39th Cambridge Beer Festival

The 39th Cambridge Beer Festival was the biggest yet with over forty-one thousand visitors. It was probably the hottest and sunniest too, an absolute smasher.

Brentwood BBC2 was voted Beer of the Festival, especially impressive for a beer of only 2.5% ABV, packing an orangey citrus punch well above its weight. It proved to be the perfect drink for long days in the sun and at only £2.20 a pint, nice they passed on to the customer the savings from lower rates of beer duty.

Liverpool Organic Kitty Wilkinson took second place, a sweet stout with plenty of chocolatey goodness and a pleasingly subtle use of vanilla.

The beers I most enjoyed were:

Blackbar Märzen – A preview of the beer brewed for the Octoberfest later this year and already tasting wonderful – full bodied and golden with a caramel sweetness, an intriguing beer from a brewery that only began this year.

Ole Slewfoot Citraville IPA – Earlier in the week this beer hadn’t particularly stood out, but come Saturday and from another cask, it really came into its own – a mouthful of fresh grapefruit and lemon flavours that slipped down easily – couldn’t serve this beer quick enough to thirsty drinkers.

Stringers Hop Priest – Enjoyed at the Ely Beer Fest earlier this year, it took a few days to come on but was worth the wait – a powerfully hoppy brew, hazy and resinous, that drew me back to the bar several times.

I tried Stringers Mutiny, a rich double stout, and for a moment it was December in front of a log fire, snow outside – but it was 30 degrees in the marquee so I think I’ll have to come back to it in the winter to really appreciate it. I was happier with something hoppier – golden, hoppy beers like Dancing Duck Abduction and Whim Flower Power were well suited to the sunny weather.

By the weekend there was a fresh supply of beer from Great Oakley, Humpty Dumpty, Nethergate, Old Cannon, White Horse and more from Milton whose Karolides was the sweetest thing this side of the mead bar, a wonderful beer.

And then there was the cheese…

Days before the festival opened, I’d helped out with the setting up…

The message on this cask really brought a smile to my face:

Cambridge Beer Festival 2012

Cambridge Beer Festival is here and the city swells with beer. And cheese.

There are over 200 British beers and many more from around the world. Noteworthy brews include:

Debuts:

- 5 beers from Cambridge’s newest brewery, Blackbar, including a taster of the Märzen brewed for the Octoberfest later this year. The beer arrived on a punt from Grantchester.

- First appearance at the Cambridge Beer Festival for several other breweries, including:
Art Brew, BrewShed, Colchester, Hop Monster, Jo C’s, Magic Rock, Ole Slewfoot, Stringers, Summerwine, Two Towers, Wilson Potter and XT.

Festival beers:

- As this is the 39th Cambridge Beer Festival, and the theme is the novel ‘The Thirty-Nine Steps’ and three films based on it, there are some festival specials – Buntingford Black Stone, Castor Ales John Buchan Bitter, Hereward Hannay, Milton Karolides, Son of Sid Codebreaker and Bartrams have brewed a 3.9% ABV beer called Steps.

- A previous ‘Beer of the Festival’ makes another appearance – Moonshine Red Watch, a winner in 2005.

- The Foreign Beer bar will have three draught beers from the USA – two from Oregon’s Rogue brewery and one from Flying Dog based in Maryland. Earlier this month, Maryland held its first Cambridge Beer Festival, also serving Flying Dog.

- Jubilee beers from Backyard Brewhouse, Bartrams, Batemans, Bullmastiff – ooh, the alliteration – Lord Conrad’s and Shalford. Elgoods have renamed Pageant Ale ‘Royal Pageant’ and there’s a Diamond Jubilee cider from Tutts Clump. The Bullmastiff Jubilee apparently celebrates the brewery’s 25 years of brewing (or ’175 doggy years’)

- Olympic beers – Elgoods Cockerless Four and Potbelly A Limp Pig Gold.

- The festival is this year supporting Wallace Cancer Care – Moonshine has brewed Wonderful Wallace, proceeds go to the charity.

