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5th July The Champion Beer of Warwickshire Competition has begun today! This week we have 6 of the best brews from the county for you to sample and vote for. The event is running for 3 weeks and features beers from.
The event is a blind tasting so the only thing you will know is the strength and color of the beer. But if you fancy trying them all why not take advantage of our six thirds of a pint for only £5. Who will be crowned The Champion Beer of Warwickshire? Only one way to find out, the winner will be announced Wednesday 28th July. With such a big event we figured the only way to do the music was to go as big and we have done precisely that by having The Tongue & Groove Big Band playing this Tuesday , music begins at 9pm and best of all entrance is free. 18th June Good morning, apologies for the lack of updates last week, it has been hectic here! We have been planning and plotting and it promises to be a good summer here at The Merchants. Tuesday 29th June sees our new wine menu being launched, so why not come along and enjoy an evening of fine wines, tasting’s ad canapés followed by live music from Jazz Not Jazz, the festivities begin at 7pm. Monday 5th July sees us hosting The CAMRA Warwickshire Beer of The Year, the competition has been held previously at The Newbold Comyn Arms in Leamington, and runs for 3 weeks , each week we will have beers from all over the County and you will be testing them in a blind tasting and voting for your choice! The 3rd week sees the final week ! Who will be crowned the overall Champion Beer of Warwickshire! Friday 13th August sees the return of our Cider Festival running until Sunday 15th August…… will we see a return of the “Boys v Girls Cider Battle?” I certainly hope so! And who could forget Sport? Throughout the month of June we shall be showing as much Rugby as is humanly possible , starting tomorrow with England v Australia , doors open at 10am so why not take advantage of our B&B offer , a full English Breakfast and a pint of English Ale for only £7.50! Tomorrow also sees South Africa take on Italy , Argentina v Scotland and The Churchill Cup final….. wow what a day ! 6th June Hi Guys, The beautiful weather has returned and the Pimms has started flying out again. We are currently doing jugs of the refreshing beverage for a fantastic £10! We also have a delicious new cider. Cider Twist Raspberry contains real raspberries and is perfect on these hot lazy days. This Tuesday night Joe O’Donnell’s Shkayla will be playing live. This fantastic band brings together the spirit of Celtic tradition and the dynamic grooves of modern rock and jazz. The music starts at 9pm and entry is free. On the 12th and 19th of this month we will be opening at 10am for the England V Australia live Rugby. Breakfast and a beer can be purchased for a fantastic £7.50. The atmosphere is going to be awesome. Don’t forget it’s Father’s Day on Sunday 20th June. Dads will get a free beer with their Sunday lunch! So why not treat yours to a delicious meal. Bookings are now being taken. On 29th June at 7pm we will be launching our new wines. There will be tasters and canapés followed by the very talented Jazz not Jazz. We’re all really excited about it. It’s going to be a fun night so hope you can attend. In case you are not aware we are now on twitter. The page is updated every morning with a list of today’s beers. Check it out at twitter.com. Also if you have a good time at the pub then go to www.beerintheevening.com where you can let the whole world know. Well have a great week in the sunshine guys and don’t forget your sun cream. Tarnya. 3rd June Hi Guys, The beautiful weather has returned and the Pimms has started flying out again. We are currently doing jugs of the refreshing beverage for a fantastic £10! We also have a delicious new cider. Cider Twist Raspberry contains real raspberries and is perfect on these hot lazy days. This Tuesday night Joe O’Donnell’s Shkayla will be playing live. This fantastic band brings together the spirit of Celtic tradition and the dynamic grooves of modern rock and jazz. The music starts at 9pm and entry is free. In case you are not aware we are now on twitter. The page is updated every morning with a list of today’s beers. Check it out at twitter.com. Also if you have a good time at the pub then go to www.beerintheevening.com where you can let the whole world know. Well have a great week in the sunshine guys and don’t forget your sun cream. Tarnya. 28th May Hi Guys, We’re showing some great Rugby this weekend including the Guinness Cup Premiership and all the action from the Edinburgh 7’s. This Tuesday night Jucamaya will be playing live. This contemporary jazz quintet are melodic, memorable and stylish. The music starts at 9pm and entry is free. In case you are not aware we are now on twitter. The page is updated every morning with a list of today’s beers. Check it out at twitter.com. Also if you have a good time at the pub then go to www.beerintheevening.com where you can let the whole world know. Well have a great week guys - I hope you get a chance to enjoy this glorious sunshine. Tarnya. 