Hopshackle Flinders (when I was sitting under green lights!)

Hopshackle Flinders, 4.8% – A wonderfully light and hoppy straw-coloured ale full of flavour. Very tasty and moorish. Great brewery. More of their beers to follow..

Hopshackle Marillo, 3.8% – Another light and hoppy beer, but not as moorish as the Flinders but also not as strong. A dominant citrus taste and aroma. Very easy drinking.

Hopshackle Historic Porter, 4.8% – Mmmmm berries, lots of them. Berries and dark bitter chocolate. Beautiful.

Hopshackle Smoked Porter, 5.2% – Now we’re talking. Absolutely delicious, my beer of the festival so far. Like drinking an open fire – smooth, warming, smoky, comforting, chocolate (not bitter). Lovely.

Redemption Urban Dusk, 4.6% – Love this beer. Its caramel malt flavours shine through. Very smooth, quite smoky actually, and slight hop flavours present.

Redemption Big Chief, 5.5% – Hazy, but tasty. Golden/orange colour, tropical hops dominate – @pintsandpubs summed it up nicely when he said it was like drinking alcoholic lilt!

Mauldon’s Black Adder, 5.3% – ‘Ooooh’ was the noise that came out of my mouth when I took my first sip of this wonderful stout. Rich, bitter, nutty, full flavoured. Loved it.

Dark Star Milk Stout, 4.5% – Very very sweet and rich, lovely roast malt flavours. Lots of flavour.

Downton Chimera IPA, 6.8% – Strong tasting IPA, hoppy, rich and resinous with floral flavours. Tasty.

Downton Baltic Red, 4.2% – A chestnut coloured premium bitter that smells of sesame oil, and tasted of it too. Not in a particularly unpleasant way; just slightly unusual. Not sure if I enjoyed it or not.

Pictish Porter, 4.4% -  A very nice smoky flavour, but slightly thin in the mouth. Easy to knock back, if you want a porter you can just knock back. There was no comparison when I did a head to head with this and the Hopshackle Historic Porter. I prefer a richer flavour myself.

Blue Monkey BG Sips – Similar to the Hopshackle Marillo, but with a slightly fuller flavour and unidentified underlying fruit that I thought was perhaps pineapple..? Very smooth in the mouth. Tasty.

Big Chief, BG Sips & Historic Porter (almost gone)

That’s it for now. Another great festival – well organised (new management this year as well) with friendly, helpful service. Off there again soon to try some more beers, hopefully the Rogue Chatoe OREgasmic from Oregon in the US will be on draft; one of my favourite breweries in the world. See you there maybe.

Straw Bear parade

We took the train to Whittlesey from Cambridge – we decided this was the best mode of transport as last year we saw that every pub in the town was holding a mini beer festival. We changed at Ely; the journey only took just over 40 minutes. On Ely platform it was pretty obvious that most people were festival-bound – many passengers were carrying musical instruments, and some were Morris dancers with bells and bright clothes hidden under their thick overcoats. It was bitterly cold; one poor chap could barely drink his coffee as he was shivering so much. The fields were white with frost, the mist was rising from the rivers and streams and dykes, and at one point we had a white-out. Mist was all around us in the heart of Fenland.

Morris dancers outside the George

As soon as we arrived in Whittlesey we headed with the crowds up Station Road and made for The George in a prominent position on Market Place for a big warming breakfast. This lovely old Wetherspoons pub was heaving at 9.45 am and we were lucky to find a seat. On at the bar was Grainstore Cooking, a great beer brewed in the town of Oakham (not brewed by Oakham) which I have enjoyed a couple of times in the Grainstore brewery tap. There was also the lovely Oakham Straw Bear on draft. I decided to opt for a warming cup of tea at this point, but others had already started on the beer.

Straw Bear and his minder

Hubs Place beer fest

We made it out for 10.30 to watch the parade which was bright and colourful with its 250 dancers and musicians. We watched a bit of dancing, and then headed indoors to thaw out. We chose Hub’s Place on the Market Square as I remember there being a beer festival in the courtyard garden last year. I wasn’t wrong; there was a cute outdoor bar set up selling Oakham Straw Bear, Oakham Inferno, Elgood’s Straw Beer, Everards Tiger, Woodfordes Wherry, Woodfordes Nelson’s Revenge, and Black Sheep Ale. I chose a Straw Bear at 4.4%, and sat inside by the fire, joined soon after by lots of Morris and Molly dancers with their painted faces. Straw Bear is a lovely straw-coloured peachy tasting beer, very refreshing, but not an awful lot of conditioning in this one which was a pity. It was pleasant enough though.

We moved around the corner, checking out the Falcon and its beer festival in the yard where they were also selling Elgood’s Straw Beer amongst others, and moved onto the Letter B. It’s quite unassuming from the outside, and it was only when we were inside that I realised it was Peterborough’s CAMRA pub of the year 2012. And what a fantastic little pub it was too; a traditional proper pub, and heaving with Morris and Molly dancers. On the bar was Oakham Straw Bear, Elgood’s Straw Beer and Tydd Steam Beartown. I bought a wonderful hoppy and sweet Beartown. I then realised that they had more beers out the back in the Grufton bar. (I found this out when I heard a man ask the barmaid: ‘Do you have any proper beer-coloured beer, rather than this pale stuff?’ and she directed him there).

Bruce's beer

I spotted that Oakham had brewed two special beers for this pub, and on asking the barman about them he told me they were brewed for the landlady and the landlord for winning the Pub of the Year award. The landlady’s beer, the Special, had already gone, so I had the landlord’s beer – It Has to ‘B’ Bruce’s Beer, with a picture of Bruce on the pump clip. It was chestnut coloured, maltier than a normal Oakham, but still with that Oakham sherbet hop flavour – the hops became more apparent and the malt less so the more I drank. It was good to meet up with Alcofrolic Chap here  who was also enjoying the beers on offer in the many great pubs in this small market town.

