The Greyhound, Tinsley Green, Crawley 22nd April 2011

Here again for the World Championship Marbles that is played every Good Friday. This year there was a beer festival. In fact it's still on, it runs until Monday or until the beer runs out.

Cotleigh Buzzard (4.8%): A dryer, darker version of the Honey Buzzard. Tastes like an Old Ale.

Cotleigh Honey Buzzard (4.5%): Pleasant, strong bitter with a sweet aftertaste.

Cotleigh Golden Seahawk (4.2%): Smells like dark beer but is a beautiful orangey colour. Very bitter but very easy to drink.

Kissingate Storyteller (3.5%): Sweet, light and blonde. A lovely summer easy-drinking delight. The sort of beer people say appeals to women.

Kissingate Moon (4.8%): Tastes like a refreshing fruity soft drink, which at this strength is very dangerous.

Kissingate Warlock's Strong Ale (5.2%): Sweet, fruity, dark and strong. A decent pint.

Kissingate Black Cherry Mild (4.2%): Heavenly sweet dark mild. Can't pick out the cherry flavour though.

Adnams Broadside (4.7%): Delightful, strong and warming. A stunning drop of ale.

Fuller's London Pride (4.1%): Delicious rounded flavour with a lovely straw-hoppy taste. When it's good it's great, and this is.

Shepherd Neame Spitfire Ale (4.2%): Distinctively Shepherd Neame, this is too alcoholic for the flavour. Not one of my favourites.

Wells Bombardier (4.3%): A bit soft and woolly drunk straight after the London Pride. Still a decent pint.

There were three bottled beers (Shepherd Neame Tanglefoot, Marston's Pedigree and Wychwood Hobgoblin) and four draught ciders (Thatchers Cheddar Valley and the local JB's, plus two others), so for a first ever beer festival for this pub, it was a good range and I hope to attend many more. The beer seemed to sell well and the marbles crowd were pleased to have a variety of decent beers on tap.