Captains Climb Ale

A unique beer is being brewed by Brains to commemorate 15 former Wales rugby captains’ bid to climb Kilimanjaro. The Welsh brewer is headline sponsor of the ‘Brains SA Captains Climb’ which will see some of the greats of Welsh rugby tackle Africa’s highest mountain at 19,340 feet in September 2010.

The event is the brainchild of Welsh rugby team sports photographer Huw Evans, whose wife Sue was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. Huw and his family have set themselves a £1million fundraising target, with all money raised going towards the Stepping Stones Charity at Velindre Hospital in Cardiff, which undertakes research into the cause of lung cancer.

As part of their commitment to the event, Brains is producing the special beer to celebrate the challenge and aim to have a beer which is sure to appeal to a huge audience in Wales. A percentage of the sales of the beer will go towards the appeal, which is raising money for lung cancer research.

As one of the 15 ex captains taking part Mike Hall (pictured), the former Wales and British Lions centre, was called upon to help create the beer, which is yet to be named. Under the guidance of head brewer Bill Dobson, Mike helped decide the taste profile of the new brew by selecting his preferred balance of ingredients.

Bill Dobson, said: "I think this choice of beer is a good one and combines some of the key ingredients and flavours that we can deliver in beer. It has some nice fruity hoppiness and some balanced malt flavours - it's a beer that's unique in characteristic. We hope that the beer will be available towards the end of the year."

Sue Evans, the inspiration for the beer added: "Selling a beer is a great idea. Everyone can join in and buy a pint in a pub knowing that some of that money will go towards this appeal.

"It’s fantastic of Brains to have come on board and created a partnership with the ex-Wales captains. Hopefully this will spread the word and get people interested in lung cancer research and the fact that it can happen to anyone, whether you’re a smoker or, like me, a non smoker."

The opportunity exists to join the Captains on this unique event by raising £10,000. There are a limited number of spaces available, and if you would like to discuss the event in more detail please contact Velindre Fundraising on 02920 196860. Alternatively you can support your favourite captain and donate online by visiting the individual captain’s appeals at the ‘justgiving’ website, www.justgiving.com/brainssacaptainsclimb

Ex Captains taking part in Brains SA Captains Climb
Bleddyn Bowen, Eddie Butler, Bob Norster, Paul Thorburn, Rob Jones, Ieuan Evans, Mike Hall, Scott Gibbs, Robert Howley, Scott Quinnel, Mark Taylor, Colin Charvis, Gareth Thomas, Jonathan Davies, Jonathan Humphreys (plus Warren Gatland and Phil Davies)