Twickenham Beer Festival takes place this week. Opening times are 5.30 on Thursday to 10.30 on Saturday.
Full details together with beer list etc are here.
This is my local branch beer festival and although I have nothing to do with its organisation throughout the year, I give it my full support for the whole week. It is the one week a year when I hump scaffolding, full and empty casks, put up posters, clean tables, meet and greet all of the customers and generally support the vital grass roots of our Campaign in a tangible way.
I have just been told that I am "head of security" for the week so no bad behaviour please.
Monday, 20 October 2008
Sunday, 19 October 2008
Leyton Orient
Friday saw the CAMRA presentation to Leyton Orient Supporters Club as CAMRA National Club of the Year for 2008.
This quote was attributed to me on CAMRA's press release ...
Steve Williams, CAMRA Regional Director for Greater London, praised the Club for its services to real ale. He said: ‘To find real ale at a football club, regardless of its condition, is truly rare. Therefore for the Leyton Orient Supporters Club to show this degree of devotion to our national drink is totally unique. When you consider the vast numbers of football fans being converted to real ale it is a true testament to this club's efforts. A worthy winner and an unlikely source of quality real ale.'
I couldn't have put it better myself. Apart from occasional beer festivals the club has five handpumps primed for a usual matchday offering Orient fans over 700 pints of craft brewed beers at £2.30 a pint to drown their usual sorrows.
My favourite quote which has been worked to death is that if only their football team was as good as their bar, Leyton Orient would be Premier League !
This presentation coincided with a mini beer festival which although there were only about 20 beers they were all what you might call "rare". A tickers delight.
An enjoyable end to a busy week.
This quote was attributed to me on CAMRA's press release ...
Steve Williams, CAMRA Regional Director for Greater London, praised the Club for its services to real ale. He said: ‘To find real ale at a football club, regardless of its condition, is truly rare. Therefore for the Leyton Orient Supporters Club to show this degree of devotion to our national drink is totally unique. When you consider the vast numbers of football fans being converted to real ale it is a true testament to this club's efforts. A worthy winner and an unlikely source of quality real ale.'
I couldn't have put it better myself. Apart from occasional beer festivals the club has five handpumps primed for a usual matchday offering Orient fans over 700 pints of craft brewed beers at £2.30 a pint to drown their usual sorrows.
My favourite quote which has been worked to death is that if only their football team was as good as their bar, Leyton Orient would be Premier League !
This presentation coincided with a mini beer festival which although there were only about 20 beers they were all what you might call "rare". A tickers delight.
An enjoyable end to a busy week.
Royal Oak
On Thursday I visited the Royal Oak in Friday Street near Rusper, West Sussex. A drive of about an hour, and fairly inaccessible by train, so I persuaded my wife to drive on the promise of lunch. She and I were not disappointed.
The main bar is narrow with stools at the bar and separate rooms at either end. The room we sat in has a real fire that was much welcome on a cool October day. We were welcomed not only by very friendly staff but also by a bank of 8 handpumps - displaying a range of beers from local micros - Surrey Hills, Dark Star and Twickenham beers were all very enjoyable. There is a mild available permanently, Surrey Hills Hammer Mild, and a bank of 5 further handpumps for ciders and perries.
This was the only pub of the four in the regional semi-final that had a significant food offering. A basic menu of omelette's, ham and chips etc complemented by 3 daily specials - fish pie, partridge and chilli all at a reasonable £7.50.
I enjoyed the partridge (notably not including lead shot) and my wife had a very large fish pie both of which were excellent, although none of CAMRA judging criteria include the scoring of food.
All together this is a real gem of a pub and deserves to do well. I have not cast my scores for all four pubs yet but I guess this will be my winner by a point or two with the Butchers Arms a very close second.
The main bar is narrow with stools at the bar and separate rooms at either end. The room we sat in has a real fire that was much welcome on a cool October day. We were welcomed not only by very friendly staff but also by a bank of 8 handpumps - displaying a range of beers from local micros - Surrey Hills, Dark Star and Twickenham beers were all very enjoyable. There is a mild available permanently, Surrey Hills Hammer Mild, and a bank of 5 further handpumps for ciders and perries.
This was the only pub of the four in the regional semi-final that had a significant food offering. A basic menu of omelette's, ham and chips etc complemented by 3 daily specials - fish pie, partridge and chilli all at a reasonable £7.50.
I enjoyed the partridge (notably not including lead shot) and my wife had a very large fish pie both of which were excellent, although none of CAMRA judging criteria include the scoring of food.
