Formby's Red Star celebrates Viva La Casa

Viva la Casa, produced by Formby's Red Star Brewery, will celebrate premiere of new film... Viva la Casa

Special brew: left to right - Glen Monaghan of Formby's Red Star Brewery, film director Ian Lysaght and Sean Furlong from The Casa

Cheers to The Casa ... a special beer has been brewed to coincide with a forthcoming fund-raising film premiere in aid of the much-loved Liverpool venue.

There’s a red star on the front of The Casa in Hope Street – and, for one day only, there will be a Red Star brewery beer available behind the bar of the multi-purpose building.

On Friday September 4, Viva la Casa will be shown at the Philharmonic Hall – and on the same day customers at The Casa will be able to raise a glass to the venue after buying pints of Viva la Casa, a smooth, 4.8% copper-coloured cask ale produced by the recently-launched Red Star Brewery of Formby.

“We were delighted to be asked to brew this one-off beer,” says brewery director Glen Monaghan, who runs Red Star with Dave Blanchard and Ian Walsh.

“The Casa is an essential part of Liverpool life – a community hub – and does so much brilliant work.”

At the bar: Glen Monaghan and Ian Lysaght

At the start of the year the ECHO revealed how The Casa, which has provided around £15m of free advice since opening on Christmas Eve, 2000, was, due to a funding and rent crisis, under threat.

In April, The Casa Solidarity Show, organised by former ECHO writer Brian Reade, of the Daily Mirror, was staged at the Philharmonic Hall. It featured comedians John Bishop, Ricky Tomlinson, Neil Fitzmaurice, Mark Steel and Chris Cairns, and musicians The Farm and John Power

Showing solidarity: John Bishop and Brian Reade

The Viva la Casa film includes footage from the show, and also looks at how The Casa has become a force for change – through solidarity, organisation and passion.

Next week’s premiere evening – presented by Liverpool-based Tabacula Films and The Casa – will also include another film, A Conversation In Cuba, which features Jimmy McGovern.

Story and photos source: Liverpool Echo