War of the Roses / Isle of Wight and Hampshire

The second annual beer festival at Truro’s City Inn, held from Friday to Monday, was an excellent event, with the theme ‘The War of the Roses’ heralding a collection of 30 or so beers from Yorkshire and Lancashire. Pub manager Gerry Aukeet managed, with the help of wholesaler Waverley TBS, to source a very good selection of beers, with well known names such as Theakston (XB, 3.5%) and Timothy Taylor (Golden Best, 3.5%) rubbing shoulders with lesser-known breweries like Wentworth (Needle’s Eye, 3.5%, and WPA, 4%) and Salamander (Mud Puppy, 4.2%).

Personal favourites? Well, I really enjoyed Pictish Brewer’s Gold (3.8%), which has that refreshing citrussy zing and dry finish exemplified by the likes of Oakham JHB. Then there was North Yorkshire Flying Herbert (4.7%), a red-brown organic ale which was a really tasty, nicely-balanced bitter. And we were all able to agree that Moorhouse’s Pride of Pendle (4.1%) was a particularly welcome visitor to Cornwall – a dry, copper-coloured thirst-quencher.

A crowd from the Wychwood Brewery, including head brewer Jeremy Moss were down for the weekend and brought a special brew with them – St George and the Dragon – which was nominally 5.6%, although the true ABV remained something of a mystery. No tasting notes from me, I’m afraid, as I was driving the next day and didn’t want to be over the limit when I woke up.

Mrs N, young master N and I were off to the Isle of Wight for a whistle-stop family visit. I managed a quick pint of Hampshire Hare (4.8%), a refreshing golden beer made with Challenger hops. That was followed by an Archer’s Dark Mild (3.8%), which was excellent as usual. The location? The Prince of Wales, Freshwater – a back street real ale haven and a true locals’ pub, although strangers are, evidently, made very welcome, particularly if you fancy a chinwag with the landlord about beer (and you are without either children or dogs, both of which would upset the fine long-haired pub cat!).

Picked up some bottles of Goddard’s local brew from the Freshwater branch of the Co-Op (full marks to this chain for usually managing to have some local beers among a good national line-up of bottles) and tonight cracked open Special Bitter (4%), a nicely-balanced session beer with a good tasty hop.

On from the island to Andover, Hampshire (my original home town where the parents still live). A trip to the Weyhill Fair, formerly a freehouse, now a Fuller’s pub, shows that the Gales integration is in full swing with HSB (4.8%) on the bar. Love Fuller’s, love Gales. The two in one pub, though? It’s like watching two girlfriends you fancy having a lesbian affair: you like it, but you know deep down it’s wrong.

It's beer festival season!

A couple of excellent festivals over the last two weekends, both held in Cornish pubs and both showing how good real ale can be a real driver in getting people through the door.

At the Ship Inn, Par, yesterday, there was a good turnout for Chris and Pauline Giles’ inaugural festival, held in the grounds behind the pub – see story on the main website.

Stars of the show included Oakham’s Bishop’s Farewell (4.6%), which in fine condition and hit heavily by the Cornwall CAMRA contingent who turned up, Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby (6%), a perennial festival favourite which brings any good session to a fine end. Many, of course, spot it and make straight for it at the start of the session. I’m naming no names, Graham.

Being a good Hampshire boy and still having some of the political animal in me, I had to have what must be one of the final brews of Gales HSB (4.8%) from the Hampshire brewery before it gets dragged, kicking and screaming, to the Fuller’s ferementers. Will it ever be the same again? Seems unlikely.

Other favourites included another Hampshire delight, Ringwood Old Thumper (5.6%), and, keeping up the porcine theme, Uley Pig’s Ear (5%), from Gloucestershire, which went very nice with a pig roast roll!

All the beers were on stillage in the open air, but sheleterd under open shed-type structures, and the conditions were perfect for storage.

The Alexandra Inn, Penzance, where I went last week, doesn’t have the same advantage of a huge outside area so the 17 beers there were on stillage in the pub’s main bar. This was a festival in a true community pub, visitors made very welcome (unless they left their mobile phone turned on, for which a charity fine is payable. What a very sensible policy!).

Pete and Rose Featherstone were charming hosts for their fourth annual event, again with a range of out-of-county beers rubbing shoulders with more popular Cornish brews.

Among the stars of the show, Doghouse Sea Dog (4.6%, originally brewed as part of last year’s Trafalgar celebrations) went down well, as did the 4% Branscombe Mayday, which was an archetypal well-balanced session bitter. Surprisingly, a cask of 6.6% Exmoor Beast disappeared pretty quickly, although this is in a pub that managed to see off a nine of Parish Brewery’s Baz’s Bonce Blower (12%!) recently.

See the main website for news of more upcoming festivals.