WINCHESTER BEER FESTIVAL

An early start got us to Winchester in time to see what festival beers were available at this city’s Weatherspoons – The Old Gaol House. There were three on but only a couple of Mengo went for the three 1/3rd pint tasters; the rest were on coffee.

No TC and Pie Club friends this year – they went to the Friday evening session. Also no Jem and Satan – they had misjudged the festivals popularity and by the time they tried for tickets, they had sold out.

There were a few known faces about including Graham Trott from Triple fff – why is it brewers mainly drink their own beers and when they try someone else’s it falls short of their own product?

Mengo settled in the downstairs food hall and scrutinised the programme. The list seemed more adventurous than last year. There were quite a few Scottish beers and two new local breweries were represented. Unfortunately, the Dancing Man (Southampton) Pilgrim’s Pale had already sold out and the Fulflood Arms (Winchester) Bitter just a poor ‘home brew’ – luckily PV only tried a taster. Still, it was not all bad news; everyone enjoyed their Innocence and the Cascadian Black IPA was a stunning Frankish experience.

Really don’t know what is happening to Mengo; first it was coffee to start and then we all left before the festival session finished. Must either be getting old or the call of the GG is too strong. Whatever, with a lucky change at Woking, we were back in Aldershot and (for most) up the GG before 5.00 pm.