Ever wondered which pubs in Renfrewshire serve food?

It’s been delayed but not cancelled! The Paisley Beer Festival is finally coming back in September 2013 … from Wednesday 11th till Saturday 14th to be exact. It will be returning with its usual great selection of ales and ciders from across Scotland and England (this year the English bar will be sourced from the Yorkshire area), as well as offering foreign bottled beers and draughts from across Europe.

We’d encourage anyone interested in ales, or anyone who has never been to previous years Paisley Beer Festivals, to attend and sample the wide variety of real ales available, particularly since only a handful of pubs across Renfrewshire currently sell real ale.

Many of the ales, ciders and beers on offer won’t be available in local stores either, so it’s quite literally a real ale experience that’s not to missed.

When and where?

The 2013 Paisley Beer Festival will be held in Paisley town hall as before, with opening dates / times this year being:

Wednesday 11th – 5pm till 11pm
Thursday 12th – 12pm till 11 pm
Friday 13th – 12pm till 12 am
Saturday 14th – 12pm till 9pm

What does it cost to attend?

As with previous years, entry will cost £5 (for which you normally also get a free pint glass, and free entry on other days as long as you turn up with your glass!). For CAMRA members the entry cost is £3.

Volunteer to help at the Beer Festival

Like any reasonable sized event, the Paisley Beer Festival could always do with some helping hands. If you’d be interested in volunteering some of your time to help, let the organisers know!

Find out more on festival website, on their volunteers page.

New Events, a New Pub and a Fantasy Football Competition!

August 12, 2012 adm1n1strat0r Leave a comment

It’s been a while since our last blog post on the popular Renfrewshire Pubs website, but here it is, at long last. As you know the site is run voluntarily and we rely a lot on having the free time to keep it up date. We also rely a lot on the feedback of pub goers, pub owners and Renfrewshire residents to keep us up to date on events they know of, so that we can spread the word. Fortunately there has been a lot of that in recent weeks, so thank you all!

A new pub

We’ve just added a new pub to the website: Bar 5 @ Five on 5 in Paisley. You can find out more on their dedicated Bar 5 page on our site. Having attended a charity night there in recent weeks ourselves, we can personally recommend it is a pub worth a visit.

Events updates

We list hundreds of events on the site, a mixture of recurring weekly events and one off events. Some of those seem to be out of date, while we’ve also heard of others. With that in mind, we’ve trawled through the database and started updating. This has included updates / additions to events for pubs across Renfrewshire including The Anchor Bar, The Brown Bull, The Bankhouse, The Glenleven Inn, Hamishes Hoose, Howwood Inn and more.

More updates will follow. If we’ve not got your event listed, contact us with the details and we’ll add it

Fantasy Football anyone?

As you know, we don’t promote football very often. It’s not that we’re against it, but the volume of it on TV would mean all other events are quickly diluted on our site. However, we did run a Fantasy Football League last year, and we’ve re-opened it for this year!

It’s absolutely free to join and run via the popular http://fantasy.premierleague.com, based on the English Premier League. We don’t offer prizes, but the competition itself does offer some. We simply offer the opportunity to gain bragging rights over your friends!

Everyone is welcome, though it’s best if you’ve a connection to a Renfrewshire Pub or Renfrewshire itself. It help keeps it local.

Head over to the site (http://fantasy.premierleague.com) and create your team. Then visit the leagues section and request to join a private league. The code you’ll need to join our “Renfrewshire Pubs” league is: 846281-210240

Paisley Beer Festival 2012

March 13, 2012 adm1n1strat0r Leave a comment

It’s almost that time of year again when Brewers and their ales from across the UK descend on Paisley Town Hall. Last years festival appeared to be a huge success, so it should be expected that the Paisley Beer Festival 2012 will be bigger and better – particularly as it’s celebrating its 25th Anniversary!

As part of the celebration, the organisers are hoping to feature as many as possible of the beers that appeared at the very first Paisley Beer Festival back in 1986.

Last year saw the biggest turnout yet for the festival, with over 6000 visitors indulging in the tasting of beers from around Scotland, England and beyond. It’s expected that this year will bring with it over 160 different ales.

As with last year, entry costs £5 per person … or £3 if you’re a CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) member, and the festival will run from Wednesday 25th April until Saturday 28th April. Exact times (taken from the official website):

Wed 25th: 5pm – 11pm
Thu 26th: noon – 11pm
Fri 27th: noon – 12am
Sat 28th: noon – 9pm

Renfrewshire Pubs will be heading along to mingle at the Paisley Beer Festival 2012, so we look forward to seeing you there! If you see us, say hi!

For more information, keep up with the official Paisley Beer Festival website: www.paisleybeerfestival.org.uk

RBS 6 Nations 2012 starts this weekend!

