The Big Blog

 

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.