CAMRA Great British Beer Festival

The Pubmeister, Mark, and I visited the Trade session of this years CAMRA Beer Festival at Olympia in London yesterday, previously held at Earls Court, where I've visited a few times with the Robbos, ie Kieran, and either Graham or Kath, my brother the Routemeister, and various combinations of other friends.  From the information I have, Earls Court is going to become a massive housing, shops, cinema, whatever project, similar to the Battersea Power Station plan. 

Anyway, as you'd expect, there were a few ales, and other styles of beer too from across the world, and ciders and perry, and not a few I've already had much experience of drinking; I was surprised not to see more ales I didn't know, but your Wells, Fullers, Harveys etc don't seem to want to bring in many surprises, experimentation being left to the smaller brewers, no change there!  I had a couple of beers I've had before, eg Butcombe Bitter (4%), a good bitter I used to serve when I worked in the Boringdon Arms in Devon, it does what it says on the label really. Also, Gadds She Sells Sea Shells (4.7%), which I've drunk at the Tower in Hastings, still very good, a dry paler bitter, my personal like, as ever. 

Obviously I couldn't try everything, but I did try the Slaters Citrus (4.8%), not quite what I expected from Slaters, whose 'ordinary' Bitter is one of my favourite session beers. This was more like a 'real lager' described by them as a "Pilsner" style, with Hallertau hops used; slightly malty, hint of lemon in the aroma and taste and a dry finish, it was actually very good! Also, Crouch Vale Citra (3.9%), pale and hoppy, not bad, and Goachers Silver Star (4.2%), a very pale and bitter ale, a wee bit 'sour', not unlike a lambic, I liked it. 

However, my favourite of the session was the Oakham Citra (4.2%), which I drank before trying the Crouch Vale version, which was unfair to Crouch Vale really, because the Oakham Citra was packed with aroma and flavour, and body. Oakham brew some excellent ales, and this is no exception, pale and bitter packed with fruit, most obviously grapefruit, but maybe peach too, loved it, cheers to Oakham! 

I had to add this photograph again of the XT XPA, which, sadly, wasn't on at this beer festival, but of which I have a great memory (see an earlier blog when I had this at the Bricklayers Arms in Putney). Anyway, I mention them because my previous experience was positive and I met a couple of people who work for XT yesterday, including Hannah, with whom I had an interesting conversation, and I feel like the brewery deserves a bit more exposure, so their website is at www.xtbrewing.com. 

Oh... there was a great selection of food styles too, and many thanks to Harveys for the tickets!

My next blog will deal with the pubs we visited after leaving the festival, where we met our first Londoner, ie my brother, at the Bricklayers Arms in Putney, after my meeting up with a few old contacts from Sheffield at the festival, and our meeting a few people from Sussex too. I even spotted Dawn from Norwich (Bear brewing, Ketts Tavern, The Rose), but she passed so quickly, and I was stuffing a steak sandwich, so I missed the opportunity to chat with her... 

Cheers for now!  

30 Nov - Hythe, new pubs + another real fire

A lovely bright, if a bit chilly Friday, and I met up with Mark (the Pubmeister) at the Dolphin, Hastings, where, as you can see below, two drays were delivering ale, including from Hastings Brewery, great timing! We had a coffee before leaving to catch the 10.17 bus to deepest darkest Kent.

We had considered visiting the Red Lion in Snargate, but it was just too complicated to fit in yesterday (that will be for another memorable day, no doubt), so we undertook the near 2 hour bus trip straight to Hythe, on a lively number 100/101 bus, and the time seemed to pass very quickly too. Good chat one of the reasons for that.  Anyway, we arrived in Hythe shortly after noon and made straight for our first destination, The White Hart in the High Street.

The White Hart is a lovely big pub, originally built in 1395 as an inn, but now more of a restaurant and also selling two real ales, sometimes 3 during busier times.  This Friday the two ales on were Greene King IPA (their regular ale) and the guest was the Kent brewer Hopdaemon's Incubus, a 4% nutty flavoured bitter, not bad at all, which will be replaced by the same brewer's 5% Green Daemon, a great shame that wasn't on yet (Hopdaemon website).

From there, we crossed back over the Military Canal and walked the short distance to The Three Mariners in Windmill Street where we met the very friendly, efficient and enthusiastic manager, Sarah, and chatted to a few of the 'locals' too. The Three Mariners is a freehouse and regular CAMRA awards winner, and has 8 handpumps, in usual circumstances serving 5 or 6 ales, and a real fire, and you know how much I like real fires...

Anyhow, we had halves of 3 of the ales on offer, missing out on Caledonian Autumn Red (4.4%) and their only regular, the 3.7% Youngs Bitter (more of in my next blog). The 3 we drank were all Kentish ales, Gadds (website at the Ramsgate Brewery) Seasider, an easy to drink 4.3% pale amber ale; Westerham (website) British Bulldog, a golden coloured 4.3% best bitter; and Goachers (website) 4.5% Imperial Stout, a dark stout brewed with roasted barley and Fuggles hops, a too easy to drink ale, and both of our's favourite in Kent this day, I do believe.

 

Unless you include crisps and nuts, The Three Mariners is not somewhere to go for food in Hythe, but it is the place to visit if you want convivial company and well conditioned ales, nice one!

Our final port of call in Hythe was The Red Lion Hotel, Red Lion Square, another large interior well set out as a restaurant too. We met Debbie behind the bar here, who asked to be remembered to Brian at the Star in St Mary in the Marsh (more of in part 2 of this day's blog, I'll probably publish that tomorrow). usually 3 ales here, the guest was the 3.6% Greene King IPA, and two regulars Wells Bombardier (4.1%) and the Kent brewer Old Dairy's (website) Red Top (3.8%), which we had, a nice mixture of hops in this easy to drink session bitter.

 

Well, more to come in Part 2 of Friday 30th November, but for now, cheers!