February 3, 2012 adm1n1strat0r Leave a comment

It’s that time of year again for some fantastic RBS 6 Nations rugby action. We’ve not heard from many pubs that are showing it yet, but we’ll post updates as and when they let us know. We assume several will be showing the games, so watch this space.

What a fixture list to get us started though, with Scotland v England, followed on Sunday by Ireland v Wales. Certainly worth re-organising the weekend for!

Pubs in Renfrewshire showing the games:

– The Cellar Bar, Paisley
– The Craig Dhu, Paisley
– Gabriels, Paisley
– The Viscount, Renfrew

RBS 6 Nations 2012 Fixtures / Results:

For those who don’t already know, or can’t find, the full list of fixtures, here it is (and we’ll try and keep the scores up to date throughout:

Sat 4th Feb  —  14:30  —  France 30 v 23 Italy
Sat 4th Feb  —  17:00  —  SCOTLAND 6 v 13 England
Sun 5th Feb  —  15:00  —  Ireland 21 v 23 Wales
Sat 11th Feb  —  16:00  —  Italy 15 v 19 England
Sun 12th Feb  —  15:00  —  Wales 27 v 13 SCOTLAND
Sat 25th Feb  —  13:30  —  Ireland 42 v 10 Italy
Sat 25th Feb  —  16:00  —  England 12 v 19 Wales
Sun 26th Feb  —  15:00  —  SCOTLAND v France
Sat 10th Mar  —  14:30  —  Wales v Italy
Sat 10th Mar  —  17:00  —  Ireland v SCOTLAND
Sun 11th Mar  —  15:00  —  France v England
Sat 17th Mar  —  12:30  —  Italy v SCOTLAND
Sat 17th Mar  —  14:45  —  Wales v France
Sat 17th Mar  —  17:00  —  England v Ireland

Is your pub showing any of the games?

If so, contact us and let us know and we’ll let everyone else know!

Halloween Parties set to make Renfrewshire a Spooky place!

October 20, 2011 adm1n1strat0r Leave a comment

It’s almost that time of year again to dust down the costumes, get the monkey nuts out and ready the apples for dooking. Yep, Halloween is coming and it looks like the pubs in Renfrewshire are making sure there is no shortage of parties and entertainment to celebrate the occasion.

With prizes for the best dressed, games and more on offer, we thought we’d round up where the Halloween parties are taking place this year. If your pub isn’t listed, let us know and we’ll add.

So, what Halloween parties do we know of so far? Click each of the

Friday 28th October

– The Wee Howff, Paisley at 8pm. View event page >
– The Viscount, Renfrew. View event page >

Saturday 29th October

– Paddy Malarkys, Paisley at 7:30pm. View event page >
– Gabriels, Paisley. View event page >
– The Cellar Bar, Paisley. View event page >
– The Bankhouse, Paisley. View event page >
– Lorimers, Bishopton. View event page >

Sunday 30th October

– Kids Halloween at The Viscount, Renfrew. View event page >
– Kids Halloween at The Old Swan, Paisley. View event page >

If yours isn’t listed, get in touch and we’ll get you added!

Houston Brewery Celebrates CAMRA Award with a Houston Ale Passport!

October 5, 2011 adm1n1strat0r Leave a comment

We’re sure many of you are aware that Renfrewshire is home to one of Scotlands finest Real Ale Brewerys – The Houston Brewery. What you may not be aware of is that it’s sister pub, The Fox and Hounds in Houston, has won the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) Pub of Year award for 2011!

As part of the celebration of this award, the Houston Brewery have launched a Houston Ale Passport, to try and encourage non-ale drinkers to try something different. The passport will be available throughout October in a number of Renfrewshire Pubs, with prizes available for various achievements.

The process is fairly simple. Try a Houston Ale and get your Houston Ale Passport stamped. All fully stamped passports will be entered into a prize draw with some fantastic prizes on offer.

Prizes on Offer

The main prize on offer is Houston Brewery Tour for four people, followed by a meal with their choice of Houston Ale.

In addition, each of the pubs taking part in the Passport Scheme are putting forward prizes of meals for 2, wines and of course, the brewery will supply some Houston Ale

Renfrewshire Pubs Selling Houston Ale

Fancy tasting some Real Ale produced right here in Renfrewshire? Then get along to one of the several pubs taking part:

– The Fox and Hounds, Houston
– Trust Inn, Kilbarchan
– Callums Bar, Johnstone
– The Howwood Inn, Howwood
– Hamish’s Hoose, Paisley

To keep up with news and developments of the Houston Ale Passport, follow the Houston Brewery on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/houstonbrewery

Who are CAMRA?

