BREWER: Brasserie Voie B, Brittany 

STYLE: Pale Ale

ABV: 4.2%

VESSEL: 33cl bottle

TWITTER: N/A

INSTAGRAM: #voieb is as good as it’s gonna get party people

SAMMY SAY’S…

Sammy’s Rating: 34%

JYMI SAY’S…

On October 18th the third Onion Jack Tour will touch down in Dorset. They bring with them, tradition, onions, tunes, shallots, smiles, onions, entertainment, wine, garlic, onions and a whole lot of…………..P A R T Y ! !

Historically,  it’s always been a challenge to exactly date the start of a trade, and then predict when it may disappear or even decide when to revive it as well as sharing a joyful tradition. As such, the third edition of the Onion Jack Tour will be a journey connecting the past traditions to the future of this profession. 

The association Onion Jack puts forward the tradition around the Johnnies in Brittany where the Roscoff pink onion is grown and conditioned in strings in a unique way and in Great Britain where this particular trade has become so scattered around the country it has now almost become a myth. 

If you ever wondered where the cliché, most loved by the British, of the Frenchie wearing a beret and a stripy jumper and displaying a string of garlic around their neck comes from… seek no more!  The trade of the Johnnies, those Breton farmers and sailors who cross the Channel to sell, among other local produces, the Roscoff pink onion to their British neighbours, has been ongoing for 200 years.

It is in Roscoff, a small city in Finistère with a past of hosting corsairs and the original home to the Johnnies that the celebrations will kick off. 

As far as the party is concerned,  a programme of live shows, music, circus entertainments will accompany the Johnnies to the centre of the Onion Jack village on the old harbour of Roscoff, from 17th to 19th May, to entertainment both adults and children. Once again this year, onions, shallots, strings of onions as well as various other Breton produces will be shipped by sailing boats from Roscoff to Bridport in October.

The Onion Jack is an opportunity to showcase Brittany through its traditions (parade of the Johnnies), its products (Breton market), its artists (gigs, street art performances), its rich maritime heritage (shipment of goods by sailing boats, sea parade, the French Sea Rescue Association stand, Surfer Rider association), its cuisine richness (non-stop catering service using local products), its youth (school activities, games and entertainment for children), its language (tea time with the Johnnies,  Breton music).

Because history is like a succession of waves, sometimes with winds going in all directions, join us this year:  in May in Roscoff and in October in England to blow into our sails, reviving the spirit of the Johnnies.

The Onion Jack Pale Ale sits perfectly alongside this band of merry Men and Women. Easy drinking, no fuss and sessionable beyond belief.

The fact it isn’t very good doesn’t really matter.

Jymi’s Rating: 52%

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 43%

MOB review next weekend: 24 CARAT by REBELLION BEER COMPANY

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IN TEN DAYS YOU WILL HAVE A TOP TEN

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