21st May Hi Guys, This weekend’s fantastic live Rugby matches kick off with Toulouse V Biarritz in the Heinekin Cup Final on Saturday at 4.30pm. Then on Sunday we will be showing Toulon V Cardiff at 2pm in the Amlin Challenge Cup Final. There will also be all the action from the London 7’s! This Tuesday night we have the very talented Kel Elliot playing live from 9pm. Kelly is a singer-songwriter with the unusual distinction of being a double bass player; her songs are upbeat in every sense - lyrically optimistic and musically infectious. There’s no entry fee and you are guaranteed an entertaining evening. In case you are not aware we are now on twitter. The page is updated every morning with a list of today’s beers. Check it out at twitter.com. Also if you have a good time at the pub then go to www.beerintheevening.com where you can let the whole world know. Well have a great week guys - I hope you get a chance to enjoy this glorious sunshine. Tarnya. 14th May Hi Guys, We have a jam packed day of sport this Sunday from 1pm. We have rugby semi finals including Saints V Saracens and Tigers V Bath and as if it couldn’t get any better we’ll also be showing the ICC Twenty20 final! All live on our big screen and not to be missed. This Tuesday night we have the very talented Hickman & Quinn playing live from 9pm. This folk and roots duo plays a mixture of original and traditional songs and instrumentals. There’s no entry fee and you are guaranteed an entertaining evening. In case you are not aware we are now on twitter. The page is updated every morning with a list of today’s beers. Check it out at twitter.com. Also if you have a good time at the pub then go to www.beerintheevening.com where you can let the whole world know. Well have a great week guys and I’ll see you really soon. Tarnya. 17th April Hi Guys, The beer festival is here! Final preparations are being made and we’re all so excited. The decorations are going to look amazing so make sure you come in and see our own private beach! We have an exciting week ahead of us kicking off with Dr Busker and the pirate crew on Monday night. I’m personally looking forward to the St George’s party on Friday night. It’s fancy dress so don’t forget to get your costumes. I think I’m going to come as a lobster. So hope you all thoroughly enjoy this week’s festivities and don’t forget your bucket and spade! 2nd April Hi Guys, As you may have heard on the grape vine we have a new kitchen opening here at the Merchants this bank holiday Monday. We are all really excited about the change over. So why not come in and experience our fresh new menu. We have a real treat for you this Tuesday night in the form of Ash Mandrake. This exciting band produce folk infused music with influences from around the globe. Ash plays a custom double neck guitar of his own invention and uses hats and costumes that he makes himself adding a theatrical aspect to his mesmerizing performance. So if you want to be amazed and have a thoroughly entertaining and uplifting evening then come in and join us. Music starts around 9pm. Beer festival preparations are in full swing. We’ve ordered one or two surprises and are all really excited. I managed to do a little bit more painting on the outside of the pub but with the current wet weather I haven’t been able to do as much as I’d have liked. Hopefully the sun will come out this week and I can get some seagulls and buckets and spades out there. In case you are not aware we are now on twitter. The page is updated every morning with a list of today’s beers. Check it out at twitter.com. Also if you have a good time at the pub then go to www.beerintheevening.com where you can let the whole world know. Well I hope you all enjoy your bank holiday weekend and one or two or three Easter eggs. See you soon. 23 March Hi Guys, Now that the six nations has drawn to a close all of our energy is now going on preparations for our Rugby-on-Sea beer festival (19th- 25th April). If you’ve been in over the past couple of days you’ll have noticed the beginning of one of our mammoth exterior paint jobs. This one’s going to be even more impressive than the zebra stripes! We are all really excited about what we have planned fro the festival and you guys need to start booking those days off work! We are currently accepting Weatherspoons’ real ale vouchers so if you have any please feel free to come in and use them. In case you are not aware we are now on twitter. The page is updated every morning with a list of today’s beers. Check it out at www.twitter.com. Also if you have a good time at the pub then