Beer Festivals are now becoming more and more frequent. For years, Liverpool solely drew solace from the CAMRA event held annually in the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Crypt in terms of larger events with the chance to celebrate and try out many beers under a single roof. As 2013 saunters onward toward Winter, there have been quite a number of additional events, with the Waterloo Beer Festival taking place bi-annually in Spring and Autumn (the sixth iteration is due for end of October 2013), the Mad Hatter Brewing Company giving impromptu Bank-Holiday weekend events at other venues, the massively impressive Liverpool Beer Expo from the Liverpool Craft Brewing Company at the Camp and Furnace. Now there are the further events of a Christmas Beer Festival due to land at the Black-E in Chinatown on Nelson Street from the Liverpool Organic Brewery and a Hallow’een Beer Event as collaboration between Mad Hatter and the indefatigable Baltic Bakehouse on Bridgewater Street. Rude health indeed for the craft beer and real ale scene. This is all without mentioning the recent success of the St. George’s Hall Beer Festival held once again by Liverpool Organic Brewery; a remarkable event in itself, held in the most auspicious surroundings possibly present in the city centre. The Great Hall, was for 4 days and evenings made all the more splendid with stillages laden with over 250 different beers to choose from divided between 4 of Liverpool’s most notable pubs; The Grapes, The Philharmonic Dining Rooms, The Richmond Pub and the Ship and Mitre. There were ciders and perries present once again as with previous Liverpool Organic Brewery organised events, but in addition to this was a bar selling cocktails using the newly promoted Liverpool Gin and a craft beer bar, sponsored by the Clove Hitch/23 Club located on Hope Street between Liverpool’s Cathedrals. Music was laid on in the great hall upstairs from the revelries of the Great Hall in the breathtaking surroundings once again of the Concert Room. More substantial refreshment was available in the ever-present Liverpool Cheese Company and Peninsula pies, with the addition of the Liverpool Cake Company to the agenda. Although this event was a little more pricey than the Waterloo-held beer festivals, there was some compromise to be made with the management of the venue one suspects; a trade off for having such an event in a remarkable location as this is invariably worth a little more sacrifice, especially when the quality of the beers was generally very good. It would be impossible (and most likely inaccurate) of me to try and run through everything I managed to taste over the course of the festival, but there were some distinct highlights and some of these were in the form of previously tested ales from the Waterloo event where they indeed held their quality, tribute indeed to the brewers. Two such ales, which are worth investigating are the Derventio ‘Cleopatra’, which conveys remarkable apricot flavours into a copper session ale and the Saltaire Brewery’s ‘Blackberry Cascade’, which does exactly as the moniker suggests and provides a delicious bitter hoppy hit wrapped in a fruity cuddles courtesy of a hedgerow fruit. Both were revelations at the Waterloo event, but the St. George’s Hall event reaffirmed the initial impression I got from these beers. Tiny Rebel continues to impress with the range of beers it is producing from its Newport premises, the ‘Hank’ is an excellent pale session beer which brings up the front end of their beers behind which the amusingly named ‘Fubar’ and also ‘Hadouken’ (for those of us who enjoyed a certain 90’s computer/arcade game) showcase the brewing prowess of a team going from strength to strength. Local breweries are always a fixture at the Liverpool Organic Brewery festival events, St. George’s Hall proved no exception with Wapping, the Melwood Beer Co., Liverpool Craft Brewery, Southport Brewery and Cambrinus all featuring in the four bars. The generous seating and additional tables at an event such as this are always welcome, although as ever there is a point in the evening when seating becomes a premium and those stood up do need a rest or time to think about their next move in terms of beer selection. The most was made of the space available, the additional tables for those who were stood was a welcome addition to the event. The addition of the gin, craft and cider bars always provides for those whose curiosity in beer has waned at some point in the evening. The Gin cocktails were (for those I had the privilege of tasting) excellent and based on this tasting, the sooner Liverpool Gin becomes available on shelves, the better. The Gin is a joint venture between the Liverpool Organic Brewery and the Landlord of the Belvedere pub in Liverpool's Georgian Quarter; which has its own ‘Ginasium’.
This was an excellent event with mostly excellent beers, the chance to try them was most welcome before investing in a full half; there were some poor batches of beers present in the ranks and as ever, there never seems to be enough time and the voucher points seem to evaporate rapidly when you’re thirsty at these places…. Pedro.
1 Comment
Reydelmal
10/20/2013 12:31:53 am
Spot on about the Cleopatra. My beer of the festival. The Ossett brewery range was fantastic as usual. Great event. I liked that it was more accessible than the CAMRA crypt event where I usually obtain tickets loitering outside begging for spares! I am a fan of the crypt event and thought St Georges lost to it in general atmosphere. The music being on a different floor didnt help. (But what a room!). But congratulations to Liverpool Organic and all involved. I'm looking forward to my first visit to Waterloo beer festival next friday and I've heard great things. Liverpool is lucky to have these fantastic events.
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