Cheers!

Beer and wine have always been useful tools in cementing international friendships. When Karlsruhe representatives were in Nottingham in October 2009 for the 40th anniversary of the twinning link, the Castle Rock Brewery produced a special limited edition beer for the occasion. Here we see Karlsruhe's Oberburgermeister Heinz Fenrich being presented with a bottle.

Castle Rock is an excellent example of how a small brewery can survive and thrive through producing niche beers. Lots of these are now produced and have their own annual event in the Nottingham Robin Hood Beer Festival, organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and held at Nottingham Castle every October. In 2010 this should become an international event with beers from some of our twin cities and other countries.