CAMRA campaigns for real ale, real pubs and consumer rights. They’re an independent, voluntary organisation with over 100,000 members and have been described as the most successful consumer group in Europe. CAMRA promotes good-quality real ale and pubs, as well as acting as the consumer’s champion in relation to the UK and European beer and drinks industry. They aim to:

– Protect and improve consumer rights
– Promote quality, choice and value for money
– Support the public house as a focus of community life
– Campaign for greater appreciation of traditional beers, ciders and perries as part of our national heritage and culture
– Seek improvements in all licensed premises and throughout the brewing industry

Lots to choose from this September Weekend!

September 22, 2011 adm1n1strat0r Leave a comment

OK, so many of you might be disappearing for a short break over this upcoming September weekend, but for those of you staying in Renfrewshire, there are quite a few events happening to keep you busy!

Here are some that we know of …

Live Music at The Weir from Risky Business

The Weir Bar and Bistro have had some of the widest range of live acts on of all the pubs we’ve covered in our short history, and this weekend is yet another new name for us – Risky Business!
Music kicks off at 9:30 on Saturday 24th.

Find out more >

Live Music at Callums Bar from Adriaan Blom

A seemingly popular and up & coming musician, we’ve noticed Adriaans name popping up in a few places across Renfrewshire in recent times. For those who’ve not yet had a chance to see or hear him, head along to Callums Bar in Johnstone on Saturday 24th.

Find out more >

Live Music at Gabriels from Gwen Dillon

Not a pub that we get to much info on in terms of what’s happening, but we have it on good info that Gwen Dillon is playing there this Sunday night (25th) at 9pm. So, any of you lucky enough to have Monday off now have an excuse to enjoy your Sunday.

Find out more >

Live Music at The Viscount from Casper & CO

Another regular for events is the Viscount, and equally regular on our mentions is the fantastic Casper & Co that will be playing there this Sunday (25th) at 8:30pm.

Find out more >

All the usual Pub Quizzes, Karaokes and poker nights still seem to be on – or we’ve at least not been told otherwise.

As always, please feel free to send in pictures if you go to any of the above and we’ll post them on our Facebook page!

Sing and Donate at Paddy Malarkys Open Mic Charity Night

September 15, 2011 adm1n1strat0r Leave a comment

It’s been great to see so many of the Pubs in Renfrewshire doing their bit to raise money for local and national charities, and we’ve been informed of another fantastic evening taking place on 29th September that’s hoping to raise money for Accord Hospice and the Beatson Pebble appeal.

This time is the turn of Paddy Malarkys in Paisley, who are running an Open Mic Night on Thursday 29th September at 8pm. Not only do you get to sing your wee hearts out, it’s also an evening where all proceeds will be going to good causes, split between the 2 charities mentioned.

There will be a raffle on the night with some pretty impressive prizes. Prize donations are still being accepted if anyone wants to donate, but so far the prize list includes:

– Signed Football boots from St Mirrens Kenny Mclean
– Signed Celtic shirt from this seasons players

We’ll keep you updated on other prizes as Paddy Malarkys let us know.

As usual, we encourage you to get along and support the event, to raise as much as possible for both the Accord Hopsice and the Beatson Pebble Appeal.

Previous charity nights in Renfrewshires Pubs have included the charity auction in aid of the Mary Russell School, held by the Crown Bar, and the Hollywood Charity night held at the Wee Howff in aid of Cancer Research UK and Prostate Scotland.

Charity Auction in aid of The Mary Russel School

August 19, 2011 adm1n1strat0r Leave a comment

Feeling generous? Then get yourself along to the Crown Bar in Paisley either this Sunday from 4pm, or next Sunday (28th) at the same time, to take part in their annual charity auction. Their auction has been running for 15 years or so now, during which time thousands of pounds have been raised for local charities.

This years auction is in aid of The Mary Russell School and everyone is welcome to go along and grab a bargain.

Hundreds of items will be going up for sale, from household items and electrical goods through to other items donated by locals from the pub and local businesses.

There will also be some pretty special items going up for auction including:

A handbag donated by June Brown of Eastenders (Dot Cotton!), used in literally hundreds of Eastenders Episodes!

June Browns own personal copy of the script for the last episode that her on screen husband, Jim, took part in!

A number of items from the cast of River City

Signed Footballs and other Sports Memorabilia

There will be something for everyone, so please don’t be put off by assuming the auction consists only of high priced collectors items. Get along and see for yourself.

Anyone with any questions should contact either the Crown Bar directly, or get in touch with Paul Thomson (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=626299568).

A great event by a Renfrewshire pub for a Renfrewshire service, so please support it.

Feel free to send in pictures of you with your new item if you buy anything – email contactus@renfrewshirepubs.co.uk