go to www.beerintheevening.com where you can let the whole world know. So have a cracking week guys and don’t forget to come in for the live music on Tuesday night. This week we’ve got the very talented Hickman & Quinn starting at 9pm. 19th March Well the 6 nations draws to a close this weekend with what we have dubbed "Super Saturday" 3 games in 1 day ! no excuse to leave the pub, my advice? Get here early as its going to be busy! All attention now is towards the beer festival which kicks off in 5 weeks ! The provisional beer list is available to view in the beer festival page along with the plans for the week! For more up to date news and information why not follow us on Twitter where we update our guest beers daily or on Facebook where the beer festival has its own page! 12th March Hi Guys, We’ve got a great weekend of sports lined up with the highlight being Scotland V England at 5pm! Hope you can make it – the atmosphere is going to be amazing. If you have a good time at the pub then go to www.beerintheevening.com where you can let the whole world know. Have a good week guys and don’t forget to come in for the live music on Tuesday night. This week we’ve got the very talented Teazzer starting at 9pm. 8th March Hi Guys, We’ve got some great live Rugby this weekend. Leicester play London Irish at 5.30pm on Saturday and on Sunday Sale play Northampton at 2.30pm. Have a good week guys and don’t forget to come in for the live music on Tuesday night. This week we’ve got the very talented Al Sansome. 26th February 2010 Hi Guys, Six Nations kicks off again tonight (Friday) at 8pm with Wales V France. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s England V Ireland match at 4pm. The atmosphere will be electric. Go England! I am so excited that The Clayton Denwood Band is playing this Tuesday. I’ve had a listen to their music (a mixture of blues, folk rock and jazz) and it’s awesome. This and the fact that Canadian Clayton is sex on legs means this Tuesday night is going to be thoroughly entertaining. If you have a good time at the pub then go to www.beerintheevening.com where you can let the whole world know. So wishing all the luck in the world to the England Rugby team this weekend. Hope to see you all on both Tuesday and Wednesday night. 5th February 2010 Hi Guys, Six nations begins tomorrow (Saturday) with Ireland V Italy at 2.30pm. There will be tasty rolls available during half time of the 5pm England V Wales match and jugs of Stella Artois and Batemans XB throughout. The atmosphere is going to be amazing. All tables available with barrels for £80 for this first day have sold out however we still have tables available for all subsequent matches. This is an excellent offer guys. Tables can be bought with a barrel (36 pints) of beer or 36 bottles of Staropramen for an amazing £80. They sell out fast so reserve yours now! Alan Murphy will be playing here on Tuesday night. The Glaswegian king of blues will be playing a mixture of his own amazing songs and some classic John Martyn. Music starts at 9pm and we do not charge admission! If you have a good time at the pub then go to 29th January 2010 Hi Guys, 15th January 2010 Hi Guys, I know that this can be quite a gloomy time of year guys but remember the Merchants is always open with a warm welcome and a bit of friendly banter. Come and enjoy our roaring open fire and extensive range of good quality beers. This month is jam packed with sporting events including the Guinness Premiership, Heineken Cup and the England cricket tour of South Africa. All live on our big screen. If you have a good time at the pub then go to www.beerintheevening.com where you can let the whole world know. So have a good week guys. Hope to see you on Tuesday night when the very talented Kelly Elliot will be playing. Remember we’re always here to brighten your day. 28th December Hi Guys, 18th December Hi Guys, Hope you’re all thinking about what costumes you’re going to wear for our Dickensian New Years Eve Party. Nicki and I have started the decorations – it’s going to look amazing. This month is jam packed with sporting events including the Guinness Premiership, Heineken Cup and the England cricket tour of South Africa. All live on our big screen. The Merchants Cricket Club calenders have now gone on sale and can be purchased from the bar for only £5. Trust me they’re worth buying just for the comedy value and would make an excellent novelty Christmas present. I’ve bought one for my Gran. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. There’s still time to book your Christmas party with us. Why not take advantage of our big back room. Buffet and Christmas dinner menus are available at the bar. If you have a good time at the pub then go to www.beerintheevening.com where you can let the whole world know. So wrap up warm and have a brrrrrilliant week guys. 11th December Hi Guys, 4th December Hi Guys, 27 November Hi Guys, 20 November Hi Guys, 16 November Hi Guys, Yesterday (Thursday) was an exciting day with the launch of a new ale from the Warwickshire Beer Company. Ball Stitcher is a light and fruity ale. We only have a limited supply so get here quick to try it for yourself. Martin Corry came in for a few and thoroughly endorsed it. It was a great day. The Merchants Cricket Club calenders have now gone on sale and can be purchased from the bar for only £5. Trust me they’re worth buying just for the comedy value. If you have a good time at the pub then go to www.beerintheevening.com where you can let the whole world know. So hope to see you all soon. Have a good week guys. 06 November Hi Guys, 23rd October Hi Guys, 16th October Hi Guys, 9th October Hi Guys, Hi Guys, 10th September The German night is less than 2 weeks away and tickets are selling very well and very quickly so get one before it is too late! 4th September 24th July The Cider festival is just 3 weeks away now and the buzz has never been greater, the hog is getting ready to be roasted , the ciders have been ordered…… we may even have a few ciders that nobody has ever had before for you to sample! The Cider festival & German Night ( Weds 23rd September ) will be helping to raise money for Zoe’s Place Children’s Hospice (http://www.zoes-place.org.uk/ ) which is a very worthwhile charity. We can confirm the Merchant’s will be hosting it’s first ever cider festival from Friday 14th to Sunday 16th August. It will feature 15 – 20 ciders, live music, apple games, a hog roast and much more.
The lions aim to get a victory for pride tomorrow; having already lost the series can they at least salvage one? Let’s hope so – watch it here live tomorrow! 10th June Friday 5th June
Landlord Scott Whyment & Oakham Head Brewer John Friday 29th May This week saw the newly promoted MCC play their first Division 3 League game , for a full match report sneak a peek at the newly created MCC page where you will find match reports and fixtures. Wednesday 3rd June will see The Merchants Inn officially being welcomed into the “Oakademy of excellence”, to celebrate this we shall be holding a special evening with no less than 9 Oakham beers on, the head brewer will be here with tasting notes and giveaways , for more information on the Oakademy log onto oakademyofexcellence.com 30th April Well that’s it; it is all over for another 6 months. Happy St Georges Day Apologies for the lack of updates this week, the beer has been in fine flow and I felt it my professional duty to try them all at great lengths! The festival has proved a great success thus far; Monday saw Dr Busker & the Dorset RATS in fine tongue in cheek form as always. As today is St George’s day, I urge you to come to a quintessential English pub and raise a glass or 2 of fine festival ale to our great patron saint whilst tucking into a HOG roast and watching Black Annis Women’s Morris Dancers! The food has almost quite literally been jumping off of our Darwin themed menu, with evolutionary themed food such as Whitebait, Crocodile and Kangaroo I am sure you can find something to tickle your taste buds! For something a little more adventurous why not try a bag of Thai green curried CRICKETS or some barbecued WORMS , bags of which are available at the bar all day. And remember , for those of you wishing to avoid the dreaded hangover at work fear not , the festival runs until Saturday night making this our longest ever, I however cannot guarantee just how much beer will be available if we carry on at this rate! 4 days to go!!!! Well that’s it! All of our deliveries are in, the stillage’s are built , the programme is done , and we are ready for what is sure to be our wildest ever festival. Food shall be available until 8pm everyday throughout the week from a very very special menu. Come Monday morning I shall have a list up of the first wave of beers for both front and back bar. In the meantime , have a good weekend – no doubt I shall see you all in the pub at some juncture this weekend , if not I look forward to seeing you all next week at All Creatures Great & Small. 9th April The festival is almost upon us, and for you regular pub goers you may notice something a little bit WILD about the exterior of the pub! Overnight our pub became painted like a ZEBRA! This is no word of a lie, have a look in the newly created All Creatures Great And Small gallery. We have yet another beer list for the festival with a few amendments from the last one, that can be viewed in the Beer Fest page... 26th March 09 The 6 nations draws to a close this weekend with 3 matches in 1 day , get here early because it will be busy! The Cricket is over now …… But we have the ashes to look forward to! On the subject of cricket , if you fancy yourself as a bit of a KP or Freddie , why not join the REAL MCC ( Merchants Cricket Club ) , for more info ring the pub or pop in and see Scott or John. The 6 nations is almost over , but it finishes in great style , with what we have dubbed “ Super Saturday “ … 3 games in 1 day ! This is the perfect weekend for you to reserve your table and pin of beer, a bargain at only £80 ! With that in mind its only 78 days till the Lions Tour ! 