London Beers come to Egham

I received a polite bollocking recently from Bob (the Binman) Inman, one of the organisers of the Egham United Services Club Beer Festival because I had failed to give a shout-out for their last beer festival in the Summer.

The truth was that I generally don't publicise an event if I am not planning to attend. Apart from a jam packed diary that week, personally I had also found the beer list a little too focused on new breweries and pandering to the beer ticker community who love finding beers from new breweries.

Now I have nothing against the beer ticker, honestly some of my best friends tick beers, it's just that I find, with a handful of notable exceptions, that new breweries take a while to bed-in and I generally prefer beers from the tried and tested.

Fresh out of their Brewlab courses and after the stresses and strains of actually getting the brewery commissioned, it takes a few recipes, a lot of customer and pub feedback, practice with the equipment, and choices of ingredients before the beer really hits the spot. Some of the brewed-on-a-farm-in-a-bucket brigade never get there but most new brewers will quickly be brewing some good tasty distinctive beers.

I have just taken a look at the list for this week's event and confirm that I am on the case and am keen to recommend a visit to others. Two of my favourite breweries appear again. There are Five beers from Ascot Ales including two from their 8% Last of the Blue Devils range - a cassis and an aniseed. Two special beers appear from Windsor & Eton, a version of the Conqueror dark IPA, this one with added Whiskey plus the very last cask of the special 7.5% version of the same beer. I am not going to miss these.

However, the main reason for attending, and notwithstanding my comments above, is to try again the range of beers from many of London's newest breweries.

Research, research, research !

The bars will have the very newest London beers, from The Botanist brewpub on Kew Green (7 beers), By the Horns Brewery in Wimbledon (3), Camden Town's latest offerings (2), beer from East London Brewing (1), London Fields Brewery (2), Moncada Brewery (3) and Redchurch (1). All this plus the London Brewers Alliance collaboration IPA the brewing of which I was lucky enough to take part in.


Finally, and probably the most important reason to attend any event, Bob has reminded me with this photo record that I have a great time every time I visit Egham Club beer festivals.

A warm welcome, fantastic hospitality and great beers. What more do you want on an unseasonably warm November eve.

The festival happens from 3rd to 6th from 11am daily. More info here.

See you there !

Two Weeks of Beer Festivals

Strewth ! The country seems to be closing down in anticipation for Easter, a Royal Wedding and four bank holidays. This is an opportunity not to be missed and there are plenty of beer festivals in which to enjoy the holidays.

I cannot promise to be everywhere but you are highly likely to catch me supping in many of the following places in the coming week or so :

Egham United Services Club beer festivals have quickly become UNMISSABLE. This one runs from Thursday 21st to Sunday 24th. I cannot seem to see the beer list on the web-site though I remember that there will be 7 beers from Ascot Ales and 4 from Windsor & Eton so I won't have to think too hard or too long to make a sensible choice.

The Willoughby Arms in Kingston us having a monster effort covering the whole holiday with their usual St George's Day festival extending through to a Royal Wedding festival the following weekend - a beer festival of two halves from Thursday 21st to Mon 25th, then Tues 26th to Mon May 1st. A good effort and well worth a visit.

Brodies Bunny Basher at King William Fourth, Leyton on 29th, 30th, 1st and 2nd, for over twenty Brodies beers on pump at all times at £1.99 a pint. Unbeatable value for a beer festival.

If the consistent quality of the beer through the pumps is anything to go by, it should be worth making a trip to the Gunmakers in Clerkenwell next week. Their first beer festival is on from Tuesday 26th to Friday 29th and promises Kernel beers, so rare in cask, Ascot and Windsor royal wedding beers plus ales from two of the best Tyneside breweries, Jarrow and Big Lamp.

An Easter holiday trip to the seaside is always a must. Refreshment in Margate is available at the Winter Gardens where CAMRA host the Planet Thanet Beer Festival on Good Friday and Saturday.

CAMRA's Bexley beer festival is at Sidcup Sports Club on 28th, 29th and 30th.

New ale venue Mason & Taylor in Bethnal Green Road will be having a single hop festival over Easter from 22nd to 25th

For those who like to drink a little farther afield, the Toer de Geuze is on Sunday 1st May, when all of the Belgian sour beer breweries in Payottenland throw open their doors to visitors. A special day that only occurs every two years.

