturday evening with the Ben Race Ale lasting till very nearly the end of the session.

Ben Nevis Race 2008

2008-08-26T09:19:00.002+01:00

Not long now till the 2008 Ben Nevis Race. Some of us are in the final stages of training, fine tuning those highly trained muscles in preparation for 1pm on Saturday 6th September. And some of us are just starting our training, having realised that yet another summer has flashed past and we really ought to stretch those legs before race day.

The Grog & Gruel's long association with the Ben Nevis Race in Fort William will continue this year. No doubt the bar will be packed full of anxious looking wiry types wearing Ron Hills on Friday night, all looking for some carbo loading with our fresh pasta and perhaps a pint (but no more!) of our special Nevis Race Ale. Brewed especially for the occasion by our friends at the Isle of Skye Brewery, we reckon there'll be a few more pints sold on Saturday evening!

WI-FI at The Grog

2008-07-24T16:37:00.009+01:00

Recent years have seen people not wanting to be too far away friends, family, the mass media and the internet. As if mobile phones were not bad enough, giving rise to 'the crazy frog' and bad spelling and punctuation via text messaging. Now people wish to contact the internet via mobile phone or lap-top while on the move.

Now at The Grog and Gruel we have made this marvellous feat achievable. With our recently acquired 'WIFI box' and some super duper 'interweb connectors' people will be able to connect to emails, Utube, World of Warcraft while supping a pint of cask ale or cappucinno.

We have already had a great response to this installation. However I cant help thinking that the local alehouse used to be an escape from the fast pace of modern times. At least a trip to the locals hills and glens will provide the escape we still need.

Beer Festival Votes

2008-07-18T18:19:00.003+01:00

Our Summer Ale Festival is now over and all that was left to do was count the votes for the favourite beer of the festival. We are used to seeing the usual favourites come out on top, Orkney Dark Island, Skye Red Cuillin, Atlas Latitude which have all been string contenders in the past.

This year however a new Ale and reached 'new heights' of popularity, Coming in as a new ale this summer to our range. Williams Brothers 7 Giraffes was a clear winner, head and neck above the rest. With an ABV of slightly over 5% it is much stronger than our usual favoured ales. Brewed by the Williams Brothers in Glasgow it adds a new taste sensation to the already superb ale range from this brewery including- Fraoch Heather Ale, Williams red, Williams Gold and Kelpie Seaweed ale to name few.

Although not always on tap, The 7 Giraffes will be available in the Grog and Gruel randomly. So it's always worth popping in to see what interesting brews are on right now. If you miss the 7 Giraffes there is always a great range of Williams Brothers Bottled Ales to be tasting.

We'll see you soon for a pint !!

I say, I say, I say....

2008-06-17T13:42:00.004+01:00

Here we go. Pub joke. Not too filthy. I little intellectual if anything! Can't claim ownership, but it made me snigger...

On his 60th birthday, a friend of mine received a gift certificate from his wife. The certificate paid for a visit to an Aboriginal witch doctor who was rumoured to have a wonderful cure for erectile dysfunction. After much persuasion, he drove to the community clinic, handed his certificate to the witch doctor, wondering what was in store for him.

The old man slowly, methodically produced a potion, handed it to him and, with a grip on my friend's shoulder warned, 'Dis powerful medicine and must be respected. You take only a teaspoonful and then say '1-2-3.' When you do that, you will be longer and harder than you have ever been in your life and you can perform as long as you want.'

Much encouraged my friend walked away then turned and asked, 'How do I stop the medicine from working?'

'Your wife must say '1-2-3-4,' the witch doctor replied. 'But when she does, the medicine will not work again until the next full moon.

Eager to see if it worked, my friend hurried home, showered, shaved, took a spoonful of the medicine and then invited his wife to join him in the bedroom. When she came in, he took off his clothes and said, '1-2-3!'

Immediately, he was the manliest of men.

His wife was excited as well and began throwing off her clothes and then she asked, 'What was the 1-2-3 for?'

And that, boys and girls, is why we should never end our sentences with a preposition!

Are you a friend of Nevis?

