Ushers Best Bitter is going home. It is being transferred fr

Thomas Hardy has been brewing Ushers Best for Refresh since 1999 when the Ushers Brewery in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, closed following InnSpired's takeover of Ushers' brewing and tied-house estate. Refresh's chief executive Rupert Thompson said: "I am grateful to all the staff at Thomas Hardy for their help and support with Ushers Best over the last two and a half years, right up to the closure of their cask and keg-racking facilities. They did an excellent job of matching the beer and maintaining high quality standards." Ushers Best is an amber-coloured session beer that uses Target hops for bitterness and Styrian Goldings hops for aroma. The deal strengthens the ties between Refresh and Wadworth, which began last June when Refresh took over the distribution of Wadworth 6X to the off-trade. * * * * * Bristol-based Smiles Brewery is celebrating its 25th anniversary by brewing its first batch of Anniversary Ale. The company plans to launch the brew to the general public at the end of this month, but before then is selling the ale at its Brewery Tap in Colston Street, exclusively at 1978 prices between 5pm and 7pm daily. Over 25 years ago, John Payne, the founder of Smiles Brewing Company, started brewing Best Bitter in Bristol for local restaurant Bells Diner, which is still there today in the heart of the Montpelier quarter. Smiles Best Bitter became a great success and it was soon after this, in 1978, that Smiles started brewing at Colston Yard. * * * * * Coors Brewers has unveiled a new poster campaign to promote its Dutch lager brand Grolsch. The posters feature the swingtop bottle and will be on billboards in London, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle. Further on-trade activity will follow. Coors claims Grolsch is the fasting-growing premium lager with a moving annual total up 20%. * * * * * A brewery's special bottled ale, brewed in honour of its chairman, has proved so successful it is being released on draught. Arkell's Moonlight bottled beer, launched in January, has proved such a hit that it is being made available on draught in the brewery's pubs across Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. The beer was brewed in secret for chairman Peter Arkell's 80th birthday and gets its name from his wartime flying experiences during the full-moon period. The 4.5% abv cask ale has been brewed by Arkell's head brewer Don Bracher, who has used a special blend of malts, giving the beer a "moonlight" colour, plus a variety of hops to give it a lingering taste and aroma. * * * * * Visitors to Liverpool are being given a flavour of the city thanks to local brewer Cains. The company has launched a new campaign to promote its famous beer to tourists, by welcoming visitors into Liverpool with the message "Cains ­ Liverpool in a Pint." The slogan features on banners on the M62 approach road, Speke Boulevard, the East Lancs Road and the Liverpool exit of the Birkenhead Tunnel. Cains sales director Geoff Morrey explained: "Liverpool is famous for its culture, sport, architecture, industry, nightlife, people, pubs and much more. It's such an interesting city and we believe that Cains is part of that mix.