Diary note - CAMRA Kingston beer festival 13th and 14th May, CAMRA SE London 1st Beckenham beer festival 28th and 30th May at Beckenham Rugby Club. Finally Ealing beer festival this year is from 6th to 9th July.

London Brewers Alliance Showcase

Hundreds of you good people have taken a look at the photos that I took at the London brewers Brew day last week and now I assume you are interested in tasting the beer.

The London Porter that was brewed by a collaboration of London brewers has now had its final "hopping" and is ready for cask.

There are only about forty casks which will be split among the brewers so you will be very lucky if you find it on your travels.

One place you can be sure to find this one-off beer is at the London Brewers Showcase which is being held at Brew Wharf in Borough Market on 17th September.

Presented with this rare porter will be 30 or so beers from London breweries, together for the very first time at any event.

There will be a trade session from 4.30 to 6.30 and a public session from 6.30 to 10.30.

It is a one-day event and tickets are going fast so get on board before it's too late.

Further details and tickets can be found here.

The trade session is open to publicans, bars, restaurants, beer writers and bloggers who can apply for tickets here

Woodies or Egham ?

Choices, choices, choices. This week sees two of my favourite events that both deserve a shout-out.

Firstly Woodies in New Malden are hosting their 6th Beer Festival and Gala Weekend from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd with 60 or so beers set up in a marquee on the field in front of the pub. Details and beer list can be found at www.woodiesfreehouse.co.uk

The highlights on the list for me include four beers from both Ascot and Brodies Breweries including Ascot Triple Trouble 7%, a Belgian style beer and Brodies Superior London Porter 7.2%.

The Egham United Services Club is having another beer festival over the same weekend, starting on Thursday 19th and running until Sunday 22nd. The details and beer list can be found at www.eghambeerfestival.co.uk

Highlights for me here are beers from the Windsor & Eton Brewery and five beers from Pitstop Brewery including Hop, the bitterest beer in the world at over 500 EBUs.

My mission is to get out to both but realistically I may have to choose one or the other.

Ealing Beer Festival

My beery recommendation this week will take you to Walpole Park, Ealing where West Middlesex CAMRA are hosting the twenty first Ealing Beer Festival.

Over 170 cask ales will be there including plenty of fruit beers from Coach House Brewery and rare casks of Fuller's Porter and Vintage (2009). I will be seeking out the Grateful Deaf beer from Yorkshire's Elland Brewery; a true American pale ale created by Ken Fisher of the Grateful Deaf Brewing Society based in Oregon. Ken is a regular visitor to the Great British Beer Festival and I am expecting his liaison with the superb Elland brewery to be something special.

There will be the usual mix of ciders and perries for those odd-folk who prefer them (no comment from me). The foreign beer bar has been excellent in past years and I expect it to have a good range from Belgiuum, Germany and Holland including a Dutch mushroom beer for the real fun guys and the legendary Rochefort 10 from Belgium - one of the World's greatest beers.

The festival is open from Wednesday 7th July to Saturday 10th and is a short walk from Ealing Broadway station. Directions are clear on the web-site. Free entry for CAMRA members before 4pm. If it stays dry and the sun comes out, I recommend a visit - see you there perhaps.

Willoughby Arms - St George's Day

As we approach St George's Day, I am again pleased to give a shout-out to my friends at one of my favourite pubs, The Willoughby Arms in Kingston.

Their traditional St George's Day beer festival starts at noon on Thursday and ends on Saturday offering the usual 30 odd beers.

The beer list is on their website - www.thewilloughbyarms.com

Highlights from the beer list are the two beers, Wandle and Junction, from Sambrook's Brewery which seem hard to find in my patch, together with Spring Ale and Honeydance from Twickenham Fine Ales . I guess Honeydance is a special Sundance brewed with honey. There is also the legendary Downton Chocolate Orange Delight and, although I have been going on about it for two years, I challenge anyone not to love that beer. Dark Star are also represented with their Saison, Festival and IPA beers. To finish there is another rare cask of Fullers Golden Pride. Something for everyone.

If you dig deep on the Willoughby Arms web-site you will also find a copy of this video that I took at the event last year. Come along on Friday at six and you can see them in the flesh so to speak.

Beer Festival Diary

The latest London Drinker magazine has just been printed. An electronic version can be read here. I list below those imminent festivals that have chosen to advertise in the magazine.

