"Liddle's Best" - Now Fans Can Drink To That!

Liddle's Best - Now Fans Can Drink To That!

Darlington Supporters' Trust have got together with Darwin Brewery and the Campaign for Real Ale to produce a special beer to honour one of the Quakers' most important players over the last decade.

"Liddle's Best" is being launched at Darlington CAMRA's Spring Thing beer festival and will be available at local pubs. Every pint sold will raise 15p for the Trust Crisis Fund.

"For us there seemed no-one else who summed up what we love about watching Darlo," said Ted Blair, who has organised the beer for Darlington Supporters' Trust.

"Not only has Craig led by example when captain and been outstanding for the team but in difficult times he has maintained great dignity.

"For us he typifies all that is best in football these days and also epitomises the professionalism and spirit shown by the squad as a whole recently."

"For all this - and not forgetting the wonderful goal he scored recently at Bristol Rovers - 'Liddle's Best' was the natural choice."

"We're asking all fans to raise a glass in his name and hope it is a while yet before last orders are called on his playing career."

"Liddle's Best" is the second product from a joint enterprise between the Trust and Sunderland-based Darwin Brewery following the success of the Feethams Farewell beer last season.

When the Trust approached Craig with the idea, he was more than happy to give us his blessing. The 32-year-old centre back has played close to 300 league and cup appearances for Darlo since joining from Middlesbrough in 1998.

Craig said: "It was a bit of a shock but it's a great honour to have this beer named after me - I suppose I will get a bit of ribbing in the dressing room from the other lads. The fans have always been great with me, so it's great gesture from the Trust to know myself and the rest of the team are appreciated."

Steve Proudfoot of Darwin Brewery said: "We're very pleased to be working with the Darlington Supporters' Trust once again. In today's big business football world it's often difficult for supporters to have a fair input into what really matters. If by producing 'Liddle's Best' we are helping Darlington supporters to have a bigger say in the future of the club then we are delighted with that."

For every pint sold, 15p will be paid into the Trust's Crisis Fund which will go towards trying to get a stake in the club.

Liddle's Best is a 4% beer which will be launched at Darlington's Spring Thing Beer Festival which is at the Arts Centre from Thurs 18th March to Sat 20th March (free entry).

The beer will then be available in selected pubs in Darlington and the surrounding area for a few months. We aim to have details of participating pubs on the Trust's website (www.darlotrust.co.uk). It is also hoped that a bottled version will be available at some stage.

Darlington CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) chairman Ian Jackson said: "It's a great beer honouring a great captain. Try a pint - and do your bit to link football and decent beer!"

"Everyone knows that beer and football go together. It's just a shame that some of England's most notable football trophies have, over the years, been sponsored by the nation's most insipid brands.

"I blame the Watney Cup for starting the trend: its eventual demise was as unlamented as the passing of Watney's awful Red Barrel. If only football competitions could be associated with decent, flavorsome ales: the Timothy Taylor Trophy, say, or the Old Cornelius Cup (OK, OK, perhaps that's taking it too far).

"We in the local branch of CAMRA can't quite organize things to that extent, but we are pleased - and proud - to be able to do our bit to support Darlington Supporters' Trust by helping to launch the latest special beer brewed to raise funds and generate publicity for the battle to save the Quakers."

* Liddle's Best, brewed by the Darwin micro-brewery, will be available for the first time at the Spring Thing Beer Festival at the Arts Centre, Vane Terrace March 18th-20th March (bar open Thursday 7-11pm, Friday 12-3pm and 6-11.30pm, Saturday 11.30am-11.30pm; free admission).

If your local pub is interested in taking a barrel of Liddle's Best, please ask them to contact Steve Proudfoot at Darwin Brewery on 07989 508 811 (steven.proudfoot@darwinbrewery.com)

Source: The-Tinshed.net.

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