Hero of Aliwal beer fest

Next up was The Hero of Aliwal, round the corner and by the river, where we stood and watched some Morris dancers performing outside, followed by the solemn and black-faced Old Glory Molly who took a girl from the crowd  and performed what she found out later to be a fertility dance. Her friends were aware of this and were laughing all the way through. We went inside this pub that felt like more of a clubhouse and found an indoor beer festival. There were several Greene King casks, but they also had on Oakham Preacher which was a new beer and a nice find. It was 4.3%, relatively dark and full flavoured with sweet hop notes and a touch of fruit. We then decided to cross the road to the Boat.

Oakham Preacher

Inside the crowded Boat there were several Elgood’s beers on tap. We moved to the courtyard outside to the mini beer festival where it was freezing cold (Alcofrolic Chap said it’s always cold here as it’s close to the water, and he was right!) and saw that there were 3 more Elgood’s barrels: Straw Beer, Black Dog and Cambridge Bitter. I hadn’t had a Straw Beer yet so opted for this, which was light and honey-flavoured, and very tasty. And freezing cold. We were about to leave when we spotted the Straw Bear himself entering the pub with his minder and followers. He had a bit of a dance, then set off for the Hero of Aliwal where we followed him. His minder patched him up where his straw was coming loose, I posed for a photo with him (you have to, don’t you) then we followed the parade of bears, dancers and musicians around the little back streets, where he ended up in the Falcon.

We walked to the heaving New Crown Inn and then to the Black Bull on the High Street, but couldn’t even get in the door.

Bricklayers Arms

Bricklayers beers

We then went to the Bricklayer’s Arms, down Station Road, a small, crowded and very lovely traditional pub. There were lots of Morris dancers in there, and some musicians were playing in the corner which added to the atmosphere. There was a bar with about 6 barrels set up in the corner, including Bombardier, Tydd Steam Dr Fox’s Cunning Linctus, Marston’s Pedigree, and Tydd Steam Barn Owl – I went for the latter as I fancied finishing with another straw coloured ale (it’s Straw Bear Day after all). Very sweet, hoppy and refreshing. Old Glory Molly walked in, with their entourage of female musicians wearing hats of ivy and long black coats, and they proceeded to dance in the tiniest of spaces with their jerky, forceful movements – I had to squeeze past them, trying not to be elbowed as we left for our train.

All in all, it was another great Straw Bear and I look forward to the next one. And with all the good pubs in Whittlesey and the many beer festivals, the train is definitely the way to do it.

Best UK Draught (Cask or Keg) Beer

Winner- Grain Redwood. Stunning red hoppy beer, and incredibly moorish

Runner up – Skinners Cornish Knocker

Honourable Mentions – Brewshed Rioja Porter, Buntingford Twitchell, Tintagel Harbour Special, Summerwine Barista

Best UK Bottled or Canned Beer

Winner – Grain Blackwood Stout. Dark, smoky and rich

Runner up - Magic Rock Dark Arts

Honourable Mentions – Marble Manchester Bitter, Magic Rock Rapture, Hardknott Infra Red, BrewDog Trashy Blonde. Oakham Citra

Best Overseas Draught Beer

Winner - Everybody’s Brewing Country Boy IPA – bursting with US hops, easy drinking

Runner up - Il Vicino Wet Mountain IPA

Honourable Mentions – Rogue Dad’s Little Helper, Ballast Point Calico Amber, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Best Overseas Bottled or Canned Beer

Winner - Rogue Dry Hopped St Rogue Red – ruby red, fresh dry hopped flavours, delicious US beer

Runner up - Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale. Elegant and delicately hoppy.

Honourable Mentions – Odell Red Ale, Rogue Mocha Porter, Poperings Hommel Bier, Stone Ruination

Best Overall Beer

Winner - Grain Redwood. Mmmmm.

Best Pumpclip or Label

Winner - Humpty Dumpty Christmas Crack. See for yourself

Runner up - Anything by Grain on their beautiful wooden pumpclips

Best UK Brewery

Winner - Buntingford – love all their beers. Beautiful hops and malt flavours.

Runner up - Redemption

Honourable Mentions – Magic Rock, Cambridge Moonshine, Oakham, Marble, Hopshackle

Best Overseas Brewery

Winner - Rogue. Love their many beers – lots of variety and flavours

Runner up – Deschutes

Honourable Mention – Stone

Pub/Bar of the Year

Winner - The Shed, Wroxham, Norfolk. Over 50 local ever-changing beers served from the cask. Great location with an outdoor terrace with sofas overlooking the river, great décor and fairy lights, loads of books, great atmosphere.

Runner up – The Fat Cat, Norwich

Honourable Mentions – The Free Press and the Elm Tree, both in Cambridge

Beer Festival of the Year

Winner - Cambridge Beer Festival. Beers from all over the country and the world, loads of grass to sit on and drink them.

Runner up – Grantchester Green Man Beer Festival (Summer and Winter). A great beer festival for a pub, lots of well-sourced new and exciting beers

Honourable Mentions – Peterborough Beer Festival, Bury Beerhouse Winter Beer Festival, Cambridge Blue Summer beer festival

Supermarket of the Year

Winner - Waitrose. Nice selection of Cornish ales in the heart of Cambridge

IndependentRetailer of the Year

Winner - Bacchanalia. This shop on Mill Rd, Cambridge, has lots of exciting beers from the UK, the US, Belgium – everywhere that brews great beers in fact. Friendly and helpful staff too.

Online Retailer of the Year

Winner - Ales by Mail. Fast and efficient service

Best Beer Book or Magazine

Winner – ‘Around Bruges in 80 Beers’. OK, so I haven’t been to Bruges (yet), but it’s very inspirational and great research material.

Best Beer Blog or Website

Winner - http://www.funf-media.co.uk/beerbeauty/ – Beer Beauty’s website. Fun, informative, lovely writing style and accessible to all.

