Hello chums,
about three weeks ago I thought to myself "why don't I quickly write up details of that fantastic beer festival that I have just left at my second home?" Mind you - they were just thoughts. And after all what are thoughts? What are they, and what do they mean? Like birds, we'll never know. We will now, however, know what it was that I got round to trying at said event. It went very much like this.....
Arriving on Thursday I jokingly said how surprised I was that everything was available, including, as I picked it up, the lengthy list of cellar and upstairs bar beers. Suffice to say that Chris was keen to point out that he dd not have time to joke as he was incredibly busy. He was right. The whole pub was absolutely rammed with tickers and other festival goers. I caught up in the back room with Rich and chatted to him, enjoying a pint of the excellent number one, an Abbeydale Brewery Shakespeares special at 6.5%. This was incredibly bitter and zesty, and I soon moved on to the wonderful cloudy Beatnikz Republic I love Simcoe, a 5% Simcoe triple hopped pale ale which was on top form on cask. I finished on the slightly expensive but still wonderfully drinkable Turning Point Demon's Eye a 7.1% ale marked as a DIPA but although too week for such a description it still packed a heck of a lot of punch.
From here onwards my knowledge of exactly when I had everything becomes distorted. So as I may have done previously I am going to make a list based on my excellent print out which I have been keeping safely ever since. Hence:
Cask from the past:
Anthology Azacca Dry hopped pale at 5% (downstairs)
Chapter Shadows 6% saison (downstairs and then upstairs)
Neepsend and Walkley Beer Co Ancillary On Sales 5.2% (downstairs)
Red Willow Guilless 4.2% one off cask (upstairs)
Steel City and Shakespeares - To BBQ or not to BBQ 7.4% (upstairs)
Steel City & Lost Industry & Boutilliers Burn the Kirsch 6.66% Raucbier (Upstairs)
Beer Ink & Boutilliers 10/6 polish grodzizkie (Upstairs)
Abbeydale Shakespeares Special #2 Thai Green Pale at 5.5% (downstairs)
Keg:
St Mars of the Desert El Cameo 6.9% NEIPA
St Mars of the desert Winter on Mars 9.3% mixed fermentation Foeder
Omnipollo & Dugges Anagram Barrel Aged 15% - I only had a third!!
Although I visited about five times during and just after its worth pointing out that I had numerous pints of the Beatnikz, the Chapter and the excellent turning point. I was fairly refreshed by the time I left as were a lot of other visitors!
Overall I think the range was incredible - a few beers stayed on longer than the whole weekend but that is not to criticise their wares. This was a festival of weird rarities, super strong ones and excellent hoppy outings which I enjoyed considerably!
The only minor down side is that having it in December does regrettably entice the more grumpy drunkard, one of whom I spotted on the Saturday refusing to move his chair a few inches for my friends to get out easier than the clambering over the end of the settee which they ended up doing. But on the other side of the coin I bumped into many people I know very well and spotted many fine suppers of excellent beers along the way.
Well done to Shakespeares and its staff for organising a truly excellent event!
Cheers!!
Wee Beefy
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