We must be getting old! No Mengo turned up to our longest running beer festival until after 7.00 pm. PV was probably first to arrive but as he did not run into any other member until MG caught up with him around 9.00 pm, it is hard to know.
There were a couple of changes to previous years. The programme had been redesigned (for the worse in many peoples view) and the Riverside Café (staffed by Niamh) was open to the public.
The beer list was acceptable if uninspiring. The Beartown Ginger Bear was cloudy and despite the bar managers attempt to persuade consumption by suggesting it ‘was meant to be as it was a wheat beer’ an exchange was insisted upon.
Not only were we late starting but we all also left well before the end of the session. Will we bother with the Thursday next year?
Brewery | Beer | % |
Beartown | Ginger Bear | 4.0 |
Holt | Joey’s Bitter | 3.5 |
Andwell | Resolute | 3.8 |
Rudgate | Well Blathered | 5.0 |
Bays | Gold | 4.3 |
Purity | Pure Gold | 3.8 |
Purity | Mad Goose | 4.2 |
Hambledon | Stallion | 4.2 |
Castle Rock | Black Gold | 3.8 |
West Berkshire | Good Old Boy | 4.0 |
Langham | Halfway to Heaven | 3.5 |
Matthews | Brass Knocker | 3.8 |
PV and MV continued to do their bit for charity and again volunteered to serve. It was quite enjoyable despite a couple of idiots. One insisted on a top up of a very lively beer when the liquid was 1 mm below the line. The other thought you not only served the beer but counted out the tokens for him as well. Their requests were well received by the staff.
Brewery | Beer | % |
Hawkshead | Bitter | 3.7 |
Burton Bridge | Burton Porter | 4.5 |
Hogs Back | HBB | 3.7 |
Arundel | Sussex Gold | 4.2 |
Oakham | Jeffrey Hudson Bitter | 3.8 |
Oakham | Inferno | 4.0 |
Downton | Quad Hop | 3.9 |
Butcombe | Bitter | 4.0 |
Milk Street | Mermaid | 4.1 |
Attended by:-
PV and MV
The Farnham Beerex weather law held sway and we treated to a lovely spring day. This kept all the crowds in the courtyard (making access to the bars easier) and the Riverside Café seating available to Mengo. Our solitude was only briefly disrupted by the Farnham Lions treating their German counterparts to lunch.
During the course of the session Mengo received two invitations. Graham Trott of Triple fff reminded us of this year’s open day (date to be advised). For £10 you get one of his famous curries (produced in a six foot diameter dish) plus all the Triple fff you can drink. And Paul Scott would like us to join him for his birthday next year. According to DF Paul is in the midst of buying a hotel and bar in Ostend, so the cost of accommodation should be cheap!
The beers went down well, with perhaps the Oakham Inferno being the beer of the festival. Whatever, they were certainly good enough to keep the bollock level high.
we all went our separate ways; many of course straight up the GG.
Brewery | Beer | % |
Rudgate | Ruby Mild | 4.4 |
Burton Bridge | Bridge Bitter | 4.2 |
Oakham | Inferno | 4.0 |
Butcombe | Gold | 4.4 |
Sarah Hughes | Dark Ruby Mild | 6.0 |
Castle Rock | Dingy Skipper | 4.5 |
Milk Street | Funky Monkey | 4.0 |
Nethergate | Umbel Ale | 3.8 |
RCH | Double Header | 5.3 |
RCH | East Street Cream | 5.0 |
Hambledon | Nightmare | 5.0 |
Purple Moose | Madog’s Ale | 3.7 |
Attended by:-
PV, MG, ROC, GM, TC, DF, KOC, TM, PC and RN; JA was missed.