Queue up for Virtual Britsburgh this week — with real beer
Starting Monday, Britsburgh will present its sixth annual celebration of Pittsburgh’s British connections, if in a limited and virtual fashion. But there is a real beer.
East End Brewing Co. has again brewed a beer for the festival, a Yorkshire- style best bitter. A fourpack of it is part of the $ 80 case participants can buy from the Larimer brewery for a live online tasting Tuesday, via Zoom, hosted by East End owner Scott Smith and head brewer Brendan Benson.
The case includes four- packs of Pedal ( American pale ale), Bon Air ( blackberry/ lemon gose), Chance A’Shahrs ( New England- style pale ale), and Arlington Heights ( spruce ale) plus two goblets. Just pick up a case or a four- pack ($ 12) beforehand at the brewery. You don’t need to buy the beer to join in the event, which is free, though organizers suggest making a $ 10 donation to help the nonprofit Britsburgh keep doing British- accented programming.
Register for this and other Virtual Britsburgh events at britsburgh. com. Britsburgh members can sign in for free; non- members are asked for donations. Everybody can ask questions and get discounts and other festival perks and prizes.
With actual events limited by the COVID- 19 crisis, “we decided to take the festival online this year in an effort to have some continuity and fun at the same time,” says chairman Robert Charlesworth.
He and group president Roger Cranville kick things off via Zoom with an afternoon tea from 3 to 4 p. m. Monday at which they “bake scones, make a proper cuppa and have some fun with the English language.” They’re joined by
Danielle Spinola from Millvale Tupelo Honey Teas, where she will blend a tea with the very proper name Dowager Countess of Grantham.
The rest of the week’s schedule:
• 7- 8 p. m. Monday: “Linda & Carol’s Excellent Adventures in Genealogy” — tales and tips from Linda Everhart and Carol Gillis.
• 7- 8 p. m. Wednesday: “Dunkirk, 1940.” U. S. Army War College historian ( and Pittsburgh native) Michael Neiberg presents the World War II story of the nearly miraculous evacuation of 338,000 Allied soldiers and sailors from the Dunkirk pocket, formed when German forces trapped the Allies against the English Channel in May and June, 1940.
• 7- 8 p. m. Thursday: “What George Orwell Has to Say about Today’s World.” Carnegie Mellon
University’s Jeffrey Williams and Steve Gotzler have some things to say about the author.
• 4- 5: 30 Friday: “Why are British Mysteries So Popular in the USA?” The British Mystery Lovers Society subgroup launches a panel discussion, with prizes, featuring author Anna Lee Huber.
• 2- 3 p. m. Saturday: “Yorkshire: A Love Affair with James Herriot’s Moors and Dales.” Guided by fans Vaughn and Debbie Gilbert.
• 7- 8 p. m. Saturday: “Oh, To Be in Britain: A Musical Reminiscence.” A concert and poetry readings featuring Jon Tyillianwith friends and colleagues at Pittsburgh’s Calvary Episcopal Church, including its director of music, Alan Lewis.
• 2- 3 p. m. Sunday: “The Few: Background to the Battle of Britain” hosted by WWII enthusiast Jim Stratton.
• 7- 8 p. m. Sunday: “Operation Mincemeat: Spies, a Sub, a Corpse & Allied Victory in Sicily.” A WWII Powerpoint presentation, talk and Q& A by Dana Del Bianco.
If you miss any of these presentations, they’ll also be available afterward, for free for Britsburgh members and for $ 4 each for others. Check it all out and register for events at britsburgh. com.