Festival honours engineer Murdoch

June 12, 2008: A beer festival gets under way tomorrow to tie in with Redruth, Cornwall's, Murdoch Day celebrations.

The festival is being hosted at the Green Room, in West End, managed by experienced bar manager and cellarman Andy Tyler.

He promises a selection of 12 to 16 beers, some with a Murdoch connection, and some from outside of Cornwall.

A Scot by birth, Murdoch was a renowned steam engineer in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and also pioneered gas lighting.

However, his connection with the world of brewing is that he came up with a British alternative to Russian Isinglass, the bladder of the sturgeon, used to help clear beer once it has been dispensed into the cask.

The Green Room celebration runs from 6pm to midnight tomorrow (Friday), and noon to midnight on Saturday and Sunday.

On Friday, traditional Cornish folk band Dalla will entertain. On Saturday the Barnaby Ray Jazz Quartet provide the music, then on Sunday there are several bands playing throughout the afternoon and evening.