4th March 09 Have a look at the newly added Beer Festival page for an advanced look at the list of what’s available at “The All Creatures Great & Small Beer Festival.” Please remember that it’s only a provisional list and there are more beers to be added nearer the time. The 6 Nations is almost upon us! If like me you hate going to the bar during the match and missing a crucial try or penalty because of it then fear not… The Belgian night is now only 3 weeks away but we still have some tickets available, there will be a list of the beer up within the next week. This Tuesday we have James Hollingsworth playing live. James was recently voted one of the Top 3 Live Gigs by the Independent newspaper. Take my advice, get here early as it will be busy! For more info on James look at 28th January 09 There are only a few Belgian night tickets left so snap them up quickly! The 6 nations starts next weekend so get here early, order a big breakfast and enjoy a fantastic afternoon of rugby & banter. Our back room is available for hire all throughout the year , and can be used for conferences , leaving / retirement do’s anything you want really , ring the pub for more details. 21st January 09 This weekend we have yet another packed weekend of Heineken cup rugby for details of what’s on head over to the Live Real Sport page. Tickets for the Belgian night are selling fast so get one before its too late, fear not food tickets are available on the night but you don’t get a free Belgian beer, whereas if you buy a ticket you can take one home absolutely free! A bargain at only £6.50 ! 14th January 09 Well New Year has been and gone and whilst most people seem to be suffering from the January blues, The Merchants certainly isn’t. We are busy planning the year ahead and to begin with we have loads of Rugby (Heineken cup, Premiership) and of course the 6 Nations over the coming weeks. For those you who aren’t fans of the egg shaped ball we have England’s cricket tour of the West Indies showing throughout February. All times and games are in the Real Ale, Real Sport page. Fancy a credit crunching European midweek break? Well never fear, for The Merchants are here with the return of the ever-popular Belgian Night taking place on Wednesday 25th February. If you buy your dinner tickets in advance (£6.50) we will give you a Belgian beer absolutely! There will be a ‘Plats du Jour’ menu (including the old favourite Moules & Frites!), traditional music and of course only the best beer our Belgian cousins have to offer. Get your ticket now as numbers are very limited and selling fast. Regular drinkers in the pub may have noticed a few beers available on a fairly consistent basis, namely Purity’s Mad Goose and Bateman’s XB; more info can be found on our beer page under regular ales. 30th December Well Christmas is done and dusted for another year, but the party isn’t over yet, remember New Years eve we are hosting a 1940’s Blitz theme, and for those of you who attended the Wild West party last year, let me tell you this , this year will be the best ever New Year we have done! I could tell you what we have got planned…… but that would ruin the surprise! This weekend see’s the end of the autumn internationals , but never fear , The Heineken cup returns next weekend and also we have The Baa Baa’s taking on Australia on Wednesday. But of course who could forget the big one of a high flying New Zealand team taking on an England team full of potential at 2-30pm. 20th November Another full Saturday of Rugby watching lies ahead with England taking on the World Champions , South Africa , in a rematch of the 2007 Rugby World Cup final , kicking off at 2-30pm. And then it is Warren Gatland taking on his home country of New Zealand with Wales at 5-15pm. My advice …. Get here early , have a Merchants Breakfast at midday and enjoy a full day of quality Rugby , I know I will be doing the same. And finally , Happy Birthday to Michelle ( Scott the Landlords Partner ) , Scotts present to her ? A engagement ring! Congratulations to the both of you on your engagement. 11th November Tomorrow we will be having a presentation to Macmillan where we shall be presenting them with the monies that we raised at our Silent Auction during the Beer Festival . All the winners of prizes and the prize donators shall be present , and of course all are welcome to come along for a few beers and watch . This weekend we have another action packed Rugby Saturday England take on Australia in what is sure to be a heated contest after the 2007 RWC Quarter Final – 2-30 pm Scotland host the current world champions Ireland take on an in form New Zealand at Croke Park – 5-15pm Remember ….. Real Ale , Real Sport ! 