2025 Beer Festival March
As we start off the new year of beer festivals, there will be no story this month. Instead, I want to pay tribute to Jon (resplendent on the latest genius poster),
who last week worked his final shift behind our bar before heading back t’up North before the birth of his first child. And thank you to all who came down after his final shift to send him off in style.
It’s only been a week, but I miss him already; doing these tasting notes wasn’t quite the same without him...
- in Marquee
SURESHOT ‘God Bless The Great Indoors’ 3.4%
Pale Ale. With a mouthful of flavour belying its lower percentage, sherberty lychee leads to a gooseberry zing. Very pleasant and rather moreish.
TRACK ‘Past Life’ 3.8%
Pale Ale. Super smooth, with that classic Track elegance. Peaches and cream, with an undercurrent of orange juice: a glass full of satisfaction. This is my bet for the first to go.
ELUSIVE ‘Serenity’ 3.8.%
Dark Mild. The aroma is reminiscent of chocolate sauce, whilst the palette brings a nuttiness to the fore. Pecans, digestives, and honey sit in easy balance.
GADDS' ‘Seashore Blues’ 4.%
Golden Ale. It's Gadds' being Gadds'! A classic Kent-style golden, bursting with orchard fruits before finishing with a lengthy crisp bitterness.
CASTLE ROCK x THORNBRIDGE ‘Are We There Yet?’ 4.%
Mild. A careful addition of coffee ensures the caramel notes are not overwhelmed. A lovely offering for the lighter evenings we are now being treated to.
LACONS ‘Ember’ 4.0%
Brown Ale. Browns are still much maligned, but Lacons are doing their best to rehabilitate it here. The sweet woody and straw-like flavours lay a base for more hedgerow esters to creep out.
REDWILLOW ‘Vatted Porter’ 4.2%
Porter. The tartness of unripen blackberries sings in this aged porter. The time in foeder imparts a dry funkiness throughout, with a smidgen of stone fruits dancing on the edges.
CASTLE ROCK ‘Gold Soundz’ 4.4%
Pale Ale. A surprising wallop of big tropical fruits – think passion fruit and mango in particular – comes flying out of this unassuming bright pale. You'll be going back to these gold soundz.
LOST AND GROUNDED ‘Spring Protagonist’ 4.4%
Bitter. The seasonal bitter offering from Lost And Grounded is a big, malty pint with everything you’d hope for. Warm toast & marmalade, oaty biscuits, a hint of citrus, and that lovely bitter end.
THORNBRIDGE ‘1838’ 4.5%
Pale Ale. Named after the year the Union system this was brewed upon was patented, 1838 is a quintessential English pale. A spritz of pith and pine, earthy, and elegantly understated.
BURNT MILL ‘Equal Measures’ 4.6% Gluten Free
Best Bitter. Better known for their incredible pales, this proves Burnt Mill can be brilliant at anything. More heavily hopped than most, there is a bold fresh fruit nose leading to a great finish.
MAD SQUIRREL ‘Beerhart’ 5.0% Gluten Free
Pale Ale. Showcasing the new hop Krush in this International Women's Day beer, the flavours glide smoothly from juniper to orange bitters to grapefruit. Make sure you check in for this flight.
ANSPACH & HOBDAY ‘The Smoked Brown’ 5.0%
Brown Ale. As smoky as smoked beers get! The beautiful charred embers suggest smoked meats and bonfires, cosy nights huddled around the fire. Pairs wonderfully with Bacon Fries.
BREW YORK ‘Minster’ 5.5%
ESB. The bouquet is very floral, inviting one into this particular field. Fresh baked bread and candied chestnut dominate in the mouth, with a lingering edge that demands another sip.
SIREN ‘Mum’s The Word’ 5.5% Contains Lactose
Porter. Appropriate, with Mother's Day this weekend. Cherry chocolate liqueur up front, the hint of warming chilli builds nicely at the back of the throat, without ever becoming burning.
DOWNLANDS ‘Wellington Original Pale Ale’ 5.7%
Pale Ale. Packed full of old school American hops, it has the pine, it has the kumquat – you could be on the Pacific Coast Highway here. One for those who remember when US pales first came over.
MARBLE ‘Hütteldorf’ 5.8%
Vienna IPA. The Vienna malt here adds a deep sweetness, and yet there is still a crispness to the final product. Lurking in the background is an aromatic spiciness, adding more layers of intrigue.
IRON PIER ‘Truckin’ To Ypres’ 5.8%
Belgian Blond Ale. Farmyard funk abounds, as does that fantastic Belgian yeastiness. Eminently quaffable, with hop terpenes providing a bevy of herbal notes.
Cask - our normal wonderful range on the bar
Kegs in Marquee
FESTIVAL BAR (KEG):
ZICHOVEC ‘12 Fresh Saaz Comfort 2024’ 5.1%
Pilsner. One of the finest Czech breweries throwing the best & freshest local hops into their stunning pilsner is a recipe for success. Bitingly crisp, wonderfully grassy, it is ultimate refreshment.
DROP PROJECT ‘Blazt’ 4.9%
Pale Ale. So packed with passion fruit, you would never guess that there is alcohol hidden away in here. Definite elements of nostalgia and corner shop soda, in the best possible way.
UNBARRED ‘Danker Juice’ 7.4%
IPA. As the name suggests, this is all about those green piney, resinous tones. Not dissimilar to drinking an entire forest of Christmas trees, minus the prickly spines. Bloody delicious.
TWO FLINTS ‘Big Jack’ 8.0%
Double IPA. Big by name, big by nature! The vinous, gooseberry notes of the Nelson Sauvin hops give way to sticky guava and papaya tropical juiciness courtesy of the Mosaic: a winning combo.
TYNT MEADOW ‘English Trappist Blond Ale’ 5.0%
Blond Ale. A rare treat from England's only Trappist brewery. Full of those rustic clove & banana esters associated with their Belgian counterparts, with a beautiful dried apricot fruitiness emerging.
HOLY GOAT ‘Spectral Lore’ 5.9%
Sour. Using local tayberries instead of raspberries, the rich and vibrant colour lets you know instantly this is quite something. Tart, explosive, and very moreish, the complexity of its depth is astonishing.
PRESSURE DROP ‘Decadent Beast’ 8.4% Contains Lactosee
Imperial Stout. Silly levels of decadence in this outrageously luxurious chocolate fudge stout. If those last three words don't get you excited for this, move aside and let the rest of us polish it off.
Kegs In Bar
TRACK ‘On Board’ 4.9%
Pale Ale. Choo choo! Jump upon the Track train if you haven't yet. Ludicrous amounts of New Zealand hops ensures this is a cracking sunshine juice bomb.
RIVINGTON x BÅDIN ‘Canary Yellow’ 5.8%
Pale Ale. Quite the mix of lesser-spotted hops provide this punchy pale with a delectable collection of fruity tones. I could list a bunch of fruits you vaguely know, or you could just dive in.
FLOC. ‘Look’ 6.5%
IPA. When a new Floc. drops through our door the week before a beer festival, we have to put it on, right? Softer than the best pillow fort, the exotic cocktail is a delirious culinary experience.
VERDANT x KOM ‘Manlleu’ 8.4%
Double IPA. As thick as these Verdant DIPAs come, sticky and sweet and a riotous explosion of massive flavours. Very much falls under the banner of big crowd pleaser.
YONDER ‘Melon Boat’ 4.5%
Sour. Now this is my kind of sailing. A lovely little sour that is just perfect to enjoy in the early spring sun. With enough acidity to truly get the taste buds salivating, it sets the melon coasting free.
FUNKY FLUID x ONE DROP ‘All Out King’ 8.0% Contains Lactose
Sour. They describe this as a gelato sour, and they do not miss. The texture is spot on, and the rich berry flavours come through so smoothly. A beer fit for royalty.
THE KERNEL ‘Lagerbier’ 5.3%
Lager. There is something so pure about a clean lager, a beer in which there is nowhere for a brewer to hide mistakes. Of course The Kernel have nailed this, a triumph of sophisticated simplicity.
KASTEEL ‘Barista’ 11.0%
Quadruple. A modern Belgian classique, the sumptuous combination of probably their two best exports. Majestic dark chocolate swirls around the sweet candied sugar of the lavish beer - c'est magnifique!
This is a busy week for beer, so also making appearances on the main bar at various points over the next couple of days are all the 12th Anniversary beers from Siren, a special wild sour Through The Fields from Burning Sky, and a of the new Drop Project smoothie stout Affogoato – because a full beer festival just wasn’t quite enough!
Ciders
Various
All available in thirds as well as pints and halves. Enjoy.