Pint Of Ale

Day one of the Leeds Beer Festival has come and gone, and it was a good night. This year’s theme is the Strength and Diversity of Brewing in the British Isles and there are a lot of beers here! Pudsey Civic Hall is divided into five bars this year. Three selling real ale from around the British Isles - the Celtic Bar (Cornwall, Wales, Scotland), The Roses Bar (Yorkshire and Lancashire) and the Rest of England Bar. Then there’s the World Beers bar and the cider and perry bar.

I tried to sample a beer from each region last night. Here’s what I managed:

1. Celtic Dragon, Great Orme, Glan Conwy, Denbiginshire

Very fruity, light pale gold, a good one to start with.

2. Red Smiddy, Kelburn, Glasgow, Renfrewshire

A deep red, heavy, tasty beer with full flavour.

3. Bushy’s Export, Bushy’s, Mount Murray, Isle of Man

A pungent aroma accompanied this tasty, full-bodied amber ale.

4. Gold Award, Mitchell Eastwood, Elland, Yorkshire

Quite a dark colour, this ale had a beautiful flowery aroma that reminded me of Deuchars IPA. A rich, full taste.

5. Swedish Nightingale, Malvern Hills, Malvern, Worcestershire

Another hoppy, flowery ale. This one was very light yellow in colour and very drinkable.

6. Dark Island, Orkney, Quoyloo, Orkney

A very dark stout/porter (not sure which). Rich, excellent.

7. Bargee, Elland, Elland, Yorkshire

A special barrel only available to new CAMRA members. I blagged a half when Matt joined.

8. Old Wavertonian, Spitting Feathers, Waverton, Cheshire

Very very dark with a good head. Very malty stout with chocolate flavours.

I wasted, nay invested, a few pounds on the tombola as per usual. I won a bottle of Kelham Island Pride of Sheffield ale for my troubles. It was good to meet up with Eric again, a friend who I only seem to see once a year at the beer festival. I spent a while talking with Paul Travis whose Beer Inn Print stall is always a fascinating visit. I bought a London Underground-style Pub Stops Of Leeds poster.

An excellent first night at Leeds beer Festival!