2008-06-17T09:49:00.010+01:00

Its that time of year again when the slopes of Ben Nevis get a real pounding. This weekend saw various groups (as in dozens of mini buses) arrive in town and take on the challenge of 'the Ben', with many going on to do the '3 peaks' in 24 hours. The weather was generally very kind again (lots and lots of that recently!) and so hopefully everyone had a great 5 or 6 hours on Britain's highest.

I would get all pompous about it and say the challenge of the 3 peaks is as much about the driving as it is about the peaks - Ben Nevis, Scafell and Snowdon... but the only reason I know this is because I've done it too! A few years ago I might add. And I'll be dashing up and down the Ben often enough this summer in preparation for the Ben Nevis Race on 6th September.

So instead, we'll keep on fundraising for the Friends Of Nevis
(see our blog entry 14th May) And we're pleased to note that it hasn't taken long to raise £54 at The Grog & Gruel, Fort William's favourite pub and restaurant, with similar amounts coming from the collections at Clachaig Inn, Glencoe.

Fort William MTB World Cup

2008-06-10T13:12:00.006+01:00

Another hectic weekend at The Grog & Gruel this weekend as up to 20,000 mountain bike fans descend on the town for the 2008 Fort William round of the Mountain Bike World Cup.

We caught the action on a hot sunny Sunday afternoon as the finals of the downhill event got the crowds roaring. Once again, the event atmosphere was fantastic. And once again, good to see Steve Peat wining and dining in the Grog over the course of the weekend. Sales of our 'Fat Tyre Ale', courtesy of the Isle of Skye Brewery, and Peaty Malt Whisky, our little homage to the winner of 14 previous World Cup downhills. Perhaps Steve had a Grog Dog too many as he could only manage 3rd this year!

Despite the Fort William crowd having adopted Steve as one of their own, it was great to see several other 'local' riders doing so well, including a stunning 8th for young Scottish rider Ben Cathro, and a great result for Fort William rider Joe Barnes. See y'all again next year?

The all new Grog Mug Display

2008-06-04T15:51:00.002+01:00

Ok. So I got the camera out this time, instead of the phone, put the mugs on a whisky shelf and took this one. Any better?

What do you reckon. A bright future in window dressing awaits?!

The all new Grog Mug

2008-06-03T14:48:00.004+01:00

Get 'em while they're hot - and all such sales speak. We've just taken delivery of our brand new Grog & Gruel branded coffee (or tea) mug. Yours for a mere £4.95.

Ok, so its a rubbish photo. I just got one out of the box and took a photo on my phone so what do you expect. David bl*%dy Bailey or something. I mean, I've only just had a phone a wee while too and I don't really know how that works either. Why can't they just make phones that you ring people on anyway.

But we digress. No matter how rubbish the photo is, our brand new mugs are wonderful. They've got a nice big picture of Horace on it, just remind you not to be a complete pig (as is he) when dunking your 12th chocolate hob nob into your coffee.

Now available at all good Grog & Gruel outlets near you. And we'll even post one to you but that might cost a pound or two to cover the postage. Plus, we've just taken delivery of loads more of the t-shirts in Heather Grey and Polo Shirts in black or navy so all sizes should now beavailable.

Open Mic night.. Wed 28th May

2008-05-16T18:17:00.002+01:00

In 2007 In the Grog we launched our open mic nights. These are free form evenings and hosted by Ian Stretch MacFadyen. Open Mic means that we allow customers to have a go at performing in The Grog and Gruel to amuse the customers and their friends. Obviously This takes a brave man to control and "Stretch" was happy to take the challenge. Stretch has a lot of experience in various styles of music and drives all the way from Edinburgh in order to MC what has been described as "more ‘voices in their heads’ than ‘stars in their eyes’"

Over the past year we have seen it all. From beat boxing Welshmen to German poetry with a lot of other craziness on the way. I was very surprised by just how many folk were interested in having a go. I had to stop our own barman Nick from performing his spoken word version of Cher’s "if I could turn back time"

Our next open mic night is only a few weeks away. On Wednesday 28th of May and We’d love you to be a part of it. We are open to most kind of performers. All we ask is to be entertained. Is it time to dust off that old banjo in the cupboard?? Try to remember how to finger Greensleeves on the recorder??

