Ben Nevis Race 2008

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

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

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....

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?

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

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

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

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.