All together this is a real gem of a pub and deserves to do well. I have not cast my scores for all four pubs yet but I guess this will be my winner by a point or two with the Butchers Arms a very close second.
Friday, 17 October 2008
Butchers Arms
On Wednesday I visited the third out of four regional pubs of the year, The Butchers Arms in Herne, Kent.
Jet lagged, I overslept and was chasing the lunchtime session so forgot camera and alas no photos. The pub is only open from 12 to 1.30 (and 5 to 9) so I was in trouble if I missed it. Train from Waterloo, change at Sturry for a 10 minute bus ride to Herne.
This pub is a real curiosity. It may not tick all the boxes that you need for a community pub but it is an absolute "must-visit". (There are three other pubs in this village of which two are also listed in the current Good Beer Guide.)
Described as a micro pub, it was converted from a florists in 2005 and was previously a butchers shop. It has one room at the front, which seats about 12 people. It can only hold 18 people comfortably, though the record is 33. It is decorated with much brewery paraphanalia but also has various decor according to its past life as a butcher; 2 of the tables are old butchers blocks.
It is beer only though if you really want something else there is white wine or lemonade. The beer is served straight from the cask from a cooled room at the back. The toilet is reached via the "cellar".
Dark Star Hop Head, Harveys Sussex, Fullers HSB and ESB are all served in top form from £2.25 to £2.99 a pint. It is the custom that you pay on leaving. The "NFL" etched in the front window stands for No Lager.
In a way it would be shame for this pub to go further in the competition as there is not really room for too many more visitors that more publicity would bring. It is a local secret and would probably benefit from staying that way. That said, I absolutely would recommend anyone visit this pub. It has a unique place in England's pub culture.
Jet lagged, I overslept and was chasing the lunchtime session so forgot camera and alas no photos. The pub is only open from 12 to 1.30 (and 5 to 9) so I was in trouble if I missed it. Train from Waterloo, change at Sturry for a 10 minute bus ride to Herne.
This pub is a real curiosity. It may not tick all the boxes that you need for a community pub but it is an absolute "must-visit". (There are three other pubs in this village of which two are also listed in the current Good Beer Guide.)
Described as a micro pub, it was converted from a florists in 2005 and was previously a butchers shop. It has one room at the front, which seats about 12 people. It can only hold 18 people comfortably, though the record is 33. It is decorated with much brewery paraphanalia but also has various decor according to its past life as a butcher; 2 of the tables are old butchers blocks.
It is beer only though if you really want something else there is white wine or lemonade. The beer is served straight from the cask from a cooled room at the back. The toilet is reached via the "cellar".
Dark Star Hop Head, Harveys Sussex, Fullers HSB and ESB are all served in top form from £2.25 to £2.99 a pint. It is the custom that you pay on leaving. The "NFL" etched in the front window stands for No Lager.
In a way it would be shame for this pub to go further in the competition as there is not really room for too many more visitors that more publicity would bring. It is a local secret and would probably benefit from staying that way. That said, I absolutely would recommend anyone visit this pub. It has a unique place in England's pub culture.
Thursday, 16 October 2008
Great American Beer Festival
Rumours of my demise are greatly exaggerated, I have not been hiding under a stone for the last 10 days but have been in Denver helping with the judging of the Great American Beer Festival.
I intend to cover the week in more depth in the coming days but start with a quick snapshot.
The competition takes place over five sessions of three hours each in the three days before the festival opens. There are 75 categories to be judged - yes 75 ! 472 US brewers entered 2,902 beers which were judged by 127 judges from 11 countries.
The UK judges based judges were myself, Glenn Payne, Mark Dorber and Don Burgess of Freeminer Brewery.
The 75 categories and the 2008 winners can be found here
The festival itself runs for four sessions of four hours over three days. The entry price is about $50 and beer is poured in free, one ounce servings - giving the greatest opportunity to try as many of the 2,052 beers available as possible. 46,000 people visit the festival which relies on 2,600 volunteer staff to pour the beer.
I intend to cover the week in more depth in the coming days but start with a quick snapshot.
The competition takes place over five sessions of three hours each in the three days before the festival opens. There are 75 categories to be judged - yes 75 ! 472 US brewers entered 2,902 beers which were judged by 127 judges from 11 countries.
The UK judges based judges were myself, Glenn Payne, Mark Dorber and Don Burgess of Freeminer Brewery.
The 75 categories and the 2008 winners can be found here
The festival itself runs for four sessions of four hours over three days. The entry price is about $50 and beer is poured in free, one ounce servings - giving the greatest opportunity to try as many of the 2,052 beers available as possible. 46,000 people visit the festival which relies on 2,600 volunteer staff to pour the beer.
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Back tomorrow
Normal service will be resumed "au matin" or should that be "au gratin" ?
See you tomorrow !
See you tomorrow !
Friday, 3 October 2008
The Trafalgar
The Trafalgar was heaving last night for the presentation of the Pub of the Year award. For such a tiny pub, you would never believe that so many people could be crammed in at once. Mainly people from the local community but good representation from SW London CAMRA and a sprinkling of other members.
We were graced with the presence of a full set of dignitaries : Martin Whelton,the mayor of Merton; Robert Evans, the MEP for West London; and Stephen Hammond, the MP for Wimbledon.
There is clearly a pecking order with politicians. They arrived in that order, they spoke in that order and they left in that order.
The mayor tried to show his strength by holding out (and upsetting his driver) but the other two would not budge. Once he had given in and been driven away, the MEP decided he knew his place and drove home. The MP, knowing he was all-powerful, then left shortly afterwards. (Well he might be all-powerful if he was not in opposition).
The beer was good - but still not a patch on the couple of pints of GFB I had in the Sultan beforehand. The Sultan beer festival is on this weekend.
It was the best of times ?
If you think things are bad right now with pubs closing, the smoking ban, price inflation, duty increases, blah blah .....then maybe reflect on the quote below.
It is taken from The Brewer of April 1973 and is attributed to the quality Control Manager of Bass Marketing :
"Having consigned the manual beer engine and 'from the wood' to history, we are left with three basic dispensing systems. These are top pressure, electric and metered dispense."
"I think the most important item will be the universal facility for serving beer cool whatever the weather. It just is not true that as a nation we like warm beer, and in a few years time it will have disappeared altogether."
Thanks to the Brewery History Society latest newsletter for that.
It is taken from The Brewer of April 1973 and is attributed to the quality Control Manager of Bass Marketing :
"Having consigned the manual beer engine and 'from the wood' to history, we are left with three basic dispensing systems. These are top pressure, electric and metered dispense."
"I think the most important item will be the universal facility for serving beer cool whatever the weather. It just is not true that as a nation we like warm beer, and in a few years time it will have disappeared altogether."
Thanks to the Brewery History Society latest newsletter for that.
Thursday, 2 October 2008
Pub of the Year
Tonight (Thursday) I will be making the presentation of the Greater London Pub of the Year award to The Trafalgar in South Wimbledon at 8pm.
Everyone is welcome.
Everyone is welcome.
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
The Intelligent Choice
The 2008/09 Cask Ale Report was launched on Monday and I was lucky enough to attend the launch. I wasn't really deemed important enough to get an invite but I blagged one from the author who I met again at Beer Exposed.
Various media folk together with the great and the good from the brewing community arrived early Monday evening at The Counting House (Fullers) on Cornhill.
The top table was Pete Brown (author), Nigel McNally (Wells and Youngs), John Robert (Fullers), Paul Nunny (Cask Marque), Mike Benner (CAMRA) and Julian Grocock (SIBA).
The report now has its own web-site so you can read the headlines and the detail here.
Described as the definitive guide to the cask ale market, the report brings bullish news on the state of the real ale market and is aimed at the pub trade - to encourage pubs to stock real ale and the media - to encourage awareness.
The evening was a great opportunity to network with the most influential people of the industry. After a couple of pints at The Counting House the boys from Greene King and Youngs wanted to get in on the act and we were taken to the New Moon (GK) and the Lamb (Youngs) on Leadenhall Market.
The best pint of the evening ?
The IPA in the New Moon !
Various media folk together with the great and the good from the brewing community arrived early Monday evening at The Counting House (Fullers) on Cornhill.
The top table was Pete Brown (author), Nigel McNally (Wells and Youngs), John Robert (Fullers), Paul Nunny (Cask Marque), Mike Benner (CAMRA) and Julian Grocock (SIBA).
The report now has its own web-site so you can read the headlines and the detail here.
Described as the definitive guide to the cask ale market, the report brings bullish news on the state of the real ale market and is aimed at the pub trade - to encourage pubs to stock real ale and the media - to encourage awareness.
The evening was a great opportunity to network with the most influential people of the industry. After a couple of pints at The Counting House the boys from Greene King and Youngs wanted to get in on the act and we were taken to the New Moon (GK) and the Lamb (Youngs) on Leadenhall Market.
The best pint of the evening ?
The IPA in the New Moon !
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