Horsham Beer Festival 29th - 30th September 2007

This year saw a larger festival than previously, with three sessions over the weekend.

As usual, I was serving behind the bar for all the sessions, which gave me the opportunity to sample every one of the fifty real ales on offer.

It’s always a great weekend and this year was no exception. I met up with people that I only ever see at the festival but at last I’m beginning to remember their names now, as well as lots of friends from different areas of life.

I had a tough time deciding on my beer of the festival, and in the end feel I have to mention four that particularly stood out. Skinners Betty Stogs was an excellent bitter, Hepworth's Harvest Ale was a good strong hoppy beer, and Essential Beers Festival Special was delightful golden and moorish. Of course the festival would not have been complete without Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby which is one of the best beers on earth (see picture).

After the event, Gareth, the event organiser who runs the Beer Essentials beer shop on East Street in Horsham (see link on the right), told me that about 4,100 pints were sold and only a little beer was left over from the 84 barrels delivered for the event. This is now being sold in the shop.

Acorn Old Moor Porter (4.4%): Traditional porter. Very good.
Adnams Bitter (3.7%): Lovely dry hoppy session bitter.
Archers Farmers Boy (3.8%): A bit sharp with a hint of smokiness.
Arkells Kingsdown Ale (5.0%): Very malt heavy; rounded and smooth.
Arundel Sussex Mild (3.7%): Gorgeous and creamy if a little sweet.
Bateman's Valiant (4.2%): Very pleasant bitter.
Bath Gem (4.1%): Lovely malty bitter. Tastes stronger than it is.
Brains SA (4.2%): Creamy caramelly taste to this bitter. Very good.
Burton Bridge Golden Delicious (3.8%): Mellow and not too strong. A good beer to drink all night.
Caledonian Deuchars IPA (3.8%): Hoppy but weak beer.
Cotleigh Barn Owl (4.5%): Strong with a bitter flavour which continues to the aftertaste.
Cottage Metropolitan (4.7%): Fruity well balanced mellow bitter. Good but not dark coloured as described in the programme notes.
Downton Red Hop (4.3%): Pleasant malty red coloured bitter.
Elgoods Black Dog (3.6%): You’d have to do well to find a better mild than this at this strength. Even people who profess not to like mild were happily consuming pints of it.
Essential Beers Festival (5.0%): As always an excellent pint. One of my favourite beers.
Essential Beers Festival Special (4.2%): This gorgeous beer was made for the festival by blending Dark Star Hophead (which it tastes similar to but a little stronger) and Dark Star Sunburst. Fantastic beer.
Everard's Original (5.2%): Far too much alcohol and not enough flavour.
Exmoor Gold (4.5%): Slightly citrusy golden beer. Very tasty.
