Packed Beer Festival
Yesterday was the first day of the 2009 Planet Thanet Easter Beer Festival and I am still alive today to tell you about it which is a good thing. It’s great to see something like this succeeding and pulling in such a crowd, with not just locals, but many people travelling some distance to sample the huge (200+) range of ales and ciders.
The event was so busy that when I arrived at 4pm there was a “one in, one out” policy in operation but it was worth the wait as ten minutes later I had my glass and my tokens and was ready for the some supping.
Luckily I marked off the beers I had in my guidebook so I don’t need to try and remember them. They were only half pints but they soon add up!
- Stronghold 4.7% (Arundel, West Sussex)
- Farmer’s Stout 4.5% (Bradfield, South Yorks)
- Top Dog Stout 5.0% (Burton Bridge, Staffordshire)
- Blonde 4.3% (Butcombe, Somerset)
- Hop Head 3.8% (Dark Star, West Sussex)
- Dark Tranquility 4.5% (Elland, West Yorks)
- Thrappledouser 4.3% (Inveralmond, Perth)
- Bob Wall 4.2% (Matthew, Somerset)
- Port Stout 4.8% (O’Hanlon’s, Devon)
- Zebedee 4.7% (Rebellion, Buckinghamshire)
- Native 3.7% (Whitstable, Kent)
You may notice that this year I didn’t automatically go looking for beers with the strongest ABV, a lesson learned from last year, when a very strong cider completely ruined my palette…. well it tasted horrible and put me off my beer. I also opted for quite a few dark beers and stouts too as I’ve mostly been drinking Guinness this year.
The Festival is open today too so if you missed it yesterday then pop down today! £2 entry, see website for more info.
I’m shtill shobering up!