Runner up – http://pintsandpubs.wordpress.com/ Interesting, informative articles which talk about the history of pubs and beer with the occasional ancient quote thrown in for good measure.

Best Beer Twitterer

Winner – @Irr_Orbit Informative and descriptive about beers he is drinking – I can’t bear it when people tweet that they are drinking X beer, but then don’t actually go on to tell you what it’s like!

Best Online Brewery presence

Winner - Redemption – sleek and contemporary, like their beers

Runner up - Leeds Brewery for design

Honourable Mention – Phipps NBC for all the detail about their incredible history

Food and Beer Pairing of the Year

Winner - Thai veg green curry with refreshing Oakham Citra

In 2012 I’d Most Like To…

Return to Portland, Oregon, and go to all the craft breweries I didn’t have time to visit on my last trip

Open Category – Most insanely shocking but strangely drinkable beer

Winner – Summerwine Barista. Crazy beer that I thought I wouldn’t like, but ended up loving. Strong espresso stout brewed with rich Arabica coffee. Powerful stuff.

After a 10 minute bus ride to Grantchester (No. 18 from bay 5 in Drummer Street, Cambridge, Mon-Sat only) we arrived at the village and made our way down the High Street to the beautiful 500 year old Green Man pub. The aroma of mulled wine hit us as soon as we entered the building, and we made our way through to the back to the marquee.

At the bar, the bartenders were wearing Santa hats – they needed them to keep warm on this chilly day, but there were several heaters inside the marquee so all was OK. Fairy lights were strung up all along the bar, the ceiling, the seating area opposite – everywhere, and very pretty. There were about 25 or so barrels of beer on at the bar, plus several barrels of cider. Breweries of particular interest to me were Cambridge Moonshine, Redemption, Buntingford, Tydd Steam, Summer Wine and Blue Monkey – mainly because I like their beers, or they were offering new beers I hadn’t tried before. We were handed some printed out tasting notes (much appreciated!) and spent a little while pondering over which beer to go for first. We had a voucher from Explorer mag which meant we got one free pint on our first round (again, much appreciated!) and I went for a Buntingford December.

Redemption Fellowship Porter

We took a seat inside the old pub, by the Christmas tree, and munched on some tasty chunky chips – they go so well with beer. (Inside the marquee they also had a snack menu on offer, including burgers, sandwiches and chips). The Buntingford December, 4.2%, was a pale ale, and light, hoppy, fruity with that unique Buntingford flavour and smell. And freezing cold – hardly surprising considering the weather. Adam’s Redemption Fellowship,5.1%, was a porter full of rich flavours of chocolate and roasty goodness. Lovely beer from an exciting London brewery, and this one was a SIBA gold medal winner.

Next up was Blue Monkey 99 Red Babboons, 4.2%, a ruby red porter crammed full of berries. I couldn’t taste any of the coffee flavour said to be in the beer – just deep berries. Very pleasant. Then it was the Prospect Nutty Slack, 3.9%, a dark mild which won a SIBA National Silver Medal in 2009 – lots of roasted malt flavours and smokiness and very easy to drink.

The Cambridge Moonshine Chocolate Orange Stout, a strong 7.6%, was tasty, rich and dark with a slight bitterness from the chocolate and coffee flavours and lots of hop flavour. I had a nice chat with Mark from Moonshine the other day in Bacchanalia where he was doing a beer tasting session at the Mill Rd Winter Fair, and he is single-handedly making a massive quantity of wonderful beers covering all different beer styles (well, with the help of his dog). I think the Moonshine beers are really exciting and becoming even more so – if you like a massive hop kick see if you can get hold of some Incomparable Beauty (try Bacchanalia). Anyway, I am veering off the subject.

Summer Wine Barista

Next it was Summerwine Barista at 4.8%. This beer shocked me. I ordered a half, thinking that I would find it tough to get through this rich coffee-style beer (named an Espresso Stout) but had to give it a try as this is one of the newest most exciting breweries around. But no. I could have drunk a pint of the stuff if not more. It was like drinking a coffee truffle laced in strong alcohol – which is heaven to me. The aroma of an espresso hits your nose as you take a sip, and this flavour carries through. It was sweet, not bitter at all (although pintsandpubs disagrees with me on this), smooth, roasted malt flavours. Stunning. My beer of the festival.

The last beer was Fellows Jolly Snoutsman, 6.0%, a beer exclusively brewed just up the road in Cottenham for the Green Man. This ruby beer had berry flavours combined with hop and malt flavours and slight spice (cloves?). It wasn’t as effervescent as I would have liked, but was pleasant to drink and had some lovely flavours.

The festival was really well organised, and the staff were very helpful and friendly, offering tasters of the beers available and passing on their knowledge. For a small pub beer festival, they are somehow managing to get hold of beers from some of the most sought-after breweries in the country which even the CAMRA beer festivals don’t always manage to do, so well done guys for making it so exciting. Oh, and if I didn’t say so already, I love all the fairy lights

The Green Man Christmas Beer Festival runs until today, 18^th December – get down there before it’s too late!

When you enter the front bar you are immediately bathed in red light, thanks to the berry fairy lights covering the walls and ceiling. Santas hang from every available hook and are also tucked behind the optics at the bar, and giant ones adorn the walls. And I haven’t even got round to talking about the snowmen yet.

When you pass through the archway into the jukebox / pool table / darts bar, the rooms turn blue and white, with incredibly bright flashing LEDs hanging from everywhere you look. The ceiling is plastered in Christmas wrapping paper, and baubles hang from a net of lights, and still the Santas hang from their red hoods taking up any previously available space. Oh, and there is tinsel. A lot of it.

The lounge bar also has a red theme, but it’s a bit lighter in there (as in the lights are not dimmed like in the main bar) so you could sit and read a paper in this bar. Possibly. There is a decorated tree, more giant santas and snowmen and baubles and fairy lights. And a nice smell of mulled wine.

