National Winter Ale Festival 2016

11:10 

The NWAF is once again being held in The Roundhouse at Derby.

I have a bit of a trek to get to it this year, as I'm coming from The Wirral.  I have to go by car to Spital, then from Spital to Chester, from Chester to Crewe and Finally from Crewe to Derby.  

I am currently on the train to Crewe.

11:52

Waiting on my connection to Derby, but the 12:07 delayed by 10 mins.  Good thing I'm not going for the one in an hour because 13:07 is cancelled!

Crewe - Derby is the longest part of the journey is a 1hr 20min run.

12:18

Train now delayed till 12:25!

12:34

Finally on my way to Derby!  Shoots arrive around 13:40 according to National Rail Enquires!  Be ready for a drink at the end of this journey, good thing I'm off to a beer festival! :-D

13:55

Arrived! Got my first beer.  Blue Monkey Chocolate Gorilla Stout and it's lovely!

Had several beers, including Parish Baz's Bonce Blower, and talked to many people including those on the Tiny Rebel and Thornbridge stalls.

Bought crisps from Piper’s and chocolate from Merry Berry.

The beers I tried were :-

Blue Monkey Chocolate Guerrilla

Tiny Rebel Stay Puft Marshmallow Porter

The Boot Inn Welington

Dancing Duck Waddle It Be?

Parish Baz's Bonce Blower

Abbydale Birdhouse Tea Beer

Rat Red Hot Chilli Rat

Tiny Rebel Hadouken 

Thornbridge Saint Petersberg 

Thornbridge Made North

Tiny Rebel Dubbel Dragon

 

18:30

Grabbed my final beer, Wentwell Absent Friends.

18:42

Train back to Crewe 

20:22

On train to Chester

20:45 

Arrived at Chester station

20:55 

On platform 7B for 21:00 train to Spital 

21:30

Arrived home.

A long day with a lot of traveling, but definitely worth it.  Had some great beers and picked up some brewery freebies as well!  

Time for bed soon.  Manchester beckons tomorrow!  New Marble Brewery beer launch.  :-)

Charters Bar, Peterborough 25/6/15

As this is my final (regular) vist to Charters in Peterborough, here's the beer and cider boards.

Liverpool Beer Festival 2015 (20/02/2015)

Today I am at Liverpool Beer Festival.

This festival is a ticket-only even and sells out several months before the event!  As with other pre-sale beer festivals CAMRA members get extra beer tokens.  Tickets for the session I attended were £7!

The event is held every February in the crypt of Liverpool's Metropolitan cathedral, known locally as "Paddy's Wigwam", so is nicknamed "Ales From The Crypt".

The event has been by advance ticket only for many years now, unfortunately the tickets sell out by November!

Electronic tickets are scanned up entry and a passout wristband issued.  Proceed down the stairs to collect your free glass (a half pint glass with no 3rd line on it!), proceed down again and into the crypt. Every similar beer festival I have ever been to has has beer tokens available on the door, not this one!  You are required to proceed all the way to the opposite end of the beer festival, where you must then buy sheets of beer tokens, minimum £10!  CAMRA members get an additional £3 of vouchers upon showing a current membership card.  Even though remaining tokens are refundable, this is one of the most expensive beer festivals I have ever atteneded with an initial cost of £17.

Once in and beer tokens bought, there was an initial range of 220 beers.  Not all were on,   The festival started at the sponsor bar, who this year were Liverpool Craft Beer Company.  The pricing wasn't too bad. Under 4% £1/half 4%-7% £1.50/half and over 7% £2.00/half.  The staff I delt with were nice and friendly and usually gave generous tasters!  I even got talking to a member of bar staff who was on a break.

It was busy, but not heaving.  Although there was room to move in at main hall, finding a table to sit at to eat at in the next hall was next to impossible.