Some stuff supped: Great British Beer Festival Footnote

Your blogger takes a beer with Moorhouse's.

Its fair to say that some stuff was supped at the Great British Beer Festival 30th birthday gig.

Despite being largely ignored by the national media - beer guru Roger Protz points out that Hobson’s Mild victory made only a 'short' in most daily newspapers - Camra has hailed it a great success. Well, they would, wouldn't they. But the evidence is there, with some record 70,000 visitors enjoying more than 300,000 pints. And it’s not only in the sheer numbers; an eclectic range of punters are now venturing to the mecca of real ale alongside the veteran cask-ale Taliban.

I encountered several drinkers who were out of the stereotype kilter. They included executive chef Jitin Josh who was there researching ale to accompany the great east-west nosh he turns out at top Mayfair restaurant Benares. And he was actually enjoying the beer. Then there was Cedric the Frenchman who has become a real-ale fanatic since hopping across the Channel a few years ago and the lovely Nicole and Sarah (see below ).

Chef Justin enjoys a pint (above)

Cedric and the girls

I took in a beer with several independent brewers too. Suffice to say that all seem to be booming. Moorhouse’s of Burnley reported beer ‘flying out’ and Acorn of Barnsley was poised for a move this month to a new brewery, thereby doubling capacity to a 20 barrel brew length. Several others reported very healthy sales, confounding the gloom and doom merchants. Beer sales may be declining overall, but the evidence suggests that the 600 or so micro/independent brewers are seeing a steadily increasing market for their ales. Long may it continue. We can all help by going for the quality rather than that industrially produced stuff.

On my return to Chester, the first port of call was Harkers*. I was ready for something nice and easy, maybe Greene King IPA I thought, that wouldn’t stress the taste buds too much. But no chance. York Cascade beckoned like a naughty window show in Amsterdam. With bags of grapefruit and citrus hops, it slipped down the glass like hoppy flavoured cream - another victory for the golden beer school with floral notes and a long bitter finish. The taste buds gave in without much of a fight.

Acorn boys set to grow

While in Harkers the word ‘interesting’ once again fell from drinkers' lips as they took their first tentative sip of something new. It’s an expression that often echoes around the GBBF. But, as displayed at the festival, the range of beers now available in the UK is not simply interesting - it’s fantastic, encompassing a massive range of aromas and tastes that display the huge breadth and depth of British brewing style. And that's something we should all celebrate.It's far too good to leave to the beer Taliban.

OK, it's the Taliban, but good guys for all that.

*Following the GBBF Harkers were having their own contribution to that celebration by putting on as many of the past GBBF champs as Dave could get his mitts on. These include Moorhouse’s Black Cat (2000), Coniston Blue Bird (1998) Mordue Workie Ticket (97) and Mauldons Black Adder from way back in ’91. Terrific stuff – enjoy it while you can.

News from the front at the GBBF

It was quite a day in the trenches at the trade bash for the 30th Great British Beer Festival (see blog below). Eight hours of wondering where the next beer was coming from among the 450ish cask ales on offer. Alarm had spread earlier in the week when it was revealed that 15,000 pints en-route for the fest had been stolen from a haulier's yard in Lincoln. But we were reassured that no-one would go thirsty as there were 335,000 pints left. Phew, that's OK then.

And, much to the surprise of many, a mild beer stole the day: Hobson's Mild (3.2%) was voted Supreme Champion Beer of Britain, the first of this style to snatch the crown since Moorhouse's Black Cat triumphed back in 2000. So much rejoicing in Shropshire if Nick Davis and colleagues ever made it back to Cleobury Mortimer.

Announcing the results, Camra Good Beer Guide editor Roger Protz said of this tipple: "It's bursting with flavour and, unusually for a mild, it's got plenty of hop character." And Roger knows his onions when it comes to hops as it were - so let's hope some enterprising B&P beer buyer gets a hold of some before it's all sold.

Roger also mused that it was good to see a classic copper coloured brew winning in this era of pale golds. Yes, I think he's right. Although partial to the contemporary golden beers myself, it is good that a traditional ale style is celebrated once again - and it was a close thing, with Mighty Oak's Maldon Gold (3.8%abv) breathing down its neck to take silver overall. Incidentally, this scored a weighty four out of five points from the B&P festival hit-squad led by Graham Price - so clearly someone else knows their hoppy onions

The bronze gong went to the Green Jack Brewery in Suffolk for the mighty Ripper a 8.5% abv barley wine that got through to the final as the champ at the Camra Winter Festival. So far this brew remains a stranger to me, and at that strength I hope will never become close friend.