We opted to sit in the main bar (the red berry one) and I spent ages just looking around the walls and ceiling.  This must have taken days to decorate – and good on em for doing it! I ordered some Buntingford Brewery’s Silent Night, (4.1%) one of many good beers on at the bar (there was also Thwaites Wainwright Ale, Timothy Taylor Landlord straight from the cask, St Austell Tribute and Adnams Broadside).

Silent Night

Buntingford brew a beer called Silent Night every Christmas – but it’s different every year, they change the recipe to spice things up and to confuse people (to their own admission). Sometimes it’s pale and hoppy, sometimes it’s dark and malty. But it’s always good. This time, it was light brown, with a nice balance of caramel flavoured malts and US citrus hops (Summit). The citrus was the first flavour I tasted, and then this developed in to a lovely rounded flavour. Very moorish.

Thus ended our brief but enjoyable visit to the Empress on this cold winter’s night. Then all that was left to do was leave Romsey Town to walk home in the wind and freezing temperatures. Why can’t this pub be closer to home…

My drinking of Oakham ales mainly took place in The Cambridge Blue, with the Live and Let Live thrown in for good measure.

I started off with a Red Neck at the wonderful Cambridge Blue early Sunday afternoon, after the Christmas lights switch-on ceremony at the Grafton – I needed a beer after the Santa Show. (No, really, it was actually quite sweet especially if you have kids. Even though I don’t). The Red Neck was an amber beer full of wonderful sherbet flavours (I swear there are Cascade hops in there) and was quite a strong 5.2%. This was my sort of beer – but the conditioning wasn’t quite as its best, it was rather flat, so that was the only thing letting it down.

The next Oakham ale was in the Live and Let Live. This pub is tucked away on Mawson Road and I don’t visit as often as I perhaps should – it’s a traditional pub with loads of characters, lots of wood furniture and old décor – it’s a hidden gem. I had a Scarlet Macaw which was incredibly peachy and hoppy, really effervescent with a lovely big cream foamy head, and served at a great temperature. Perfect. It went down a treat. Such a refreshing beer. Nice pump clip, too.

Baby Belma

I finished off my Oakham week back in the Blue. I heard there was a new brew available, Baby Belma, brewed with the brand new Baby Belma hop in the Yakima valley in the US, and it was exclusive to Oakham. Cool. So me and @pintsandpubs were the first people to have a pint (him) and a half (me) of the stuff. It was copper coloured, really hoppy, and the flavour changed after a few seconds to that of slightly rotten fruit. That sounds bad – it really wasn’t. If you have tasted the durian in Southeast Asia, the large, spiky fruit that is banned from many places due to its pungent smell, you will know what I mean – the flesh smells rotten, but actually tastes, well, surprisingly good. The finish was really well rounded, with hops and warming malts. Lovely. I went back for more a couple of days later. Get it while you can.

We went to the festival on both days. Entrance was free for CAMRA members (or £2.50 if not a member) and themed festival glasses were £3 sale or return.

Friday evening was incredibly busy even by 6 pm, an hour into the festival, and by 7 pm it was heaving. Saturday afternoon was much calmer and relaxed and it was nice to have room to move. I am guessing however that it became much busier later into the day.

I was pleased to spot the new Ale magazine at the festival, with my photo of the Hopbine on the front and my article inside about a tour of the pubs around the Kite, Cambridge (As this is my blog, I’m allowed to do a shameless plug ).

Right, onto the beers. The beer list was pretty good and I selected plenty that I wanted to try – however, I am not a great fan of German beers, preferring the flavours of real ale, so my choices were mostly from the left hand bar, or in other words, the English cask ales.

Here are the beers that I tried:

Buntingford Engineer, 3.9% – This is a new beer from this Hertfordshire brewery, a malty copper coloured ale and low on hops.  I loved it – it had that distinct Buntingford aroma and sherbet taste, full of flavour despite its low abv. That one went down pretty quickly

Buntingford October, 4.2% – A single-hopped and flavoursome ruby beer, but it didn’t have much conditioning which made it slightly flat.

Buntingford Roysteiner, 4.2% – A tasty English beer but with German malt and hops – slightly thinner than most Buntingford beers but enjoyable.

Tydd Steam Golden Kiwi, 4.1% – This golden beer was wonderful at the Cambridge Beer Festival. This time it was served slightly warm, and had a slightly unpleasant sulphur aroma. However, the luscious grapefruit flavours cut through and the aroma subsided – the beer improved with time.

Hopshackle Resination, 7% – This is a personal favourite, however I was slightly disappointed with it on this occasion. It was warm, the hoppy resinous flavours didn’t quite come through as much as they normally do, and I couldn’t finish it. And I ALWAYS finish Resination. I don’t know – maybe if it had been served a bit colder it would have been better, but I understand there are issues with the USC not allowing a cask cooling system for the festival, and it has been a particularly warm October. Maybe holding the festival slightly later during October might help solve that issue – it’s going to get much colder from this point on, I hear..

Hopshackle Hopnosis, 5.2%- **My Beer of the Fest** Wow, now this beer was fantastic, and my beer of the festival -  wonderful hops, sweet malty flavours, fantastic aroma, spicy, fruity – I couldn’t get enough of it.

Hopshackle Smoked Porter, 5.2% – Another wow from this wonderful brewery. This beer is one to savour – rich and smoky, it’s like drinking an open fire. Chocolate and hop flavours, with fruit and malt. Absolutely gorgeous, and a real winter warmer.

German beer bar

Augustiner Octoberfest, 6.1% – A German beer from the German bar, served from a very nice small stainless steel cooling system, which made it freezing cold. Beers on this bar were served from this system in rotation as there were a limited number of taps, so there were just a few on tap at any one time. But although the temperature was great, the beer was just like a slightly more flavoursome lager to me and lacked those hoppy flavours that I love, and I found it just a bit, well, meh. I am not the best person to review German beers, so I will leave that to the experts. Onto the next English ale.