In June as part of our Beer festival, and a year on from our first open mic night, we will host our annual final with a prize of £50 for the winner. The winner will be chosen by a panel of judges including Stretch and our very own Simon Cowel.. Neil The manager.

Nights Well Worth a Visit.

Mid Summer Beer Festival

2008-05-16T11:08:00.004+01:00

Plans for the Mid-Summer Beer Festival are coming along nicely. Our new flier pretty much says it all for now, so why not have a quick browse.

Meanwhile, we're busy speaking to breweries, adding beer to sausage recipes and trying to think of some really good questions for the quiz. In fact, why is 7 Giraffes called 7 Giraffes?

Friends Of Nevis

2008-05-14T14:02:00.004+01:00

Nothing quite like a great pint after a hard day trekking up and down Ben Nevis!

Well, happy as we are to Britain's highest mountain on our doorstep it does tend to get a bit of a hammering every year. So here's your chance to join the Friends of Nevis and help to support and manage Ben Nevis and the surrounding Nevis area.

The Nevis Partnership have recently established the Friends of Nevis web site - so why not take a peek just now.

This precious and unique environment includes mountains, wild land, glen and river Nevis and a range of visitor facilities such as a visitor centre and numerous low and higher level walks.

Ben Nevis and its surroundings mean a great deal to a large number of people from all over the world. Protecting the area, whilst making it accessible and pleasurable to visit, is a real challenge and Friends of Nevis can help through subscribing, donating or contributing time and resources on a range of practical projects such as path maintenance, wildlife monitoring, fundraising etc.

Photo courtesy of Friends of Nevis

And when next at The Grog & Gruel, you can throw your loose change into our bar top collection boxes, or perhaps buy a branded 'Friends of Nevis' trolley token.

Mountain Bike World Cup

2008-05-07T10:11:00.004+01:00

Not long now till the Mountain Bike World Cup comes back to Fort William. Expect to see lots of lycra clad types wondering round a forest near you over the weekend of the 6th - 8th June. As ever, the full programme and lots of info is on the web site at www.fortwilliamworldcup.co.uk

Having caught the 4X (That's four cross to you non bikers) last year I can thoroughly recommend it. Great atmosphere and as its in the (Friday) evening you don't need to spend all day. Having said that, the Cross Country on Saturday and the Downhill on Sunday are also crackin' events. Its all highly recommended, even for non bikers.

Naturally, The Grog & Gruel will be welcoming all biker types. We've ordered some more Fat Tyre Ale which was a huge hit at the World Championships last year. And we may yet have some more of the exclusive Peaty Malt, our very special homage to the man himself.

And finally, a picture of someone mountain biking...

Blowing stuff up!

2008-05-02T12:05:00.002+01:00

So, let loose in Fort William with a couple of sticks of Acme Dynamite what would you choose? No, on second thoughts don't answer that one. Instead, watch this short piece courtesy of YouTube which shows the former power house at the old Paper Mill meeting its maker.

The site at Corpach is being cleared, allowing the expansion of the neighbouring BSW Sawmill. After the demolition on Monday, and having been up high on Nevis Range on Wednesday, I have to say that there's something very odd about the view towards the Corpach narrows now. Something's definitely missing!

Cafes and cakes

2008-05-02T10:00:00.004+01:00

Nothing quite like a bracing bit of exercise amidst some spectacular scenery to work up an appetite for a cracking cup of coffee and a gooey cake. But where to find such delights? Here's a quick plug for a new web site to help you on your way.

Check out Cafe Days to help find a cafe. Its not perfect. Cozy Knits at Strontian isn't even listed! But anything that helps track down caffeine and calories has to be worth a mention in my book. And if you can't be bothered with that, just work up a thirst and pop along to The Grog & Gruel for a coffee or a pint and a plate of Nachos!

(And yes, the picture is in France. But surprisingly enough I haven't got any photos of me eating cake at Crafts & Things and it does get the Ben & Jerry's and fresh air message across I think.)

Summer Beer Festival

2008-04-18T09:54:00.005+01:00

Here's a date for your diaries. What better way to mark the passing of midsummer than with a good ol' Summer Beer Festival. So, expect to find a bigger-than-usual selection of Scotland's finest from Thursday 19th June through until the closing night on Saturday 28th June.

