Comments on the tragic events to hit America on 11 September 2001

Reaction from the trade to the horrific terrorist attack on America

You may be interested to publish the following account of our experiences in the USA during the recent tragic events:

Hi from Los Angeles, where we The Black Sheep Brewery, Wychwood Brewery and St. Peter's Brewery find ourselves marooned following the catastrophic events in America this week.

We arrived in Las Vegas last weekend for the 64th United States National Beer Wholesalers Convention full of anticipation and excitement for this very big event - it takes place every 2 years and is the most prestigious event in beer wholesaling in the United States. Just about everybody attends for both the Convention, and the Trade Show which is a part of it.

St. Peter's Brewery, The Black Sheep Brewery and Wychwood Brewery all share the same Importer in the USA and we were sharing an exhibition stand together for the first time, to launch our beers in the USA. On the Monday we had an excellent day, with some really good contacts made and new distribution companies tied up for several different states. The Anheuser Busch Poolside Party in Las Vegas on the Monday evening was a wonderful prelude to what we thought would be a great day on Tuesday 11th September.

But nothing could have prepared us for what was to follow, and on Tuesday morning we awoke in Las Vegas - 3 hours behind New York time - to find that everything had gone crazy. Suffice it to say that the Trade Show on Tuesday simply did not happen, as the events in New York and Washington overshadowed everybody's thoughts.

We managed to hire a car on Tuesday evening, as all Airports were closed by now, and drove from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, where our Importer's offices are based, and have spent the last few days in meetings and visiting stores where our beers are stocked, waiting for information on when we may be able to fly home.

And so a greatly anticipated event came to an early and solemn end as a result of the terible and tragic events on the other side of the country.

Best wishes,

George​

George A. WortleyManaging DirectorSt. Peter's Brewery Co Ltd.

Sales were down by 30% last week in our pub. I think this is purely because people stayed in to watch the events on TV.

I think everyone is very worried about what is going to happen now.

Jamie Denman​

I was working in the kitchen last Tuesday when the America tragedy happened.

One of our TVs happened to be on a news channel when the report of the first plane hitting the trade centre was broadcast. The pub sat in silence as what appeared to be a terrible accident unfolded.

What happened next I don't think I'll ever forget.

We watched in horror as the second plane hit the other tower live on air. Then further news of the pentagon being hit came in and we were shocked at the scale of what had happened and all wondered where it would end.

Two girls who had relatives in New York were in tears and panicking trying to call America. Thankfully they got hold of them and they were OK.

I myself had a friend who was due to be flying out to New York that morning. He was going to go early in the morning but got a later flight because it was cheaper. He was sat on the plane waiting to take off when the news broke and the flight was obviously cancelled.

It is something that will affect us all in some way. Our hearts go out to all those who suffered in this horrific incident.

Dave, the Tut N Shive Kenilworth​

Do you have a reaction you want to share? Whatever you have to say, please email me at nqryrg@gurchoyvpna.pbz​ with your comments, and I'll add them to this page.​