Cambridge Moonshine Effervescence & Spiritual Matter, 3.7% – I had ‘Spiritual Matter’ at the Green Man Beer Fest in Grantchester – is this the same beer, although they have tagged an ‘Effervescence’ in front of the name? Not sure. But I do know that this predominately grapefruit, possibly citra-hopped beer, would have been really good if it wasn’t for the poor conditioning and temperature. A shame.

I had a taster of Humpty Dumpty Hop Harvest Gold, 4.9%, which was wonderfully cold with great conditioning and full of hop flavours. I didn’t get round to trying Redemption Big Chief, but I know I like this hop monster as I had it at the Green Man beer festival last month. And I tried the Andechs Doppelbock Dunkel 7.1%, but this sweet dark beer with chocolate / caramel flavours was not to my taste – think it was possibly the raison flavours in there. Or maybe it’s just me, as others seem to like this one quite a lot.

Beer list

So that was my 5^th Octoberfest, the most successful yet with over 1500 visitors, with over 4500 pints poured, 2500 of which were the English ales.  A great festival and big thanks to the volunteers and organisers who make these festivals run so smoothly.  The 16^th Cambridge Winter Ale Festival takes place 19^th-21^st January 2012, see you there!

The festival was held between Friday 30th September and Sunday October 2nd. We headed there briefly on the Friday (by bus, too hot to walk), got off at the Blue Ball and headed to the lovely old Green Man pub in the middle of the village.

The beer festival marquee had been set up between the pub and the garden. The beer selection was very impressive, with beers from Redemption, Skinners, Buntingford, Summer Wine, Thornbridge, Milton and more. The festival glass was £2 to hire, and for CAMRA members beer was priced at a reasonable £3 a pint. There were over 50 cask ales and there were also ciders available.

Green Man Beers

Immediately I went for a Redemption Trinity, having missed out on this beer at the Cambridge Beer Festival. I couldn’t believe this beer was only 3% – I had to question the chap behind the bar and he confirmed that was right. He also said it’s quite difficult to get hold of Redemption beers, and he was pleased that they had managed to get some. We took a seat in the shady area of the long garden. The golden ale was full of fruity hops and was very pungent and piney. Lots of flavour for its impressively low abv.

Next up was some Summer Wine Diablo IPA, 6%. It was double the abv of the Redemption, and it tasted strong but incredibly tasty. Those resinous US hops and tropical flavours made this beer a winner.

I then got myself a Cambridge Moonshine Spiritual Matter, 3.7%, and was told I was probably the first member of the public to try this in Cambridge as it was brand new. It was fantastic; light fruity and flavoursome, and probably the best Moonshine beer I had tried. But we then had to head off.

The Green Man, with the Red Lion behind

On the Sunday we strolled back to Grantchester, despite it being far too hot to be walking across the meadows to the village from the city centre.  Those last few steps to the back garden entrance of the Green Man were pretty tough, I could hardly put one foot in front of the other by that point. But I knew what was inside, so I just kept going.

Redemption Big Chief had taken the place of Trinity, so I went for some of that straight away, although water may have been a wiser idea. On the label on the barrel it stated that this was 3%. Really? It tasted so much stronger. Then again, the Trinity did too. I asked for confirmation of this, as before, and it was confirmed. However, after knocking back this hoppy and full-bodied beer and realising that it couldn’t possibly be that weak I checked the beer list on the bar. It said it was 5.5%. I looked at the barrel again. That said 3%. Hmm. I brought this to the barman’s attention. He said he knew, and had now informed all bar staff. Bit of an issue, though, if you are driving and thought you were just drinking a quick half of weak beer. Luckily we weren’t.

Brewsters Decadence was  next, a tasty beer at 4.4%, hoppy and refreshing and moorish. I love Brewsters beers, especially their wonderful Hophead. I then wanted to try some of the fantastic Skinners Cornish Knocker on cask (I usually drink it bottled) but was upset to find that I had missed out and it had all gone – this tasty beer is one of my favourites; full of hops and wonderful flowery flavours.

We sat inside the marquee to watch a fantastic jazz band, Have You Heard, and I finished off with a Buntingford Polar Star, 4.4%, a great beer from one of my favourite breweries. Pale and light with US hops giving it a grapefruity and citrussy flavour, it was delicious and perfect for the sunny weather -  recorded as the hottest October day ever in England.

The Green Man Garden

The Green Man did a great job in sourcing their beers and organising this wonderful festival. My one comment would be that I’d have liked some tasting notes – it cuts down the time spent at the bar wondering which ale to try next! All in all it was a great event and I look forward to the next one with anticipation.

The Kings Arms, Ludham

The Kings Arms, Ludham

This lively pub is situated in the centre of this pretty Broadland village. It’s a locals’ pub, newly refurbished with lots of light coloured wood, and has a large bar with a big TV screen (and I mean big, I have never seen a screen so big), a pool table round the corner, a proper dining room that still feels like it is part of the pub, and a large patio garden with a childrens’ play area with an enormous wooden construction they can climb all over. There is a good menu with lots of choice at a decent price and they serve great home cooked food (the veggie lasagne with Italian potatoes was wonderful). On the bar were a couple of Woodfordes Ales. The Wherry, 3.5%, wasn’t as great as I had hoped, with its wonderful hoppy flavours somewhat disguised and a hint of GK IPA about it, but the Nelson’s Revenge, 4.5%, was tastier and full bodied. A great pub and very friendly.

The Dog, Ludham

The Dog, Ludham Bridge

This pub is located at Ludham Bridge, about a 20 minute walk from the Kings Arms, and is frequented by both locals and boaters who moor up at the bridge on the River Ant. I like this pub, especially sitting outside taking in the view of the open fields across to Thurne Mill. It’s a shame they built a large wooden play area right in the line of sight of this view, but it hasn’t completely ruined the vista. On tap when we visited was Wolf Straw Dog, 4.5%, a wheat beer which tasted slightly cidery, and also Wherry, which also didn’t taste as wonderful as it should. This pub also has a campsite in an adjacent field, a great spot if you aren’t on sleeping a boat and want to sink a few beers.