Felinfoel Best (3.8%): A delicate hop flavour to this Welsh session bitter.
Fuller's ESB (5.5%): Good flavour which copes with the high alcohol content.
Garton's Liquid Lobotomy (8.0%): A challenging black beer with a smooth start and tangy aftertaste.
Goddard's Ducks Folly (5.0%): Caramelly strong bitter.
Green Jack Ripper (8.5%): Excellent sweet strong beer with enough flavour to carry the alcohol.
Hadrian and Borders Gladiator (3.8%): Very malty red bitter with a crisp hoppy finish.
Hampshire Pink Elephant (5.4%): Unusual beer with a hint of the taste of red wine but no pink colour. Somehow this was voted “Beer of the festival” by drinkers over the weekend.
Hart Ice Maiden (4.0%): Pleasant bitter but with no distinguishing features.
Harviestoun Ptarmigan (4.5%): Very pleasant beer with a light spicy and zesty flavour.
Hepworth's Harvest Ale (4.5%): An excellent beer with a sharp hop taste. Almost tastes like an IPA.
Hogs Back HBB (3.7%): Mellow citrusy tones to this pleasant bitter.
Hop Back Entire Stout (4.5%): A very palatable and easy drinking stout.
Leyden Black Pudding (3.9%): Lovely creamy well balanced mild.
Moorhouse's Black Cat Mild (3.4%): Tasty mild with a mellow roasted malt flavour.
Oakham JHB (3.8%): Very fresh and citrusy beer with bitter undertones.
Oakleaf Green Gold (4.3%): Pleasant ‘chewy’ hoppy golden coloured bitter.
Old Bear Hibernator (5.0%): Seriously smoky dark beer.
Orkney Dark Island (4.6%): Dark Scottish beer with a chocolatey burnt malt taste.
Palmers Copper Ale (3.7%): Pleasant and hoppy beer.
Ringwood Fortyniner (4.9%): Tasty strong bitter.
St Austell Proper Job (4.5%): Very sweet bitter.
Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby (6.0%): Wonderful. I always look forward to drinking as much as possible of this mild at this festival. One of my favourites.
Sharp's Doom Bar Bitter (4.0%): Well balanced bitter with a good hop taste and hints of caramelly malt.
Skinners Betty Stogs (4.0%): The name put me off a bit but this was a delicious fruity hoppy bitter. An excellent find.
Thornbridge Jaipur IPA (5.9%): A lovely delicate IPA with a big hop and honey taste.
Timothy Taylor Golden Best (3.5%): Darker than most golden beers, this was thick tasting and disappointing.
Titanic Stout (4.5%): Lovely dark, bitter, roasty stout.
Wadworth 6X (4.3%): Fresh and fruity; well balanced.
Welton's Percy Bysshe (7.0%): This tastes like it’s got apples or some other fruit in it, and is good but a little strong with a strange murky brown colour.
Westerham British Bulldog (4.3%): Smells of roasted malt and tastes like excellent bitter.
Wickwar Autumnale (4.5%): A hint of burnt flavour to this popular yet thick dark bitter.
Wells and Youngs Waggledance (5.0%): Warming honey tones with some hoppiness are present in this strong bitter.

The Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court 7th August 2007

What a joy, over 450 beers to try under one roof. So the programme said, although as this was the first day not all were available.

Beer reviews at the end of the entry as there are so many. The pic was taken just as the doors opened so it looks a bit empty; it soon filled up!

My beer of the festival was McMullens Cask Ale at 3.8%, a very tasty bitter.

Highlights of the festival included tasting cask conditioned bitter from Japan, YoHo Yona Yona Ale (5.5%), which tasted very similar to a British bitter, and winning a Young's ram (a soft toy not a real one) due to my newly discovered talents at shuffleboard. And of course hearing that Hobsons Mild (3.2%) has won this year's Champion Beer of Britain award.

It was great to sample some draft real ale from abroad (see below). It seems that while American style IPAs happen to be one of my favourite beer styles, beers from the US are not very subtle. I was grateful to Simon, the landlord of the White Horse, Maplehurst (see many entries including 4th August and 24th July) who I happened to meet during the day, for pointing me in the direction of the "Bieres sans frontieres" bar where I discovered these delights.

A great day out - the festival is on until Saturday 11th August so do go along and try some for yourself.

British Beers
Anglo Dutch Brewery Ghost on the Rim (4.5%): Inoffensive, bland, but not unpleasant. 3
Arkell’s Kingsdown Ale (5.0%): Rounded, caramelly warm bitter. Unusual taste. 3
Atlas Latitude (3.6%): Unpleasant bland light beer with no redeeming features. 2
Bank Top Dark Mild (4.0%): Too delicate for me. 2
Bowland Hunters Moon (3.7%): Pleasant mellow dark beer. 3
Box Steam Rev Awdry Ale (3.8%): Decent light bitter without a strong flavour. 3
Bushy Pure Gold (4.0%): Tangy and light with a good hop flavour. 3
Butcombe Bitter (4.0%): Well rounded bitter with a distinct malt taste. Smooth and very drinkable. 4
Cairngorm Trade Winds (4.3%): Fruity and solid tasting beer with a very hoppy character. 4
Dark Star Hophead Extra (5.8%): Sweet, fruity and strong. 4
Durham Magus (3.8%): Tangy and sweet golden bitter with a strong hop aftertaste. 3
Durham Black Velvet (4.0%): Seriously malty with a burnt roasted taste. 3
Facers Landslide (4.9%): Enough taste to support the alcohol content but not with a distinct flavour. 3
Evan-Evans Cwrw (4.2%): Unexciting slightly fruity beer. 3
Felstar Crix Forest (4.0%): Smells like black fruit pastilles but has a dishwatery taste. 2
Fyne Pipers Gold (3.8%): Nicely mellow well balanced golden ale. 3
Glastonbury Mystery Tor (3.8%): Flowery hop taste to this interesting lightish bitter. 3
Great Orme Great Orme IPA (3.8%): Wouldn’t call this IPA myself, more like tasty malty bitter. 3
Keltek Golden Lance (3.8%): Pleasant but not outstanding golden beer. 3
McMullen Cask Ale (3.8%): Stonking hoppy and drinkable bitter. 5
Moorhouse’s Blond Witch (4.5%): Sweet, light and incredibly fruity. 4
Nethergate IPA (3.5%): Stunning hop flavour and it tastes stronger than it is. 4
Nethergate Suffolk County Best Bitter (4.0%): Good rounded tasty bitter. 4
Nethergate Umbel Magna (5.0%): Made with coriander, it smells of herbs and tastes of light, delicate porter, an achievement in such a strong beer. 4
Oakleaf Hole Hearted (4.7%): Zesty, hoppy and spicy. 3
Olde Swan Original (3.5%): Smooth and fruity light coloured beer. 3
Potton Village Bike (4.3%): Decent bitter (shame about the silly name) but with a particular hop flavour that’s not my thing. 3
Rebellion Shaken Not Stirred (4.2%): From one of my favourite brewers, but first taste of this is ordinary. However it mellows into a lovely rounded aftertaste. Wonderful. 4
Rebellion Blonde (4.3%): Nasty insipid lagery tasting pale coloured beer. Not my thing. 2
Robinson’s Oldham Bitter (3.8%): Tangy, sharp and fruity. 3
Sharp’s Doom Bar Bitter (4.0%): Ordinary bitter. Usually one of my favourites but served too cold. 3
Sharp’s Eden Ale (4.3%): Dry, bitter and hoppy. Again served too cold. 3
Teme Valley This (3.7%): Straw hoppy taste to this golden ale. 3
Triple fff Summer Is Icumen (6.0%): Light and strong but not backed by hop or malt flavour. 3
Vale VPA (4.2%): A dark golden ale with zesty hop character. 3
Winter’s Golden (4.1%): Mild in flavour with a sharp finish. 3
Wolf Golden Jackal (3.7%): Tasting more like a darker beer this has an excellent balanced hop taste. 4

USA and Rest of the World
Cambridge Brewing Co Bitchin’ Bitter (4.2%): Slightly woolly tasting malty bitter. 3
Cambridge Brewing Co Tall Tale Pale Ale (5.8%): Smooth honey hop flavour but a little too strong to support the taste. 3
Dogfish Head 60 Miniute IPA (6.0%): Citrus yet mellow IPA. Doesn’t taste this strong. 3
Gardner Ale House Facelift IPA (6.3%): Very bitter to start with and served grim and cloudy. Although too strong for me, mellows into a tasty refreshing drink. 4
Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer (4.4%): Very pale coloured wheaty beer served chilled and tasting more like lager. 3
YoHo Brewing Co Yona Yona Ale (5.5%): Tasty malty beer similar to a best bitter. Very pleasant and I don’t think you’d guess it was all the way from Japan.

All the above were draft, and, with the exception of the YoHo beer, from the USA.