Oh aye, we can all mess around going to pub beer festivals

    Hello,

       well, I survived the trauma of another late November night of camping, and apart from a few mislaid items, losing horribly at darts and needing six hours to dry my boots out I seem to have come away from the 18th Annual Cropton Brewery beer festival unscathed. Not that I'll be able to share any photographs of said event with you - Blogger, in its ultimate wisdom, has decided I have now filled my Picasa web album (where, allegedly, my pictures are stored, even though they don't need to be) and wishes me to part with cash to upload more. It ends with off, I beleive...

Anyway, whilst I wait to start that battle I can be telling you about the beer festival at the New Inn in Cropton.

Firstly, its notable that its called the Annual Cropton Brewery beer festival - because in late April next year the New Inn will be hosting the 1st Great Yorkshire Brewery beer festival, at the brewery. Which one assumes is still the same one that makes Cropton beers, housed behind the pub. Right?

I say this because some of you may know that Cropton have rebranded themselves - as the Great Yorkshire Brewery (GYB). Except, erm, its not that simple. Last night there were GYB keg beers and a cask beer on the bar at the New Inn, along with Cropton cask beers. In the festival downstairs there were 6 GYB beers on cask (and the lager was available on lager font and cask), plus 5 Cropton beers. And, the beer festival glass (misplaced item A!) had both breweries logo's on it. The New Inn sign still proclaims its a free house but advertises Cropton brewery ales, and there are picture frames of their bottle labels in the pub, along with a selection of the bottles. So what is happening?

Well, am afraid I don't know any more than you. Cropton and GYB are both on Twitter and Facebook, the GYB website lists their keg beers and other beers (cask), none of which seem to be re-badged Cropton beers (although Blackout, on keg, was a Cropton beer) and there is a lot of emphasis on their lager. In a puzzling little tease they say that they are using new methods to brew their beers, and that a video of the brewing process and other details are coming soon. Whatever could they mean?!

Also, there is a Cropton Brewery website which mentions the brewery and the New Inn in Cropton but makes absolutely no mention of cask ales - only bottles. Finally, the Cropton Twitter account stated on 8th November 2012 "We have rebranded and are now The Great Yorkshire Brewery, please follow us @yorkshirebeer for up to date information pic.twitter.com/3AaJ6k8k".

So, here goes, maybe GYB will produce cask and Keykeg beers (spearheaded by their Yorkshire lager which is making appearances in many bars around tNorth), whilst Cropton will concentrate solely on bottles. That's my guess. If anyone knows whats really going on please let me know!

So, onto the beer, and talking of the lager, I started with a generous half of that since I was very thirsty. I could have had it on cask but chose to have it a bit colder, as befits the style. It was excellent. Very tasty, and very easy to drink despite its carbonation. Wee Keefy started on the Wolf Lupus, being a fan of the maltier beers as he is.

Next up was Red Squirrel Hopfest, which was very palatable indeed, and Jo C's Norfolk Kiwi - a new brewery to me, producing a very quaffable pale beer with New Zealand hops (heres a link to their website). Next I had a pint of the excellent Dark Star American Pale Ale. In some ways I was really pleased to see it, since I love this beer, but the unfortunate downside was that it severely restricted the number of beers amongst the 80 on offer, that I tried.

I did however, manage to try halves of Fyne Ales Jarl, which is always a good hoppy light beer, Cross Bay Zenith, which was very nice but too late on to have many details, ahem, and I also had a half of the excellent Red Squirrel Redwood IPA, a perfectly balanced fruity hoppy ale that went down far too well. By now Carlos, Jake and Mole from Sheffield had caught up with us, and we were chatting with them and some of the bikers from the Hidden Valley bike rally next door.

My final half/taster was the J W King Old Ale, which was fantastic, before I settled on several pints of the Dark Star APA, which is undoubtedly why I lost at darts - not because I'm crap at darts. Which I am. The Dark Star was excellent by the way.

Food wise there was a decent range of burgers and hot dogs, and not too badly priced considering the pies were expensive last year, there was also a commendable range of ciders, quite a few of which I got to try tastes of because two of Wee Keefy's biker friends were working their way through some of the offerings and asked me to taste them. Despite this, I bet zoider drinkers Jeannette and Sue felt better than I did the next morning, putting on cold wet boots to walk across a muddy field in the wind and rain, with a horrendous hangover, to use the portakabin loos!

Finally, the music was quite good as well this year, which is good since it had been a bit hit and miss on the Saturday last year. And all the above serves to remind me that I really must try and get back on a none festival weekend to have a meal when its quiet (does it ever get quiet?) and appreciate the pubs homely charm and see, if nothing else, whether Cropton or Great Yorkshire Brewery cask beers are on - if not both...