April
8th-10th Bexley CAMRA, Sidcup Sports Club www.camrabexleybranch.org.uk
9th-10th Hook, Surbiton www.hookbeerfest.org.uk
15th-18th Waltham Forest Council S&SC Walthamstow
22nd-25th Red Cow, Richmond
23rd-24th Willoughby Arms, Kingston www.thewilloughbyarms.com
30th-3rd Harefield Harefield Village
30th-3rd White Horse (LocAle) Parson's Green www.whitehorsesw6.com

May 6th-9th Aldborough Hall Farm, North Weald www.aldboroughrealale.co.uk
8th Five Bells www.thefivebells-chelsfieldvillage.co.uk
20th-23rd Hope (Mild), Carshalton www.hopecarshaltonpub.co.uk 28th-31st Red Lion (Champions) Isleworth www.red-lion.info

June 8th-12th Thurrock CAMRA, Grays
17th-20th Hope (Summer LocAle), Carshalton www.hopecarshaltonpub.co.uk
25th-26th Kingston CAMRA, Workmen's Club and Institute

July 2nd-4th Princess of Wales Morden Rd, S Wimbledon www.powmerton.co.uk

Battersea Beer Festival

If you do nothing else this week, get yourself down to the twentieth Battersea Beer Festival being held at the Battersea Arts Centre on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Among the 150 or so cask ales you will also find a well stocked foreign bar, plenty of cider and perry and the legendary Polish food from Kam's Deli.

This is likely you be a very popular event so I recommend you get there as early as possible each evening.

For any who don't know where it is, it is about a 10 minute walk up Lavender Hill from Clapham Junction railway station.

Beer Festivals

The following is a list of beer festivals that are advertised in the latest issue of London Drinker magazine together with other future confirmed local CAMRA events :


Feb 10th-12th Battersea BAC, Lavender Hill
11th-15th Land of Liberty, Peace & Plenty (Winter) Heronsgate
11th-14th White Hart (winter) Grays
25th-26th Leyton Orient Supporters Club Leyton
25th-28th Bricklayer's Arms Putney
26th-29th Red Lion (Scottish and Welsh) Isleworth
28th-6th Mar Rake (Welsh beers) Borough Market
March 10th-12th London Drinker Camden Centre
10th-14th Pembury Tavern Hackney
12th-14th Leather Bottle Earlsfield
25th-28th Le Gothique Wandsworth Common
27th-28th King William IV (Brodies) Leyton
April 1st-5th Land of Liberty, Peace & Plenty Heronsgate
2nd-5th Five Bells Chelsfield
2nd-5th Fox Hanwell
8th-10th Bexley Sidcup Sports Club
9th-10th Hook Verona Drive, Surbiton
June 8th-12th Thurrock Civic Hall, Grays
25th-26th Kingston Workmen's Club and Institute

Pig's Ear Beer Festival

Quick post as I am rushing around this week......

CAMRA's legendary London winter beer festival (known as Pig's Ear) makes it 26th appearance this week at Ocean in Hackney from Tuesday to Saturday this week.

Neither the town of Hackney nor the actual night club style venue were initially very well received by London's drinkers when the event was resurrected a couple of years ago after many years at Stratford.

However, last year, the numbers were up and plenty more beer was drunk so people are slowly getting used to it and clearly having a good time.

I don't think you can beat it for its range of winter, Christmas and one-off festival special beers.

I will be down there tomorrow as I am chairing the CBOB panel that is judging the barley wine category; mmmm barley wine at 10am.

Enjoy it everyone.

More info and beer list available on the ELAC Camra website here.

White Horse Parsons Green

I think I may have developed an allergy to hops. I had three pints yesterday but boy, do I know I had a drink.

Admittedly, the three pints were taken at The White Horse Old Ale Festival and were mostly in the region of 6% - 9% so, I guess that makes it the equivalent of six or seven normal strength pints. I will have to be dry now until Wednesday as there is a big week ahead.

The White Horse at Parsons Green has hosted the Old Ale Festival in the last week of November for the last 27 years so you would expect them to be getting the hang of it but this year's list must be the biggest and best.

Among the highlights for me was Thornbridge Raven, a beer you might call a black IPA, brewed with black and chocolate malt but with a generous hop bitterness that balances the roast malt character. A 6.6% sharpener.

My overall winner for the day was Sierra Nevada, Celebration. A cask beer brewed in California and released for Thanksgiving and Christmas each year to celebrate the season. A rich beer with a spicy hop aroma, a complex taste of orange, with hint of honey and almonds finished with a long warming, fruity aftertaste. A lovely 6.8% beer as good as you come to expect from Sierra Nevada.

Some people do say that the WH is a bit expensive but overall my three pints cost less than £15 - less than I would have spent on a session of six or seven pints in the pub and this for rarities that I probably won't see again. Very good value in my opinion.

The festival continues throughout the weekend. I recommend a visit.

Halloween Beer Festivals

This week sees a clash of events in my part of London - though luckily both are held over a number of days affording a visit to both.

The first beer festival held at Le Gothique in Wandsworth earlier in the year was such a success that a second one is planned for this week - More details can be found not on Le Gothique web-site which still shows the spring fest but on The Beer Viking blogsite - who are one of the sponsors. The list of 75 mainly dark beers for your enjoyment here.

If anyone is hunting the Adnams seasonal, Belgian Abbey Ale, it should be available here together with some other highlights such as Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby, Robinson's Old Tom and the legendary Downton Chocolate Orange Delight.

Free pre-booked tickets are available here but selling out fast.

If I am not spotted at Le Gothique, I will be in Kingston at The Willoughby Arms Halloween Festival where the highlight is undoubtedly a rare appearance of Fullers Gales Prize Old Ale in cask.

This is the first version of this famous beer that has been brewed by Fullers in Chiswick - all previous versions being brewed at Gales Brewery in Horndene, Hampshire. It will be very interesting to see if the Fullers team have matched the famous tartness which came along as an infection from the old wooden fermenters in the ancient brewery but will be difficult to reproduce in the stainless steel conical fermenters used at Chiswick. There was once talk of blending a small amount of the infected beer with a new beer to impart a little of that tartness. I am very keen to taste it.

Beer Festivals

For your diary : these are the known local beer festivals in the next month or two

October
16th-25th Hoopers Bar, East Dulwich
23rd-24th Wenlock Arms, Hoxton
23rd-25th Hope (LocAles), Carshalton
28th-31st Willoughby Arms, Kingston
29th-31st Le Gothique, Wandsworth Common North
30th-1st Nov Fox, Hanwell
30th-1st Nov Hoopers Bar (cider), East Dulwich
30th-2nd Nov Land of Liberty, Peace & Plenty Heronsgate


November
2nd-7th Speaker (Guy Fawkes ales), Victoria
4th-7th Falcon, Clapham Jct
6th-8th Red Lion (Lancs & Yorks), Isleworth
11th-14th Nag's Head, Walthamstow
12th-15th WFCS&SC, Walthamstow
12th-16th Druids Head, Kingston
13th-14th Woking Leisure Centre
14th-15th Crosse Keys, City EC3
18th-22nd Pembury Tavern, Hackney
19th-20th Piglet 9 Leyton Orient Supporters Club
19th-21st Watford, West Herts Sports Club
20th-22nd Hope (dark ales), Carshalton
21st Bull, Horton Kirby
21st Dartford, WMC Dartford
27th-29th White Horse (old ales), Parsons Green

December
1st-5th Pig's Ear Ocean, Hackney
11th-20th Hoopers Bar (winter), East Dulwich

Ealing Beer Festival

This week see the 20th Ealing Beer Festival hosted by West Middlesex CAMRA at Walpole Park, a short stroll from Ealing Broadway station.

Aside from the Great British Beer Festival, I guess Ealing is the largest festival in London running from Wednesday 8th to Saturday 11th and showcasing 160 odd cask beers together with the usual ciders and perries and a well-stocked foreign beer bar which always has some rarities together with the usual favourites.

Since the festival outgrew Ealing Town Hall, it is now a tented event in the local park which brings the opportunity to spread out in the larger space and also invite a wider circle of food, games, stalls etc. If blessed with fine weather (which at the moment is in the balance), there will be no better place for the beer drinker to hang out this week.

That is unless you like jazz as the Greenwich Beer and Jazz Festival will be at the Royal Naval College this week. This is not a CAMRA organised event but CAMRA in South East London is responsible for the cask ale sold there.

You pays your money, you takes your choice.

St George's Day

Our national day, and where better to drink a toast to the old dragon slayer than the Willoughby Arms in Kingston which is hosting its annual St George's Day Beer Festival - on now until Saturday.

Get there today from 7pm to see the Ewell St Mary Morris Men in action.