7th November The charity auction finished on a great note , we raised just over £2000 ! A big thank-you to all who placed bids and donated prizes. This Wednesday coming ( 12th November ) we are presenting Macmillan cancer relief with the monies raised , we shall have all the auction winners and people who donated prizes present , it would be great if you could come along for the occasion . With Beer Fest 10 out the way it is time to fill you in on the upcoming events at the pub , New Years Eve we are having a 1940’s blitz theme complete with fancy dress , more details to follow as they become available. Another date for you to skive/book off work will be Monday 20th April – Friday 24th April , yes the next festival dates have been confirmed already and maybe even the theme …… All Creatures Great & Small ! With Christmas just around the corner its time to get thinking about the dreaded staff Christmas party , usually a dull affair in a rubbish venue for most ! But never fear The Merchants is here , we are now taking bookings for Christmas parties , ring the pub on 01788 571119 for more details . Watch the start of the autumn internationals here this weekend as England take on the Pacific Islands in Johnno’s first match in charge , Grand Slam Winners Wales take on World Champions South Africa ( also 2 of the best wingers in the world face each other - Shane Williams V Bryan Habana ) & Scotland take on New Zealand , all live here from 2-30pm on Saturday . This Tuesday sees pub favourites , The Dukes Jetty , return in a way you have never heard them before …… Unplugged & Acoustic , this is a rare treat so come along relax and enjoy. Friday 31st October There is a buzz in the air of anticipation , the festival begins today , the beer is clear and drinking well ,and all I can say now is ...... Lets get supping these fine ales ! 22nd October The Merchants Inn has joined the 21st century and had Wi-Fi installed ( finally ) so now you can have a cheeky pint and “ work “ at the same time , just ask behind the bat for the passcode and away you go! 17th October A few more changes to the list , updated lists can be seen in the events page and the Beer Fest 10 page 13th October There has been a Beer Festival Page created , on there we have the new and updated list of beer we shall be consuming during the week . Also on there is a full festival itinerary keeping you informed of what will be happening throughout the week . If you are planning a trip , be it from a pub , a CAMRA group , or even just a group of mates , let us know in advance and we can reserve tables or pre-order your food for you . After a full weekend of Heineken cup rugby I regret to inform you that we will be showing another full weekend of Rugby ! Yes we have another 6 matches on this weekend all on the big screen , to see what is on have a look at the Real Sport Page. 7th October The beer list is here for the festival , there will be a few additions but it will be amended as we find them out , the list is viewable in the events page.
The beer festival is now only 25 days away and we expect the first delivery of beer on Monday and a provisional list very shortly , as soon as I know you will as well . Monday night we have Dr Busker ( well it just wouldn’t be the same would it ? ) and on the Tuesday night we have gone for something different and Kel Elliott playing , for a taster go to www.kelelliott.com The lunchtime menu has changed slightly with a few new additions and can be viewed in the menu page. Some of the pictures from the German Night are now up and can be viewed in the gallery or by clicking here. Next weekend sees the return of the Heineken Cup and we shall be showing all the televised matches over the weekend for a list of all the matches click on the Live Real Sport page. And finally congratulations to the landlord Scott and his partner Michelle ( and there son Oliver ) on the birth of there second child, Harry, perhaps England’s future 9 & 10 ? 25th September SOLD OUT! Yes ladies and gentlemen I regret to inform you that The German Night is now sold out . But don’t worry just because you didn’t buy a ticket doesn’t mean that you cannot come and join in the fun . You can still purchase the buffet on the night for £5, So come along , I can assure you that it will be a fantastic evening. 12 September There are only 15 tickets remaining for The German Night so hurry up and get one ! Remember that it only costs £5 and includes your first German beer free and the buffet . The buffet tickets are available on the night for £5 ( but no free beer unfortunately ) A list of all the Rugby matches that we will be showing over the next 2 months can be seen in the Live Real Sport page. |