The range of cask conditioned ales at The Grog & Gruel varies continuously, depending on how busy we expect to be and which brewers are delivering to our area at the time. However, you can usually expect to see from 4 to 8 beers on the bar at any one time, and you can pretty much guarantee that they'll all be brewed not only in Scotland, but mostly in the Highlands & Islands (That'll be McTetley's then!?)

During Summerfest (yes, we're still working on the name) we'll be doing a whole lot better than that, with perhaps the biggest and best range of Scottish ales in prime condition on show this side of, er... Glencoe.

On with the planning... More details to follow.

Scottish Six Day Trials

2008-04-17T13:52:00.003+01:00

I was out running in the wilds at the back of Kinlochleven the other night, making the most of some of the fantastic dry and bright evenings we've had of late, and came across a few of these things...

Not long now till the West End car park will be taken over by a few hundred of these and the associated circus that comes with the Scottish Six Day Trials. The annual event runs from Monday 5th May through till Saturday 10th May, with the classic Pre '65s in Kinlochleven over the first weekend.

Hope the weather holds, as the Lochaber countryside is looking great in the sunshine and snow. And if you're following the trial and need a bit of sustenance each evening, The Grog & Gruel will of course be happy to help keep you going!

Tell us what you think

2008-04-11T15:43:00.003+01:00

We think you like what we do. Occasionally, you'll tell us. Occasionally, we'll even ask you. And besides, we've been around long enough to know what you want and how to give it to you. But perhaps that's just not even of we're being really serious about things.

So we've decided to ask you more formally. From time to time, expect to be asked if you'd like to complete one of our new feedback forms. Don't expect the Spanish Inquisition (no-one expects the Spanish Inquisition). Instead expect a simple form on which you can very quickly rate us on a variety of headings, and we've even left room for your comments if you'd like to add these too.
We've already had a whole load of these returned and we're very encouraged by the results. Lots of goods and excellents and very little of the others. And the comments have varied from the recipe for our sausages through to the nice ear rings as worn by your favourite waitress.

We might even bring you a more formal review of the results in due course. But if you'd like to be heard, ask for a form when you're next in, or better still, click on the image and print your own!

Upgrade the A82 - Sign the ePetition

2008-03-10T21:05:00.006Z

Whether local resident or a one-time visitor to the area then chances are you've been on the A82 recently. And chances are you've either been shaken like a cocktail or scared silly, or both. The route runs between Glasgow and Inverness, and for those of us who live and work in the West Highlands its our artery to the rest of the world. And as such, and with its trunk road status, you'd think it would be a pretty good road? Well, maybe an OK road, then?

The truth is no its not. Its a terrible road in a terrible condition. The last major spend on the road was about 80 years ago - here's a photo! Unfortunately the road is a little busier than it was in those days and the trucks are a bit bigger too. I could go on - but just drive it if you're skeptical.

And its not going to get any better. Congestion, vehicle damage, accidents - many fatal, a barrier to economic development... Because there's no political will to change it. Unlike the A9. Now we're not generally political campaigners, but if there's one petition that you should sign in your life its this one. Sign the ePetition to the Scottish Parliament before 4th April and make your voice heard.

Just 4 days since it was launched and there's already 1029 names on the list!

Also check out the A82 campaign web site.

Organic Whisky??

2008-02-29T17:06:00.004Z

In the current times of "genetically modified this" and "intensely farmed that" it is nice to see that there are many products which are selling themselves on authenticity and high standard production. You might be thinking that surely whisky production is going to be one area which has been left the way it was always done. This however is not the case.

One distillery which seems to appreciate customers interest in organic production is Benromach. Benromach organic whisky has been available for the last couple of years. Hand produced by just two men at speyside's smallest working distillery, it is Scotland's only organic whisky and is fully certified by the soil association. This means the whole process – raw ingredients, distillation, maturation and bottling – is certified organic to the rigorous standards set by the Soil Association.

Using pure spring water from the nearby Romach Hills and the finest Scottish organic barley and organic yeast, Benromach Organic is made by experienced distillers, personally ensuring only the highest quality spirit is filled into hand selected virgin American oak casks.The virgin American oak casks are made of wood from environmentally managed forests. Only when the spirit has matured to the highest quality standard is it bottled as Benromach Organic Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

This whisky will be featured in March 2008 at the Grog n Gruel for the amazing price of £1.99 per 25ml. A great opportunity to taste this unique dram

Humpff at the Grog !!