Downton Chocolate Orange Dark Delight is sadly not on the list so hopefully it will make for a slightly less messy afternoon. Although Fullers Golden Pride appears as a rarity in cask so anything is possible.

The Willoughby Arms is Kingston CAMRA branch pub of the year for 2009 - a deserved winner in an area of Kingston that is blessed with good drinking holes.

Other events in my locality where I may appear later in the week are The Ailsa Tavern in Twickenham (well, St Margarets really) and The Andover Arms in Hammersmith (well, Ravenscourt Park really) - both hosting small beer festivals from today to Saturday.

Drink up and celebrate all things that make this country great.

Typical Bank Holiday Weather ?

Not in Margate ! The weather was as good as the beer, a beautiful sunny day. It was warm enough to stand outside on the prom until someone decided it was an elf and safety risk and we were all brought back into the safety of the beer hall.

Highlights of the day, apart from the weather, were mainly among the beer. It seems to me that the best micros are getting better and better. The stronger offerings from Dark Star (Ruby Mild 6% and IPA 6.2%) and Thornbridge (St Petersburg Stout 7.7%) were first class even though it meant that the real health and safety risk was my walk back to the station.

One other highlight was the bottle shop from Gadd's Brewery. An excellent range of foreign and british beers - including many rarer beers - such as a large range from Mikkeller in Denmark. Alas no formal mail order arrangement but if you are in the Ramsgate/Broadstairs area, it must be worth a look-in.

Beer Festivals

Worthy of a wider circulation this week :

The Bricklayers Arms, Putney - last week voted SW London Pub of the Year - this week hosts its 3rd annual Yorkshire beer festival.

More details and beer list here.

The Rake, Borough Market celebrates all things Welsh kicking off on Sunday, St David's Day.

Alas, I have little further information but their email is info@utobeer.co.uk

Also remember next week, The Pembury Tavern beer festival, 4th to 8th March.

Beer Festivals

Two beer festivals worthy of recommendation this week.

Battersea Beer Festival is on from Wednesday to Friday near to Clapham Junction.

More details here or here if the web-site is working again.

The near legendary Downton, Chocolate Orange Delight will again be available at The Willoughby Arms Valentines Beer Festival from Wednesday to Saturday in Kingston. More details here.

Described as "for lovers of dark winter beers", this beer festival is a small effort to compliment the established St George's Day and Halloween events. Only 16 beers but featuring some interesting dark delights.

Where better to woo your valentine than The Willoughby Arms with a pint or two of Black Witch.

Egham United Services Club

Last weekend saw the first beer festival at Egham United Services Club. A short ride for me, changing at Richmond, I thought it would be rude not to go. The event had been well publicised among CAMRA circles and the beer list had evolved into a tickers feast. As sometimes happens, I took insufficient directions and got a little lost between the station and the club but I got there eventually.

One of the downsides of having a winter beer festival where the stillage is outside is that it is freezing. The beer is freezing, the bar staff and the customers - all frozen.

That said, the heaters did their best to warm us up and the inside bar and seating area was very warm and most comfortable. The beer outside, although very cold, was well conditioned and all of the ones that I tried were in excellent form. There was a sprinkling of new breweries and some special one-off festival beers all a £2.40 a pint. A large blackboard explained which beers were on, which were coming and which had finished. I stuck to the tried and tested from Downton, Waylands and Dark Star although the beers from the new Andwell Brewery were also excellent.

The inside bar had the stronger beers on handpump - all about 6% and priced a reasonable £2.60 a pint.

A barbeque rounded off a great event and was very popular.

The event was so successful that they are doing it all again this weekend, Saturday and Sunday. If you did not make it first time round, have a try this time.

Although the weather and the beer are cold, the welcome is warm. This club is in the last four of the current CAMRA Club of the Year competition with very good reason.

If you miss it this time, I believe the next festival is being planned for Easter. I would say the weather might be warmer but you cannot be sure.

Global Warming

I read today that there is a US Federal proposal to start charging farmers for their flatulent livestock at a rate of $175 for each head of cattle and $20 for each pig.

Perhaps CAMRA should have a flatulence levy on our beer festivals.

Pig's Ear on Thursday would have been a particularly lucrative event. I think the combination of Winter and Christmas beers together with the tendency of some folk to casually let rip made for a particularly explosive and smelly evening.

You know who you are......not nice !