Heres to April 2013 at the New Inn!
(and hopefully more seating, which was literally my only gripe about an excellent beer festival...)

Wee Beefy

Pub beer festivals - like buses....

Good afternoon,

    I dunno, we are slightly spoilt here in the Sheff. As well as a number of outstanding real ale pubs selling a vast range of real ales and slightly more expensive key kegs or bottled exotica, theres folks toiling with spanners and taps and sales reps to arrange the coming together and dispense of a range of beers on gravity, in pub beer festivals. And, having not been to one since August, all of a sudden three come along at once.

Because yesterday, heading for Shakespeares to continue to sample the delights of their 4th beer festival, I accidentally discovered there was one on at the University Arms as well. The pain! The imposition! The likelihood of attendance....

So it was that I crawled across town on the fool waggon and disembarked on Brook Hill to find a range of beers on the bar at the University Arms, as part of their Coastal festival. And before I could even make a decision on what to sup, someone said "there's a beer you've just missed which you'd really have liked". Now, this is a bold opening gambit, since it simultaneously creates a sense of anticipation and guaranteed disappointment, but on pressing, and being addressed by a member of staff who somehow recognised me from this blog (he could only see half my face I suppose...?) I discovered that said brew had been Ayr Brewery Rabbies Porter, 4.3%.

The prediction was correct, I was gutted, especially since, technically, in a unitary authority sense, Ayr is my home town, but also because this was the third occasion that I had heard positive praise about this beer.

In the end I opted for half a Scarborough Mild, and half a Blue Ball Dunkel. The mild was inoffensive and had a pleasing roasty character and went down well. The Dunkel was a trifle odd, well meant, but not managing to create the glorious creaminess of a good German version, which would no doubt be stronger. It was also from a not exactly coastal brewery - but, I was assured, the criteria was within thirty miles from the sea, so it counts. ...

Off into the conservatory bar next, where it was freezing cold, which was good for the beers at least, and the stillage was offering a selection of about 15. There were also delights in the cellar which the bar staff would fetch if required. I went with a half of Ayr Brewing Company Towzie Tyke, a decent if malty Scottish pale, and settled down with a copy of Now Then to sup my festival beers.

An interesting mix of clientele came through, quite a lot of students who either automatically wanted a super hoppy Dark Star Hophead (or the Cullercoats Rocket Brigade which I had tried and was recommending) or were led straight to the novelty of the Blue Ball Pumpkin IPA. There were also a lot of more mature attendees, perhaps here for the music, who were slaking their way through the paler offerings in traditional Sheffield style.

Before leaving I also had a half of the Tryst Pils which was the beer of the festival for me - refreshing, crisp, pils flavours mixed with more biscuity malt and pleasing citrus hoppiness. That clearly does it no justice - you'll just have to taste it for yourself.

On my way down to Shakespeares I popped in Fagans for the first time in yonks. The beer range is still steadfastly Tetley bitter and Abbeydale Moonshine (of which I had  a half) plus a real cider, the pub is still charming, and nothing seems to have changed in all the time I have been going there, now nearly 20 years. Its interesting that the pub is known as Fagans after a previous long standing licensee, having previously been called the Barrel. The current mine host (who's name I forget!) was celebrating a milestone of running the pub some ten years or so ago so he may well have been there 30 years himself. And the result of slow turnover of landlords? In this case, careworn comfort, regulars, legends, sensitive change and consistency. Long may it continue.

Down at final port Shakespeares there was a melee at the bar but not as dwindling a selection of beers as I had feared. To my surprise the Raw Porter Geist was still on so I somewhat recklessly went for a pint of that (5.9% £3.10 pint), about the same time as the Cross Bay Aurora and Fyne Hurricane Jack, my intended next two tipples, both ran out!

I picked a spot in the left hand room and set about fighting my way through the dark chewy beast which was the Porter Geist. It was very enjoyable, but I think a half may have been a more sensible option. I also then got a half of the Urban Brewhouse Smoked Stout, (4.3% £1.40) which was very nice and smooth, but I wanted something citrussy and fruity and light to stave off the black creep of the two current offerings. Luckily I found a very enjoyable Oldershaw Mellow Yellow on the bar, and had a half of that.