The Brick Kilns, Little Plumstead

The Brick Kilns, Little Plumstead

The interior of the Brick Kilns

This pub caught our attention as we saw on a board outside that it offered vegetarian and vegan food. So we decided to stop off there for an evening meal. And it wasn’t a disappointment. Inside there were beams, exposed brickwork, open fireplaces, and lots of tables. The pub is over 400 years old and was so-called after the local practise of brick making.  I drank a lovely drop of Adnams Southwold Bitter, 4.1%, and there was also Adnams Explorer available at a stronger 5%. And as for the meal, my spicy veg stew was delicious. I was so stuffed afterwards though that I couldn’t move for a while. I found out later that their veggie and vegan menu was award-winning – and with 16 choices this was veggie heaven. You don’t come across places like this very often. Plus the staff were really friendly. I look forward to returning.

The Lord Nelson, Reedham

The Lord Nelson, Reedham

Facing the River Yare and a stone’s throw from the Reedham Ferry, this lovely old pub is in a great spot. There were still a few barrels left over from the beer festival that had finished a few days earlier, so we had a quick half of Long Hop at only 75p, and also some Leeeds Yorkshire Gold, 4.2%, on draft from the bar. The Long Hop was sour and past its best (after all, the beer fest had finished several days ago). But the Yorkshire Gold was absolutely gorgeous – zesty and floral with lingering strong hop flavours. Leeds brew some fantastic beers, and this is one I definitely want more of. The pub itself had a quaint interior and served very tasty looking food and I’m sure the rest of the beer on the bar was great. But it was time to move on.

The Fur and Feather, Woodbastwick

Fur and Feather, Woodbastwick

This is a restaurant and brewery tap for Woodfordes, with the brewery being housed in the barn behind. It’s a beautiful thatched pub in a pretty village with a lovely grassy beer garden, its tables covered in Woodfordes parasols, naturally. There is a lot of dark oak in the traditional and attractive bar area and the beer is poured from the taps or straight from barrels on the walls, and they have the full Woodforde’s range on sale. I opted for a sunny Sundew,4.1%,
which was floral and hoppy, and was served with a lovely foamy head. Very moorish. Adam had some of the Mardlers Mild, 3.5%, which he enjoyed but then wished he’d gone for a Wherry seeing as we were in the perfect place for it. But as he was driving he wasn’t going to be drinking it there that day, poor thing. The traditional English menu is quite pricey, with a cauliflower cheese risotto going for £12, but they do pride themselves on their good food and consider themselves as more of a restaurant than a pub (I don’t; I go there for one reason alone, guess what). They also have a gift shop with books and bottles on sale, so I picked up some Sundew bottles and Adam got some Wherry, amongst other bottles, to drink later. So all was well.

The New Inn, Horning

New Inn, Horning

This large riverside pub is in the beautiful village of Horning where you can hire day boats or jump on one of the cruisers offering river trips along the Bure. It also has a great deli and café, and 2 other pubs, the Tudor-style Swan and the Ferry Inn. So an all-round great place. I didn’t spend long inside the New Inn to be honest, I just remember it looked very inviting with a lot of seating. I ordered a Wherry and drank it outside in the landscaped patio garden facing the river, a lovely spot. The Wherry, again, wasn’t as great as I know Wherry can be, which was slightly disappointing as I was in Norfolk, the home of Wherry! I was beginning to wish I had chosen Wherry in the Fur and Feather, just to prove my point that this lovely beer really is much tastier generally. Never mind. I soaked in the view and listened to the water lapping against the pontoon as the sun gradually became lower in the sky, the orange and yellow colours creating a bright shimmering layer behind the dark blue and grey clouds that were rapidly forming above us.

The Shed, Wroxham

Wow, this place. We had read about it before we visited and knew that it had 50 local beers on tap, but it still completely took us by surprise. This little bar is in an old boat shed (hence its name) and is so well hidden that I am surprised anyone ever finds it. It’s tucked away on the Peninsula in Wroxham, concealed next to boat yards, holiday flats and mooring stations. I asked why they didn’t do more to help people to find it, like putting up a useful sign for instance which would have prevented us from wandering backwards and forward around car parks and boat yards until we finally met a helpful local who walked us there!  But they said they aren’t allowed to put up signs in the area as it’s all private property. What a shame. But after 2 years in business they want to do more to advertise it now. The building is so cute, and the interior has an atmosphere of organised chaos with everything thrown together but  looks great, with lots of tables, sofas, a pool table, a decent juke box, TV screens, a library of books, fairy lights everywhere, and outdoor plastic tables plus a narrow pontoon terrace with sofas and tables. You’d have to be careful though after a few beers that you don’t fall in the water as there are no barriers, I am sure that happens quite a lot, or if not, why not?! Luckily it’s quite shallow in the Broads!

Sunshine Jiggle and Redwood

We didn’t know where to start with the beers. It was like a beer festival but with no tasting notes. I knew some of the breweries, such as Humpty Dumpty, Grain, Beestons,and Northcote, so I went for a nice Northcote Sunshine Jiggle, 4.3%, to start, light, hoppy and very drinkable. Adam had some Grain Redwood,4.8%, which soon became our favourite beer of the trip – red, malty, fruity, and sherbet and citrus hops – just delightful. In fact we consumed a little bit too much of the Redwood, and we loved it so much that we even took some away in a container. Couldn’t get enough of the stuff…

Some other great beers we had were the Shed Bitter, 3.7%, their wonderful house session beer brewed by Tipples in Acle just up the road, and was almost a light version of Redwood. The Northcote Jiggle Juice, 5.8%, was so very herby, grassy, and strong but pleasant. The Humpty Dumpty Broadland Sunrise, 4.2%, was its usual fantastically orange and hoppy self, and the Humpty Dumpty Nord Atlantic, 3.7%, by the same brewery, a beer brewed with Challenger and Target hops, was malty and citrussy. I also really liked Grain Oak, sampled last year at their pub (see below) and in a bottle, but so much tastier this time round, light and full of hops. A great brewery. But then it was time to catch the last bus back to the village. Rural life eh.