- Castor Roman Gold was the first beer to sell out at the recent Bury St Edmunds beer festival.

- Like Beer? Like Cheese? There’s beery cheese: Cheddar with Ale, Cheddar with Porter, Hereford Hop, a ‘mellow sweet cheese covered with hops’ and Y-Fenni, a ‘mature cheddar cheese blended with whole-grain mustard and Welsh brown ale’.

Strengths:

- The strongest of the British beers was going to be 12% ABV Baz’s Bonce Blower by Parish Brewery from Melton Mowbray, which would have been fitting because Barrie Parish brewed what was once the world’s strongest beer, 23% ABV Baz’s Super Brew. However, at the time of writing it hadn’t arrived so it’s Stringers Mutiny, a 9.3% stout which the programme describes as ‘…drinkable. But sip it.’

- At the other end of the scale are two beers under 3% ABV, both from Essex: Felstar 2%, a dark ale and Brentwood BBC2, a 2.5% pale ale.

- The Mead includes 22% ABV Sussex Boar Hunter Mead Liqueur ‘infused with warming spices’.

- The Moonshine Dictator from this cask must be a beast of a beer:

Opening Hours:

Monday 5—10:30pm
Tuesday-Friday 12—3pm / 5—10:30pm
Saturday 12—10:30pm

Amendments:
At the time of writing, no beers had arrived from Fat Cat or Parish. Black Sheep Bitter replaces Black Sheep Ale. Beartown Bruins Ruin replaces Brown Bear.

Previous Beer of the Festival winners

Cambridge Beer Festival 2011

Now in it’s 38th year, the Cambridge Beer Festival, the UK’s longest running CAMRA beer fest, is in the 11th year at it’s current home on Jesus Green. From a choice of more than 200 real ales, over 80,000 pints are expected to be served.

In light of these impressive numbers, it seems fitting to start with a beer which may have made more appearances than any other, Batemans Dark Mild. By 1997 it was recorded as being ‘the only beer to have been available at all of the summer festivals‘ since 1974, and it has certainly appeared several times since, winning best Mild at least 4 times (and 3 times winner at the Great British Beer Festival). A decent mild with a buttery and lightly roasted flavour (roasted butter?), brewed less than 90 miles north of Cambridge.

Milton Brewery is the closest brewery to the festival, just over 2 miles away, and several of their fantastic ales are available, most notably Proteus, a 6.2% pale ale which may be one of their most recent brews, and Pegasus, the first beer they brewed when the brewery was founded in 1999.

Next a beer brewed 6 miles west of Cambridge in Dry Drayton, Lord Conrad’s Hedgerow hop. This is made with wild hops from nearby Swavesey. Local wild hops would once have been commonly used, so it’s an interesting step back in time to taste this, even if it’s not ‘hoppy’ in the way of say the ‘intense hop explosion’ of Kernel/Redemption No. 2, a new beer from a collaboration of two London Brewers.

One thing that puzzles me is why the brewery bars seem to get less trade. Often the bars serving Potbellly, Bartrams, Woodfordes and Elgoods have few punters while the rest of the bars are busy. Are drinkers suspicious of their more commercial looking prescence? They shouldn’t be; there are some cracking beers to be had from these breweries – in particular Potbelly Brewery Beijing Black and Crazy Daze (pictured) brewed 40 miles NW of Cambridge and Bartrams Egalitarian Stout, brewed 30 miles east – and the people serving know their own beers.

Paler, hoppier tasting beers seem to be most prevalent. The beer festival programme has a key for the beer types available. Of the 200+ beers only 1 is categorised as a Best Bitter, Winter’s Revenge from Norwich (confusingly Harveys Sussex Best Bitter is categorised as a Bitter not a Best Bitter) and only 2 as Strong Bitters (Premium Bitters were in the Bitter category). But that’s splitting hairs when the programme notes and the beer selection are so good overall.

Thornbridge Kipling, voted beer of the festival last year, is not here this year, but their Jaipur and Lord Marples are, and for me the latter beer is the better.

The 2011 Beer of the Festival winner has now been announced – Elgoods Attila the Hen, described in the festival programme as:

Attila the Hen 4.5% The beer is very pale, brewed using Pale Ale malt only. The hops used are English Fuggles, Progress and Goldings, and an American hop, Willamette. Brewed in memory of Brenda Law, a stalwart volunteer at this festival.

So here are the beers that made my top 6 this year:

1. Potbelly Beijing Black / Crazy Days – Two very different beers I just can’t choose between
2. Hopshackle Resination – An absolutely superb IPA. Pure class
3. Blue Monkey Ape Ale – A pale ale that doesn’t overdo the American hops
4. Northcote Jiggle Juice – Another fine IPA, deceptively drinkable for 5.8%
5. Hopshackle Historic Porter – A rich, mouthwatering porter
6. Peerless Red Rocks – Bloody lovely ruby ale

Cambridge Beer Festival previous winners

Cheers!

Cambridge Winter Ale Festival 15

The 15th Cambridge Winter Ale Festival

Thursday
Before I even made it to the bar, I’d highlighted four beers to try first. Three of them weighed in at 7%, so I started with something a bit weaker… a Thornbridge Raven at a mere 6.6%. I had high expectations, as Thornbridge brew some cracking beers, but this black IPA didn’t quite do it for me. It could be the Nelson Sauvin hop punch that just felt out of place, like someone had poured Brewdog’s 5am Saint into a perfectly good chocolate malt beer and ruined it.

So, quickly back to the bar for a Buntingford Imperial Baltic Stout. It’s a good, solid stout with just a hint of blackcurrant in the finish, a very pleasant drink that reset my tastebuds after the sourness of the Raven. It’s worth mentioning that Buntingford Twitchell was on at the regular bar downstairs. I’m hoping Buntingford’s Imperial Pale Ale is on when I next visit…

I followed this with Bartrams Comrade Santa Bartrams HoHoHo Egalitarian Anti Imperialist Soviet Stout. According to the bar staff, this is exactly the same as the usual Comrade Bill, just renamed for Christmas. In any case it’s a great stout with a nice peppery taste sprinkled over the roasted malts, really far too drinkable for a 7% beer – to quote from Richard Boston’s Beer and Skittles:

“…beer is a long drink, and you don’t want something that will put you to sleep after two pints. It should take at least four.”

Last of the evening was Hopshackle Resination, one of my favourites from last year’s winter fest. I’m repeating myself when I say it is of course ‘resinous’ and powerfully but tastefully hopped. A really fine ale and one of my top 5 beers of 2010.

Saturday
First up had to be the superb Buntingford Imperial Pale Ale, one of best beers I’ve tried recently, I need only quote their beer notes:

heavily hopped with Bramling Cross, Amarillo, Liberty & Centennial hops, this is a beer for hop fans

I expected that to be the beer of the festival, but I was so surprised and impressed by the 3.7% Castor Roman Gold that it has to be my beer of the fest. There were stronger, much stonger beers – the 10% Elvedon Arctic Ale, although I only had a taster, I can easily imagine as a rich ‘special occasion’ beer, that occasion being anytime from November through March – but the Castor Roman Gold was a Jack Russell of a beer, the kind that snarls at stronger beers and wins your attention. Despite the array of beers available, I returned from the bar with this three times. On my 4th visit, the barrell ran out one glass before mine! I only wish I’d tried the other Castor beers.

Here’s a list of previous Winter Ale festival winners

And here’s this years beer list:

Beer list - click to enlarge

Cambridge Beer Festival 2010

The 37th Cambridge Beer Festival

Update: Thornbridge Kipling voted Beer of the Festival 2010 (with their Jaipur IPA in 3rd place), Bartrams Soviet Stout the runner-up.

…

This is what it’s all about. Great beer, a relaxed atmosphere and a cheese counter. The first afternoon session of the Cambridge Beer Festival had it all. Yes, even blue skies and blazing summer sun.