Wee Keefy came down to keep me company and he had the Jolly Sailor Cue brew, then I went to the bar and bought half of that, and the excellent Cullercoats Winter Warmer (£2.65 altogether) whilst he ventured upstairs for the Marlpool Straw Dog and a half of the Red Willow chocolate stout, which, having a sweet tooth, he possibly enjoyed even less than I did. The Cullercoats Warmer was a very assured wintry beer and the cue brew a surprisingly dark but enjoyable ale.


This was a great end to my festival visiting, overall I think the Fyne and the Allendale from Friday were still perhaps my favourite although the Urban Brewhouse, and Cullercoats ales in general, come very highly recommended. Another finely organised spectacle (both) with a great range of beers from breweries old and new.

And, to finish on a separate pub beer festival note, Wee Keefy also reminded me that we were going camping in North Yorkshire next weekend - at the New Inn Cropton beer festival, which runs Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th November as far as I know. Camping or not, I am sure, if last year is anything to go on, we'll enjoy the festival tremendously.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy

Looking forward to a pint

Hello,

    if you are, then I have a few morsels of info, from the immediate to the further ahead. But first, some info from the last couple of days.

Recently I have sampled Abbeydale Chocolate Stout and their Dr Morton's Break Fluid at Shakespeares. The Break Fluid was an unusual but enjoyable mix and the chocolate stout was good, and satisfying, perhaps better for not having an overtly chocolate taste, although it was more pronounced than I imagine a beer with just chocolate malt in normal quantities would taste. I also tried a half of Oldershaws Cascade, a beer I'm sure they were making long before the current fascination and desire for hoppy single varietal brews. At £1.25 a half this was also a decent price as well.

DAda was serving up a slightly different range to that of late with Thornbridge Black Harry and Kelham Island Easy Rider. It was a bit busy so I didn't hang around but had an enjoyable pint of the Harry, and a pleasing half of the Schlenkerla.

I also popped in the Dog and Partridge on Trippet Lane, open since August I believe. There are 4 handpumps, the GK IPA was off, but there was Black Sheep best, Courage Directors and Taylors Landlord on offer. The Courage sample I had tasted a little sharp but the Landlord was quite nice. Alas, in a terrible faux pas, I had arrived with no money as I was planning to go straight to DAda and pay on card. So I had to make my excuses and leave without buying anything!

Those of a venerable age will remember rock DJ Les from, er, the 80's at least, and he is doing a set/gig/night there next week. Meanwhile the interior doesn't seem radically different, although I didn't get in the amazing snug, and there is now a pool table...hmmmm...must pop back to actually buy something!

The Hop had a less than salubrious line up when I called into purchase my ticket to the Green hop festival. A stellar line up of brews and brewing types is promised along with tastings and hop taste and sniff (my words) sessions showcasing different varieties. I would have stopped for a  half but even buying a £5.00 ticket and that would take me below the preposterous £10.00 limit and I would be charged 50p. What? I have no idea how this instills any determination to visit, but am duty and financially bound to attend in October now (link here ) for their celebration of hops.

My final stop was the Bath Hotel where excellent if cloudy (none the worse for it) Dark Star Hophead was on at £2.80 (or 70?) a pint which is a decent price, plus the Kelham Back to Black which was a decent half as well. Thornbridge Topaz and Beadecas Well are promised so there should be a few treats on the bar soon, although the Hophead will take some matching.

This weekend, indeed, Thursday onwards, the Ripley beer festival is on at Butterley station, AKA the Midland Railway Centre. Scene of recent music fest off the tracks (?), this promises t be an interesting venue for a festival, with a pretty large beer list, and excellent hostelries in nearby Ripley Waingroves and Alfreton nearby. See link here .

On the 19th til the 21st October is the Sheffield Cathedral beer festival as reported in Beer Matters, and everything. Probably the first time this has happened I understand though cannot confirm that this is the handiwork of the Kelham Island Brewery team. See Beer Matters or the Sheffield CAMRA website for info.

Sheffield beer festival happens soon as well! No shit Sherlock....blog will follow as early as feasible.

Next up, those lovely folks at Shakespeares Ale and Cider House on Gibraltar Street Shalesmoor are having another beer festival starting Friday 16th November (although this may need confirming, only in that it may start Thursday). This promises to be another excellent do with a cracking range. Look out for the staff brewed real ale on the bar soon at the pub as well.

Finally, Cropton beer and cider festival is on once again at the end of November at the New Inn Croptn, North Yorkshire, when the weather is great. Nut cases like me and Wee Keefy can camp, and erm, well, no doubt yer can shell out for better accommodation than us! If you missed it last year its well worth a visit - see their website, which does not yet appear to confirm the dates, so you'll have to take my word for it - for details.

So, that rounds up beery treats here and now and further ahead.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy