"July Beer Fest 2022"
So here we are at the last festival before our little seasonal break (cats need holidays too. And there’s been a few wedding invitations, of course).
Still, there is plenty to whet those whistles and toast to the hazy, lazy days of Summer.
Whichever version of it we end up with the week. Either way, time to be a tropical fool and hang out with some Hollywood hunks
– just don’t let Mr. Logistics become too feckless.
Cask
FESTIVAL BAR (CASK):
Festival Bar
SIREN ‘Half Mast’ 3.4% CASK
Micro IPA. The return of an old favourite, spruced up with more hops at a slightly elevated ABV. Starting with lemons and limes, before ending up at grapefruit, this has a full body that belies its lower strength.
HOWLING HOPS ‘Country Mile’ 4.0% CASK
Session IPA. Like an evergreen forest after the rains, this is fresh and resinous on the nose. The palate is stickier, with subtle hints of pine and green mango over the pronounced bitterness.
CELLAR HEAD ‘Session Best’ 4.0% CASK
Best Bitter. It may seem odd to describe such a beer as being rather like banana bread, but here we are. Balanced by a caramel sweetness, it still ticks the boxes for the style.
REDWILLOW ‘Feckless’ 4.1% CASK
Best Bitter. A very clean, crowd-pleasing best. Plenty of woodiness, apples, chestnuts, all the flavours the bitter aficionado is searching for.
ABBEYDALE ‘Doctor Morton’s Demon Drink’ 4.2% CASK
Pale Ale. Pleased to say, despite the warning on the clip, none of us have succumbed to lycanthropy. Yet. Bright enough to quaff under a summer moon with its tones of lemongrass and melon.
BURNT MILL x KYOTO ‘Other Worlds’ 4.4% CASK
Japanese Bitter. With the addition of buckwheat to the malt bill, this international collaboration has created something quite different. Apple blossom, peach, and even cherry emerge from the depths: think a great Old Fashioned sans the whisky fire.
KENT ‘Cashmere’ 4.5% CASK
Pale Ale. The Kent single-hop beers are always a great way to explore some of the new offerings, and this time we are treated to Cashmere. Starting off with crisp ripe pears before evolving in to calvados, it’s pretty full on. About as close to a dessert beer as an old school pale can get.
CLOUDWATER ‘Man Of Tod’ 4.5% CASK
Dark Mild. Despite being the original hype merchants, Cloudwater are repeatedly showing us they can do traditional very well too. Dried fruits, oaky earthiness, sticky toffee pudding cakiness: a majestic example in the year of the dark mild.
CLOUDWATER x NORTH RIDING
‘Always Together’ 4.5% CASKWest Coast Pale Ale. Does exactly what it says on the tin as thick citrus fruits and dank pine come crashing through the lingering bitterness. Funnily enough, perfect for a July beer festival.
ARBOR ‘You May Say I’m A Dreamer’ 4.6% CASK
Amber Ale. They call this juicy, and they are not wrong. Beginning with pineapple, we are taken through pomegranate, blueberry, coconut, tangerine... A veritable fruit salad. And oh yeah, we have the only casks going of this, so enjoy this rare treat we have managed to snag for you lucky folk.
NEWBARNS ‘Pale Ale’ 4.8% CASK
Pale Ale. A beer that whispers rather than shouts. Floral overtones give way to guava and lychee, the breeziness of the flavour contrasting well with the depth of the palate.
VIBRANT FOREST ‘Mr. Logistics’ 5.2% CASK
Modern Bitter. A bitter, yes, but with ginger and vanilla!? Oh yes! It might get the traditionalists up in arms, but this has to be tasted to believed. Best we can come up with is amaretto-soaked bakewell tart. Possibly a little divisive, but tis a hit behind the bar.
NORTH RIDING ‘Oatmeal Stout’ 5.5% CASK
Stout. First and foremost, the creaminess of the body ensures this slips down smoothly. Stuffed with hedgerow fruits dipped in dark chocolate, backed up by black cherry and plum, it should please most dark beer lovers.
MARBLE ‘Ginger’ 6.2% CASK
Pale Ale. Returned to its former strength for the big birthday celebrations, Ginger is back. Most reminiscent of its candied form, it treads that very fine line of being prominent without becoming overbearing. A masterclass in balancing.
Kegs in Marquee
BURNT MILL ‘Polar Mist’ 4.6% KEG
New England Pale Ale. The latest in their fabled Mist series, unsurprisingly this nails it. Again. Tonnes of mango & peach upfront, with grapefruit pithy bitterness to finish. Simply sumptuous.
PHANTOM ‘Splash Zone’ 5.0% KEG
Pale Ale. Fruity and dank, this is a beer you will certainly be diving into for more. Citrus-led with its tangerine and kumquat notes, the tropical hints of lychee and guava ensures everyone's covered.
CLOUDWATER ‘Super Happy!’ 5.3% KEG
Pale Ale. The amplified version of instant favourite Happy!, the name says it all really. Reminiscent of those amazing US pales that came over to change the beer scene here about a decade ago, expect juicy clementine and fresh pine with that now-distinctive Cloudwater twist.
HOWLING HOPS x EXALE ‘Pompadour’ 6.0% KEG
Paloma Sour. Paloma they promise, and oh my do they deliver! The sharpness of the lemon, the heat of the agave, the freshness of the grapefruit... Beer or cocktail? You decide.
PRESSURE DROP ‘Hollywood Hunks’ 6.8% KEG
California IPA. A beer that has got me all aflutter. This is the Golden State in a glass, with so much orange you'd swear it could be one of your five-a-day. The resinous finish is almost addictive.
MARBLE ‘Ogden’s Foreign Extra Stout’ 7.0% KEG
Stout. Now for something a lot more classically English. This is how a mocha should taste, proper roasted coffee and decadent dark chocolate, with a twist of zest to compliment that bold richness.
Kegs In Bar
BURNT MILL ‘Polar Mist’ 4.6% KEG
New England Pale Ale. The latest in their fabled Mist series, unsurprisingly this nails it. Again. Tonnes of mango & peach upfront, with grapefruit pithy bitterness to finish. Simply sumptuous.
PHANTOM ‘Splash Zone’ 5.0% KEG
Pale Ale. Fruity and dank, this is a beer you will certainly be diving into for more. Citrus-led with its tangerine and kumquat notes, the tropical hints of lychee and guava ensures everyone's covered.
CLOUDWATER ‘Super Happy!’ 5.3% KEG
Pale Ale. The amplified version of instant favourite Happy!, the name says it all really. Reminiscent of those amazing US pales that came over to change the beer scene here about a decade ago, expect juicy clementine and fresh pine with that now-distinctive Cloudwater twist.
HOWLING HOPS x EXALE ‘Pompadour’ 6.0% KEG
Paloma Sour. Paloma they promise, and oh my do they deliver! The sharpness of the lemon, the heat of the agave, the freshness of the grapefruit... Beer or cocktail? You decide.
PRESSURE DROP ‘Hollywood Hunks’ 6.8% KEG
California IPA. A beer that has got me all aflutter. This is the Golden State in a glass, with so much orange you'd swear it could be one of your five-a-day. The resinous finish is almost addictive.
MARBLE ‘Ogden’s Foreign Extra Stout’ 7.0% KEG
Stout. Now for something a lot more classically English. This is how a mocha should taste, proper roasted coffee and decadent dark chocolate, with a twist of zest to compliment that bold richness.
Ciders
Various
All available in thirds as well as pints and halves. Enjoy.