For me it was also wonderful to see Castle Rock's Harvest Pale take gold in the Bitters section (see B&P beer list) - I think this is a terrific beer and another tribute to the beer buying acumen of Dave at Harkers, who spotted it's potential some time ago. And the Purple Moose Brewery, a regular supplier to several of the group's pubs, also showed its mettle in the Best Bitters section with Glaslyn Ale collecting gold. Well done Lawrence.

It was a terrific day, but for me there's no rest: now where's that Ripper?

Just stepping out for a beer - at the World's Biggest Pub

Well it's August again and time to don my false beard, socks and sandals and head south for the Great British Beer Festival, a terrific annual event that celebrates its 30th birthday this week. Makes you think a bit doesn't it? Thirty years ago my son, Andy, was just born while Elvis went to serenade the celestials on the great concert stage in the sky. Where were you in 1977?

Back then Jerry Brunning was still, so to speak, bopping in his blue suede shoes with all thought of the pub business yet deeply buried in his psyche while Britain's unique brewing heritage valiantly fought for survival in the face of the onslaught from fizzy keg and lager. Some brewers had even dropped cask-conditioned ale as they consigned it to life's empties bin. To spare their blushes, the guilty men shall remain nameless but they know who they are.

Your very own blogger was a thirsty wee reporter up in Darlington, where one of the erstwhile culprits had many pubs around the town - but magnetic they were not (that's a clue by the way). I lived next door to one of their area managers and on a Sunday lunch - remember the Sabbath's 12-to-two drinking window? - he was always anxious to join one of my regular forays to a proper beer house, as long as the lads kept it quiet. Where are you now Geoff? Anyway the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) was not letting these brewing miscreants get away with it, hence the first GBBF, a relatively quiet affair, I believe, held at Alexandra Palace.

Since then Camra has become probably the most successful consumer champion ever and nowadays the festival is a far cry from its stereotype beardie-sandals image (and that was just the women) of the seventies. Last year some 66,000 drinkers pitched up to partake in one of the world 's biggest rounds - 300,000 pints pulled over the course of five days. Blinkin' heck, glad I wasn't in the chair.

This week those figures are expected to be surpassed as year-on-year the festival moves on to attract an eclectic range of visitors, from young advertising types and the capital's female professionals to the gregariously imbibing DJ Chris Evans - who, I understand, enjoyed himself so much last year he has pledged to attend every night of the five day beerfeast.

The very accessible venue of London's Earls Court will help get more people there: it's the second year at the super-venue after outgrowing the leaky Victorian splendour of Olympia. A terrific atmosphere and the mind boggling choice of beer, in what is known as the World's Biggest Pub, will keep them there.

Real-ale-hard-men

And amidst the thronging beery mass at Tuesday's trade day will be a hand picked team from Brunning & Price. These lads (and a few lasses) are so dedicated to their public that there's no end to the suffering and deprivation they will endure in their mission to ensure only the best beers of the land reach your lips.

In the kind of precisely executed stealth operation mirrored only by a balaclava-clad SAS snatch squad, the day begins in Cheshire at first light (for them anyway). They will embark the luxury personnel carrier with that cheery, but slightly nervy, bravado that precedes all really big shows. Some 12 hours later the survivors will slump into their seats bedraggled, bewildered and exhausted following relentless and unforgiving manoeuvres among the 700 or so real ales, foreign beers and ciders on offer. The five hour trip back to base will be as nothing to these real-ale-hard-men. However they will still face one final test; there's no loo on the bus!

But that's the sort of people they are, these Brunning & Price beer heroes: selfless individuals like Paul and Dave from Harkers, 'Camra John' from the Cornmill and the 'big Jon' of the Combermere. Yes, they are made of stern stuff. Just don't expect to see them around much on Wednesday.

And what of your valiant blogger I hear you ponder? Well, 007 like, I'll be going solo. My burden of duty means I must spend two days sniffing, tasting, and chatting with brewers and a very idiosyncratic bunch of cask-ale-voyeurs - such are the rigours of the beer writing life.

To borrow somewhat from the idiom of Capt Lawrence Oates's famous last words to Scott of the Antarctic: "I'm going for a beer and I could be some time." You may see me there: I'll be the one in the socks and sandals.