The Plough, Norwich

Redwood at the Plough

The Plough is the Grain Brewery’s pub. Situated in the city centre in a lovely old refurbished building with stripped wood, mirrors and candles, this pub naturally serves their own Grain beers. We had to go for the Redwood, the best beer these guys have brewed (and the manager in the Shed is also a great fan of it). On tap there was also the lovely Oak, plus about 5 others, all with their wonderful wooden pump clips. They have a very large patio plus a large grassy beer garden hidden away out the back, which really is unusual for a city centre pub, so this pub really is quite a find.

The Fat Cat Brewery Tap, Norwich

The Fat Cat, Norwich

One of my favourite Norwich pubs, as mentioned before in a previous post. This award-winning pub is situated on the corner of a couple of terraced streets a short walk from the city centre. It has its own brewery and brews some amazing beer with a cat theme, such as Cougar, 4.7%, with its US hops, and Honey Cat, 4.3%, brewed with Norfolk honey. I enjoyed some Fat Cat Bitter, 3.8%, a proper session beer with its interesting smoky and spicy flavours. There are about 30 real ales on sale, as well as about 50 bottled beers from around the world. The interior is traditional, with stained glass dividers between little alcoves and lots of pub memorabilia dotted around the walls. It’s always heaving in there; this was lunchtime and the crowd was only slightly shallower than it is in the evening. It’s great to see a pub tucked away on a quiet street having a roaring trade. We took away some bottles, one being Wild Cat, 5%, described as a hop monster, and another being Stout Cat, 4.6%, which really speaks for itself.

The Pleasureboat, Hickling

The Pleasure Boat, Hickling

This pub is situated next to Hickling Broad. I had a lovely drop of Everards Tiger, 4.5%, and told the landlady that it was the best Tiger I had ever tasted. The Tram Depot in Cambridge has this beer on tap but the Tram serves their beers with sparklers and it detracts from the taste in my opinion (and I know there are a lot of people out there who disagree with me, especially those from up North, so let’s agree to disagree, OK!) It was fruity, malty, full of strong hop flavours and full bodied. Delicious. The pub has a restaurant and the relatively new owners said they are working on increasing their vegetarian range. We took a seat outside by the moored up boats and drank our beer – lovely spot and nice staff.

The Greyhound, Hickling

This place became my new favourite pub. I loved it. A village pub that looks pretty upmarket and posh from the outside, but it’s  deceiving – it’s a proper pub on the inside, with loads of seating for drinkers, a pub-style restaurant but not too fancy, and a very friendly barman. The usuals were on tap, such as GK IPA, Wherry, Ruddles, etc. It has a pretty garden, fairy lights and proper pub grub. Everything a pub should be. It’s great that a little village like Hickling has two very nice thriving pubs.

The Greyhound by day

The Greyhound by night

The Ingham Swan, Ingham

The Ingham Swan

We had been to the Ingham Swan before, and it was slightly on the gastro-pub side then but comfortable and welcoming to those drinking. Not that it wasn’t welcoming this time, but it had certainly changed a lot. It’s an absolutely beautiful pub with exposed beams and stonework, it’s ancient, but every single table was decked out for diners. There was a couple of sofas near the bar for drinkers, but that was it. So it’s definitely more restaurant than pub nowadays, and one for a special meal at that, it’s definititely not pub grub.

In the Swan

We were the only ones in there around 6.30 pm. We perched at one of the tables, conscious not to leave a watermark from our beer (Wherry) on the nicely decorated table, and we soon drank up and left. It wasn’t really a place you could linger, which is such a shame as it feels like Ingham has lost its pub. But if you are after a special meal then head there; it’s a beautiful and well cared-for building.

The Maltsters, Malthouse Staithe

The Maltsters

We didn’t actually go in this pub, but I wanted to mention it as it’s in a lovely location, opposite Malthouse Staithe on Malthouse Broad – a nice spot for a drink if you have just moored up. But what stood out for me was it’s outdoor pool table! It was under a little shelter in the garden – what a lovely idea for smokers who want to stand outside and play pool at the same time. Very unique. Having said that, I came across another pub with an outdoor pool table in the same area – maybe it’s a Norfolk thing…?

The Rising Sun, Coltishall

The Rising Sun, Coltishall

We took a boat out from Wroxham and cruised along the River Bure to reach this pub for a lunchtime beer. A beautiful and peaceful journey. The pub overlooks the river in the village of Coltishall and the King’s Head pub is located next to it. We had quite a nice drop of Wherry (Spitfire was also on at the bar) and sat on one of the picnic tables in the large beer garden next to where we had moored our boat and watched the world go by. Then we cruised on back to Wroxham. A lovely afternoon!

The Bridge, Acle

The Bridge, Acle

We went to this pub for a meal as it’s a pub we always drive past when in Norfolk, situated by Acle bridge. It’s striking as it has a round thatched building attached to the main pub. We found a free table in the beautiful thatched building, with its gorgous garden and riverside views, but then we were approached by a waitress who, after having asked us if we had booked a table and we replied in the negative, she asked us politely to move to the other building as this room was for bookings only. Grrr. So we moved into the main pub. This was very old and traditional with dark glossy beams and lots of horse brasses. I drank some Adnams Southwold Bitter, 4.1%, but was then very pleased to see that they were just putting on some Humpty Dumpty Broadland Sunrise so grabbed some of that too – this was wonderfully refreshing and hoppy with a frothy head. Fantastic beer.

River and moon

After our meal we had a stroll out in the garden and along the river, glistening in the light of the full moon. We walked beside the moored up boats, their little lights twinkling behind half closed curtains.

