In less than a year since the first Co-ALE-ition ale was launched back on 17/18 August 2013, all of the following milestones have been achieved.

1. Over 20,000 pints of Co-ALE-ition have now been sold.

2. Co-ALE-ition ales together with the pumpclips have already appeared in 100 different pubs across 8 counties and in Central London as well.

3. Longdog’s Winning Co-ALE-ition was served in The Strangers Bar (Houses of Parliament) on 25th June 2014 and was successfully launched by four MPs including a current member of the Coalition Govt — Sir Gerald Howarth (Aldershot), Maria Miller (Basingstoke), James Arbuthnot (NE Hampshire which includes Fleet) and Simon Hughes (Bermondsey MP for the last 31 years and Coalition Govt Minster of Justice). Howling and Knigel Kapp representing the OMRLP plus Lisa Robins (Londog brewery joint owner) were all in attendance to witness this momentous occasion.

4. A total of eight different Co-ALE-ition ales have been successfully launched and six of them are still available and on sale today.

5. The first pub to sell all six Co-ALE-ition ales was the Waggon and Horses at Hartley Wintney (Hampshire), a special signed and framed certifcate will be presented to Niall Scott, the Landlord, later this month. The Waggon and Horses was one of the launch pubs for Monsters In The Dark on 3rd July

6. The first venue to have all six Co-ALE-ition ales on sale at the very same time will be the Fleet Lions Ale Festival on 9th August, Howling is the VIP guest and he will be opening the event and presenting a special signed and framed certificate to the Organisers (Jim Storey, Daniel Franklin and Jonathan Hellem) on 9th August 2014.

7. Two Co-ALE-ition breweries i.e. Longdog (Winning Co-ALE-ition) and Ascot Ales (Hope & Glory) have each sold more than 100 casks (7000) pints of Co-ALE-ition so far, special signed and framed certifcates will be presented to the Brewery Owners, Phil and Lisa Robins at Longdog and Chris Gill at Ascot Ales later this month.

8. One Co-ALE-ition brewery i.e. Ascot Ales has sold Hope & Glory in over 50 different pubs already, a special signed and framed certifcate will be presented to Chris Gill, the Brewery Owner later this month.

9. One pub, the Prince Arthur in Fleet (Howling’s local), has sold almost 90 casks (over 6000 pints) of Co-ALE-ition (three different ales). A special signed and framed certificate will be presented to Dan Proctor (Manager) when the Prince Arthur reaches the magic total of 100 casks (7000 pints).

10. Co-ALE-ition ale special launches have taken place in the following five cities — Winchester, Oxford, Reading, Bath and the City of London.

11. Howling and all five OMRLP cabinet members (Flying Brick, RU Seerius, Baron Von Thunderclap, Chinners and Knigel Knapp) attended the launch events for Monster Mash in May. Who can forget that replica pumpclip photo of Howling and his Cabinet, Howling dancing the Monster Mash and the launch of the OMRLP European policies document in Winchester.

12. The final Co-ALE-ition ale (Monsters In The Dark) was launched across three different counties (Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire) in one night (3rd July). We finished up at the Hook Tandoori (rated the best Indian restaurant in Hampshire) where we took a group photo of Howling, Chinners and the Baron together with the chef and his team which is now signed and framed and appearing along side Princess Anne, Justin Rose and other celebs who have previously visted the Hook Tandoori for a meal.

13. Famous people who we know have drunk a Co-ALE-ition ale include Pete Staples (band member of 60s pop group The Troggs), Sir George Young (MP and former Coalition Govt Minister), Sir Gerald Howarth (Former Govt Minister and MP for Aldershot), Maria Miller (Former Coalition Govt Minister and MP for  Basingstoke), James Arbuthnot (Former Govt Minsiter and MP for NE Hampshire) and Simon Hughes (Coalition Govt Minister and MP for Bermondsey).

14. A Coalition ale i.e. Ascot’s Hope & Glory was selected as the 2014 World Cup ale offering at the Prince Arthur in Fleet. Hope & Glory has also been sold at the Royal Military Academy bar in Sandhurst and also at Windsor racecourse recently.

15. Wild Weather’s HowlinGale has been sold to the AWRE (Atomic Weapons Research Establishment) social club in Aldermaston and was nicknamed Loony Fuel as the ale would light up when drinking it in the dark!! HowlinGale was also on sale at David Cameron’s favourite constituency pub (The New Inn) in Witney (Oxfordshire) whose Landlord is the Chairman of the Local Conservative Association.

16. Two Co-ALE-ition ales i.e. Monster Mash and HowlinGale were sold at The Albion in Winchester. The Albion was the former HQ for the Monster Raving Loony Party back in Nov 1997 at the Winchester by-election when Screaming Lord David Sutch stood for the final time as an OMRLP candidate. It was fitting that Howling and all five OMRLP Cabinet members were able to return together to The Albion for the Monster Mash launch event.

17. We are very confident that Wild Weather’s HowlinGale should soon be on sale at more than 500 Weatherspoon pubs across the whole of the UK, for three months, sometime during early 2015 in the run up to the next General Election. More news is expected in late July/early August. Co-ALE-ition ales have featured at 8 different Ale Festivals in 2014. Co-ALE-ition ales have also been sold in more than 40 CAMRA Good Beer Guide pubs and in 6 CAMRA GBG pubs which have recently been voted as Pubs of The Year in their CAMRA branch area. Derrill and Howling are both active members of CAMRA.

18. More than 50 Co-ALE-ition newspaper and magazine articles, all naming the Monster Raving Loony Party and featuring Howling have appeared so far. Howling on the BBC Politics Show with Jo Coburn in June openly discussed Co-ALE-ition, Howling also displayed the Longdog Winning Co-ALE-ition pumpclip, and was able to discuss Co-ALE-ition in a live interview about sponsorship with Graham Sharpe (William Hill).

19. At least one Co-ALE-ition ale will be sold on steam train trips in August 2014. The Real Ale Train (RAT) is operated by the Mid Hants Railway aka Watercress line and is very popular and always sells out. I have organised tickets for over 50 people (alas despite extensive promotion and advertising there was will be no Loony Party presence on these trains). I have a reserve list of 6 people wanting to go if anybody decides to drop out, suffice to say nobody has dropped out so far!!.

20. We will soon have our very first bottled conditioned Co-ALE-ition real ale, it will be Monster Mash (500ml) and the label on the front features Howling and all 5 members of the OMRLP cabinet. We have confirmed advance orders (including one from the USA and others in the NW of England) for over 50 cases (600+ bottles) and have made them available at a knockdown price (10% below the lowest trade wholesale price). We have the opportunity to sell up to 83 cases/1000 bottles so orders can still be made at the special opening offer price of £19.95 per case (12 x 500ml bottles), contact Derrill or Howling. Monster Mash on sale in a bottle will make its debut at the Fleet Lions Ale Festival on the 9th August(however Monster Mash bottles can only be sold as people leave the Festival and are not to be drunk on the premises).

 Derrill Carr                                                                     15th July 2014