This is the 10th year it’s been held on the grass of Jesus Green. The area is surrounded by trees, although there’s not much shade from the sun. Did I mention the sun?

Red Squirrel - White Mountain IPA

So, to the beer. Red Squirrel White Mountain American IPA 5.4% was pick of festival for me (It was voted beer of the festival at Letchworth Beer Festival 2009). A golden coloured ale bursting with the flavour of Cascade hops and with a bitter finish. I kept returning for this despite the choice of other beers, and over the week it became a firm favourite.

Jaipur IPA 5.9% from Thornbridge Brewery was also outstanding, a citrusy ‘crescendo of massive hoppiness’ as the tasting notes describe.

Hopshackle Double Momentum 7% was another fantastic hoppy brew. I’ve recently developed a taste for slightly stronger beers than I’ve tended to drink previously, inspired by a recent trip to Oregon, drinking wonderful beer from the Deschutes and Rogue breweries.

Harviestoun Old Engine Oil

Nothing however could prepare me for the Harviestoun Old Engine Oil which finally became available on Friday afternoon. At just under 10% it’s an extra strong version of this thick black brew, and definitely one to sip at (I grabbed a pint of their Bitter and Twisted to quaff alongside it). I can’t begin to describe the complex flavours, but on a sunny summer afternoon it managed to give me flashbacks to a winter’s evening sat snug by a woodfire as the snow fell outside. Or did I just pass out?

Predictably, Brewdog Punk IPA was also fantastic. Having tried the bottled version I had high expectations and found it was even better, and slightly stronger.

Orkney Red MacGregor was the best beer on the busy Thursday evening. So busy that over the loudspeaker it was announced that 600+ CAMRA members were in attendance and they needed some volunteers behind the bar. 10 minutes later they announced that the response had been overwhelming – 1 person volunteered! So I offered my assistance and was suddenly in at the deep end, pouring pints for hunderds of thirsty customers.

I learnt that when it’s busy, it’s much harder to know who’s next in line than i’d appreciated. There are a bunch of unfamiliar faces in front of you. You serve someone and there’s another bunch in front of you. Some people are kind enough to point you to the next person in line, which I always try to do myself – whoever’s waited longest deserves to be served next. But then you turn around and can’t even remember who kindly gave up there chance. So there kindness goes unrewarded. I need a photographic memory but don’t have much of a short-term memory at all.

Where was I? Oh yes…

You may have noticed some cows grazing on nearby Midsummer Common. Jesus Green was part of the common until it was separated by Victoria Avenue 120 years ago. The cows on the common are Red Poll, a breed derived from the original cattle of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Nethergate brewery in Suffolk brews a Red Poll beer in celebration of them.

Red Poll

Here is a PDF of the provisional beer list with tasting notes. Some beers didn’t make it – what happened to the Fat Cat brewery?

List of Previous Beer of the festival winners

Cambridge Beer Festival 2009

36th Cambridge Beer Festival 2009

According to the Cambridge Camra Branch Newsletter (ale 340),
the 2009 Cambridge Beer Festival Beers of the Festival are:

The beer I enjoyed most at this 36th Cambridge Beer Festival was a zesty Woodfordes Wherry.

I’m surprised at the winner of the best name, even considering the 800th anniversary of Cambridge University, better names included Drunk by Degree, Summathat, Spooky Moon, Lost in the Woods, Mad Monk, Yogi Beer, Whapweasel, Mutts Nuts, Wruff Night and Old Stoatwobbler.

I didn’t get around to trying any foreign beers, but will look out for a ‘well blended Gueuze such as Cantillion or Drie Fonteinen’ , described in the festival programme as ‘probably one of the most complex, beautiful drinks in the world’.

Below is Stonehenge Ales Sign Of Spring, a seasonal beer from Wiltshire.
It doesn’t taste as green as it looks but this premium bitter raised a smile.

Previous winners:

The above information is not necessarily correct!
More information can be found at Cambridge and District CAMRA

Here is a review of the 2010 Cambridge Beer Festival