The Falgate Inn, Potter Heigham

The Falgate, Potter Heigham

This was our last pub of the trip, again a little pub that we have driven by several times but never entered – it was time to put that right. From the outside it looked like one of these quiet locals pub that would probably have just two old men standing at the bar, but inside was a different story. The dining room was heaving with a dinner party, the bar was busy, and we only managed to get a table as a man with a dog kindly vacated his table for us. The Wherry was probably the best I tasted while in Norfolk – about time! The fairy lights around the windows were a nice touch, and the large fireplace in the bar was a fantastic centrepiece. A pleasant surprise, and a nice way to finish our trip to Norfolk.

Lonestar TPA

The Peterborough Beer Festival, with over 350 real ales plus cider, wine, and bottled world beers, is the second largest CAMRA beer festival in the country. When I saw the beer list a week before the festival I was excited by the selection, with some breweries present whose ales I really wanted to try. Already I could see that this festival was going to be more exciting than the Great British Beer Festival (US cask beers aside). But at the same time I knew there was no way I could try all the beers I wanted to try in just one session; if they served third pint measures like at the GBBF I might be in with a chance. Come on all CAMRA beer fests, serve third pint measures; I can’t drink much but I want to try lots of different beers!

After a pleasant train journey from Cambridge in a wonderfully sparkly train (why can’t the trains to London be as nice as these?) and a 15 minute walk from the station we arrived at the Embankment, the site of the festival. It was 5.15 and the sun was shining, but the gates were closed. We joined the growing queue and waited in anticipation. The gates opened at 5.30 on the dot, so we all filtered slowly through, with CAMRA members paying £4 and non-members paying £8, which includes the £3 glass hire fee.

The festival is located in large interlinking marquees. The floor is grass as opposed to the plastic flooring that is layed out at the Cambridge festival. The breweries were listed alphabetically through the various marquees in an L shape, which should have been straightforward – shouldn’t it?  Not for me – I still managed to get lost and ended up walking backwards and forwards several times trying to find T. Hmm. I blame the beer. They also have a live music marquee (which I am not particularly keen on at a beer fest, preferring my drinking and chat not to be drowned out by live music, despite the fact I do generally love to watch a good band) and a cider bar, wine bar, fairground rides, food stalls and shops, and pub games such as table football and Northamptonshire skittles (my personal favourite, as a girl who hails from that county).  There is a small grassy area outside around the food stalls where we sat, but I missed the open expanse of grass of the Cambridge Beer Festival – that’s what makes it so special in my opinion. There is plenty of grass on the Embankment – I am sure a large grassy space could be created for drinkers to sit and chat. Then it would be perfect.

Brewery bars

So, onto the important bit – the beer. The Lonestar TPA (Texas Pale Ale) 5.8%, was first up; it had been recommended to me as it was a festival special but also because it has a great story. It was a collaboration between Hopshackle brewery and Steve Saldana, the festival cellarman and a Texan; the beer was brewed according to an ancient Texan recipe. Check out the full story (page 9), it’s fascinating The result is a beer loaded with hops, but not overly so; it’s wonderfully balanced and has the most gorgeous floral aroma. Very nice indeed. It didn’t disappoint (thanks for the recommendation Karl!)

Next up was Magic Rock High Wire, 5.5%.  I had been wanting to try their beers for a while but hadn’t managed to get hold of any. Here was my chance. Wow. Overwhelming tropical flavours and smells, mango, passion fruit, citrus. Incredibly rich. I could’ve sworn there were Nelson Sauvin hops in there, but when I asked them they said no, just loads of ‘C’ hops!

Tintagel Brewery is a relatively new and fantastic little brewery; the beer is brewed in an old milking shed on a farm just outside Tintagel, Cornwall. The Castle Gold was fantastic; bright yellow, floral, honey notes and very sweet. This went down a treat and was a pleasure to drink. Tintagel Harbour Special was a favourite after having drunk this in Tintagel this summer, with its caramel malty notes with citrus and dry hopped flavours.

I then went for Summer Wine 7 C’s of Rye, a beer containing 7 types of hop beginning with C (Chinook, Cascade, Centennial, etc). At this point the guys at the bar tried to warn me off the stronger beers, asking if I knew that my beer of choice was 7% and should I maybe try something weaker so as not to end up in a heap on the floor by the end of the evening? I explained that this was a brewery whose beers I had to try, that everything was fine and I knew what I was doing (didn’t I?). So they sighed and poured me a half. (The bar staff were so very nice and helpful at this festival, the nicest I have come across to be honest, nothing was too much trouble and they all were so enthusiastic about beer and wanted to share their enthusiasm).  Well the beer certainly tasted its strength. It was similar in a way to the High Wire (as in lots of tropical hop flavours) but it was deeper, creamier, much heavier and resinous. But I could have done with a 3^rd pint to be honest, a half was too much for me as it was so rich.

Tydd Steam Stargazer was a beer that I wanted at the CBF but it had run out. It was a delicious golden ale; so easy to drink (after the 7 Cs’!) and full of wonderful American hop flavours.

I tried several other beers and had tasters of others, so here are some in brief – Oakham Dream Catcher, 6.9%: deeply hoppy and resinous, fruity, red, very nice. Oakham Green Devil, 6%: very tropical (there’s that word again) – lots of grapefruit, peach, similar to a very strong Thornbridge Kipling. Leeds Samba, 3.7%: quite pleasant, hoppy, light and refreshing. Mallinsons Peter-Beer, 4.6%: full of flavour, golden and hoppy with a lovely aftertaste. Le Brewery Mysterieuse Lady from Normandy, France, 4%: a wheat beer with an unusual aroma but very delicate with elderflower and grassy notes. Brodie’s Hackney Red IPA, 6.1%: deep ruby colour with prominent US dry hopped flavours.

It was time to leave to catch the train home. A pleasant walk back to the station through pretty Cathedral Square with its colourful shooting fountains and Butter Cross made for a nice end to the evening.

The festival was fantastic – it runs until Saturday 27^th August. Next year I will try to go to more than one session to take advantage of all that is on offer!