A bit drunk would be an
understatement, although I wasn't drunk enough to behave a fool. I'd
made my way from the brew day via my uncles to drop my stuff off then
to the annual London Drinker Beer and Cider Festival.
Not really expecting
much going on how it has been the last couple of years and seeing a
queue of about fifteen people stretching around the corner. I can't
say that I was overcome by glee. I needed some cash so went to the
nearest ATM about a minutes walk away to withdraw some. Upon my
return I could see the queue had grown a few beards and facial warts
and looked somewhat uglier. It took about twenty minutes, after
queuing, paying entrance fee and purchasing a hot air balloon clad
pint glass, I was finally in.
Phone signal was poor
inside the thick walled, grand old Camden Town Hall.
A quick but thorough
look at the programme/menu led me directly to the 'London' section of
the festival. It was good to see CAMRA had opened up and allowed a
few new craft breweries in, a lot more than I'd seen at any of their
festivals before. Quite pleasing. As fate would have it, Frank, my
uncle, brushed right past me without noticing. Unaware of my
presence, he was like a shocked hamster when he received a tap on the
shoulder from somebody not resembling a sponge.
I saw some beers and
marked them for later and ordered a 'Hook Island Red' from the Five
Points Brewery in Hackney. Even though I've tried quite a few of
their beers, I hadn't got round to sampling this one. I am delighted
to say that it was dee-lish. A flavourful and smooth red rye with
lashings of hops and a body to match.
Frank asked for a
recommendation and I quickly pointed to the 'Railway Porter', another
beer from Five Points and a Porter from Crate Brewery. He opted for
the latter and was impressed. More impressive is that it happened to
be one of his best of the night. When we returned and he wanted to
sample the Railway Porter, it was all out.
The only non London
beer of note, that we tried of course, I can't exactly say much about
the ones we didn't, was a beer from Roosters Brewery, Yorkshire. A
beer appropriately named 'Londinium'. Their pales are some of the
finest out of this country that I have tried, but in my opinion this
didn't quite live up to it. It seemed a little thin but had enough
flavour to just about make up for the lack of body.
It was Croydon's turn
to step up to the plate, or bar as it was in this case. 'Cronx', a
brewery I'd been told about a few months back but hadn't tried as I'd
never actually seen any of their beers anywhere. Here was my chance.
Sticking with the Porters and Stouts, the 'Entire Porter' was a
no-brainer. Describe as having chocolate notes and a character of
caramelised raisins, it did. I was detecting sweet, sticky, syrupy
prunes on the finish. Smooth like expertly tanned calves leather and
with a body so full it was like eating a figgy pudding. Wonderful
stuff.
How could I resist
trying one of my favourites, Fullers '1845'. So rarely have I seen it
on cask that I had to give it a go, I would have been a fool not to.
Smoother, richer, darker, more intense, altogether better than it is
in the bottle, much better, a million and one times better. I could
have easily had another if my eyes weren't magnetically fixated on
their 'Russian Imperial Stout'. At 10.7% my eyes instantly jumped out
of their sockets, well my left was a little reluctant due to some
recent issues but it quickly caught up and joined the right eye.
Jet black, as thick as
crude oil and so spirituous its vapours would have been ignited if
near a naked flame. Wow is all I can say and think I need to say
really, an exceptional beer.
I promised myself that
I'd end the festival on a Geuze of sorts, I'm not sure of how to
spell that as I've seen so many variations I don't know which one is
correct or most used.
They had none, not a
single sour at the festival. My plan had instantaneously been shot to
pieces. The short bearded, role playing game playing fellow behind
the bar tried his best to console me to no avail. It was a valiant
attempt but still left me longing to exercise the facial muscles that
so rarely get used.
Boon Faro was the beer
he chose for me. What it was going to be like I hadn't the foggiest
unlike this crystal clear beer.
I had to rinse the
glass out after I finished the Imperial Porter as I didn't want the
strong dark beer ruining the taste and appearance of the next one.
Ruining is a harsh word, maybe I should have said altering. I went to
the loo downstairs and had a wee. All that liquid quickly fills my
one cup bladder causing me to urinate on an annoyingly regular basis.
I washed my hands, rinsed the glass and went back upstairs to the
bar. With a clean glass and an empty bladder I was ready for the Boon
offering.
It was copper coloured
and smelled of honey not like urea rich urine that I thought it
would.
If you're expecting
something quite unpleasant but what you get is not at all what you
were expecting, it can often come as a shock both good or bad.
Boon Faro was a good
one, sweet not sour. What was it. More like a sweet honeyed cider
than a sour that I thought it might have been. With no signal was
unable to research it to find out any more information about this
confusion in a bottle.
I left with a smile on
my face but not because I'd defeated another sour, but because I'd
found something altogether odd. A uniquely sweet and fulfilling beer.
Upon recent research,
the beer is how it is because it has 'candisyrup' added before
bottling. It is a sweet/sour Lambic beer.
After the beer
festival, we went to a pub near Chapel Market. Another pub in such a
small space. A triangle of greatness.
A food pub that also
has a fairly broad selection of ales and craft beer. The 'Joker of
Penton Street' is going to be a starting point for an upcoming adventure
of mine. When, I don't know. I don't remember what we drank there, I
can imagine it was good and most probably something we'd had before.
It had been a while
since I'd been to the Craft Beer Co N1, for me anyway. Frank came
here recently to have a veggie burger and some beer. We ended the
night here, in out usual seats under the watchful gaze of Churchill
himself. So desperate to fulfil my urge for a sour I had an 'Evolver'
a tart offering from Wild Beer Co. I can't fault those guys at the
moment, everything they seem to do is gold.
The bar staff were very
knowledgeable and helpful like always. The manager runs a pretty
tight ship here.
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