2008-02-03T21:38:00.000Z

It was about ten years ago at the tented music festival at the BA club when I first met John Coletta. At that time he was playing as part of the "Humpff Family" performing a great selection of his own unique songs with a great musical line up. Since then we kept in touch and about five years ago we were able to bring a touch of "humpff" back to the Fort.

In between writing new material, teaching and his many other commitments John Coletta will be performing at the Grog on a monthly basis starting on March the 6th. With his own brand of thigh slapping bluegrass mandolin, skilfully crafted songs and his own version of some of todays chart toppers, this is an act not to be missed.

If you have not had a chance to hear any of the material by John then click this link to browse his myspace site for streaming audio and CD details or much better pop into the Grog on March 6th for our great selection of cask ale and The best selection of malt whisky for miles around accompanied by one of Scotlands best kept musical secrets.

Open Mike Night

2008-02-01T12:44:00.001Z

Karaoke? At The Grog & Gruel? Surely not!

As with all things Grog & Gruel, we do it all a bit differently. Tuesday 19th February sees the return of Iain 'Stretch' MacFadyen and his open mike (should that be 'mic'?) night. Its a bit more tasteful than a karaoke night. If you're a closet folkie and fancy entertaining the masses, simply join Stretch 'on stage' and get on with it. If music isn't your thing then perhaps a bit of comedy, or poetry, in a So I Married an Axe Murderer stylee might be in order.

And in the event that you're all a bit bashful and shy, Stretch will be filling in with some western swing and traditional country classics for your listening pleasure.

Chicken Out

2008-01-30T13:42:00.000Z

So, which are you? Two for a fiver or free range? Yes, the recent TV debate over the chicken that we eat led by Hugh Fearnley-Doublebarrelledverylongname has got us all talking chicken here at the Grog. Do we really care about the quality of the chicken we eat? For, as we now know, not all chicken is the same.

Whilst we're rather proud of the quality of the vast majority of our ingredients - our boar, our salmon, our venison, our black pudding, our beef... we're not as bold about the quality of our chicken. That said, we don't use battery chicken and we do ensure that it meets our quality standards as a product. What we don't do is buy Scottish - there's not that much of it about, and we don't buy free range.

So, the debate of the moment is should we? Inevitably, free range chicken will cost more. So the cost of your quesadilla or your Cajun chicken dish will cost more. Will it pass the taste test? We're doing a bit of research to try and put some real facts and figures together on this. In the meantime, we need to hear your opinion on this.

Did we tell you that we do use free range eggs, though?

Ouch!

2008-01-25T14:23:00.001Z

Its raining, its dark outside and you've just got the credit card bill for the Christmas shopping... Well, here's some more depressing news to add to your troubles, and ours.

According to the British Beer & Pub Association, the average price of a pint will reach £4 this year due to rising beer production and distribution costs. We've just had our first increase notification from the Atlas and Orkney Breweries and with prices set to increase by 7.5% it looks like the BBPA might well have a point. And the situation isn't going to be helped by the news that energy companies are announcing energy cost increases of up to 15%. And don't even get us started on the ridiculous new licensing arrangements...

More Mojo from Franz Ferdinand

2008-01-21T21:07:00.000Z

So, why do we now have a blog I wonder? 'Cos everyone else has got one perhaps? Hmm, good start but since when has The Grog & Gruel given a monkey's what everyone else is doing. Err.. because 'The Grog' is more than just a pub and there's always stacks of stuff going on, tales to tell, rants to go off on and exciting and interesting people passing through our doors? Yeah, that's it. I knew there was a better answer to that most mundane of questions.

Give me a 'for example' I hear you ask? Well for starters, there was that visit from Franz Ferdinand the other month that ended up with a write up in Mojo magazine which mentioned The Grog & Gruel as much as it did the gig they were in town to play.

So there you go. If you want to mix it up with the rich and famous, then you know where to head. Can't promise that Alex Kapranos, or for that matter Mel Gibson will be propping up the bar when you visit but there again, the customers who did pop in and find them there probably thought the same thing!