SEL CAMRA Beer Festival begins today. Noon - 1030pm Thurs, Fri and Saturday. Live music on Thurs and Sat. Weather looks fab. It's a great venue Charlton Park RFC, Broad Walk, SE3. As any festival goer knows, first two days the best as stocks tend to run low by Saturday. My Dad's pub is one of the sponsors.
What a good read...I've been to Vezerlay...it pissed down for a good couple of hours and we ended up in a bar (as you do) in a hotel just south of the old 'city' wall, seem to recall trying all 3 of the local beers that they had on from the local Vezerlay Brewery...good it was to. I was drinking 25cl bottles of La Goudale yesterday, when we've camped in France I usually get the 750cl bottles the one with the cork in it. 'Grubby old Marseille'...LOL we actually liked it there, just done a day trip there by train from Cassis, where there was a bar that had quite a few Belgian beers. It's worth mentioning that there's usually no problem in getting Belgian beer in France...obviously you would know that.
Thank you, HastingsAddick. Glad to hear you know Vezerlay too and have sampled the local beers. Like you, I think they're pretty decent - and can also be found in supermarkets in and around that part of Burgundy.
You're right in that the French like their Belgian beers (faced with the ubiquitous Kronenbourg and Heineken, you could understand that). From memory, you'll often find Leffe, Grimberger and sometimes Hoegaarden on pression in France, but some of the Belgian bottled stuff can be really good, even bottle conditioned, but a strong 8 or 9% and quite (to my taste, anyway) heavy, especially stuff that's labelled from Belgian Trappist Monks.
Did you find that you can't quaff them like a British pint but need to drink them in the way you would drink wine?
Absolutely, better to take it easy when drinking 8-9% Trappist beer.
8 or 9 % ? That's for toddlers ... The real stuff has 12 or 13%
Cycled from Greenwich to the barrier and back yesterday. Very hot. Decided I deserved a refreshing pint of lager in the Old Brewery Meantime's beer garden in the Royal Naval college. I know it can be a bit pricey in there so rather than go for a Peroni I decided to opt for a standard in house lager. As the barmaid was pouring it looked just what I needed as the condensation formed on the outside of the glass. I was having a proper Ice Cold in Alexander moment. Then she said £5.75! For a second I am sure my expression was exactly the same as that bloke in the Macdonald ad taking the piss out of fancy coffee bars when he is charged £9 for a coffee.
Cycled from Greenwich to the barrier and back yesterday. Very hot. Decided I deserved a refreshing pint of lager in the Old Brewery Meantime's beer garden in the Royal Naval college. I know it can be a bit pricey in there so rather than go for a Peroni I decided to opt for a standard in house lager. As the barmaid was pouring it looked just what I needed as the condensation formed on the outside of the glass. I was having a proper Ice Cold in Alexander moment. Then she said £5.75! For a second I am sure my expression was exactly the same as that bloke in the Macdonald ad taking the piss out of fancy coffee bars when he is charged £9 for a coffee.
On last day of annual pilgrimage to Prague. Not a bad beer in sight.
I hope he bought you one or two.....
He never even let me know he was here. Nor @bazjonster , who was here for Depeche Mode. Must be something I write :-)
But I have already enjoyed beers with @ElfsborgAddick and The Sint Truiden Gate- Locker this year and hopefully two more Lifers passing through in August, so looks like a record year for Lifers in Prague. Still waiting for @Chippycafc to confirm his dates though :-) ( seriously Chips, would be a pleasure)
Anyway, finally went to the Prague Beer Festival with the neighbours last night. Wonderful beers, all of us impressed with the IPAs and APAs on offer. One of the neighbours rounded off the evening with a 22 degree IPA , which we think was around 9%. He quaffed it like it was a Staropramen so we will be interested to see how he is today. But for anybody planning to do it next year, our tip is eat before you go. The food offer was dire.
Didn't make the festival this year. Spent most of our 3 days in breweries and seeking out small backstreet bars, which there are plenty. None of the four of us had a bad beer in the entire trip. Great food in a cellar bar called Ferdinand (on karmelistka, malastrana side). Apparently has something to do with archduke Ferdinand. The knowledge, pride and passion for beer by the Czech people is astounding. I wouldn't be surprised if it was taught as a compulsory subject in schools.
Had a very nice evening at the Kidbrooke Beer Festival last night, along with a good chat to Strasburger, who I haven't seen since his late lamented boozer went :-( Not sure how much will be left tonight, but it's a lovely beer festival and I enjoyed watching the swifts swoop over the field, beer in hand.
Had a very nice evening at the Kidbrooke Beer Festival last night, along with a good chat to Strasburger, who I haven't seen since his late lamented boozer went :-( Not sure how much will be left tonight, but it's a lovely beer festival and I enjoyed watching the swifts swoop over the field, beer in hand.
Didn't make the festival this year. Spent most of our 3 days in breweries and seeking out small backstreet bars, which there are plenty. None of the four of us had a bad beer in the entire trip. Great food in a cellar bar called Ferdinand (on karmelistka, malastrana side). Apparently has something to do with archduke Ferdinand. The knowledge, pride and passion for beer by the Czech people is astounding. I wouldn't be surprised if it was taught as a compulsory subject in schools.
Not sure it is,yet, the schools are a bit old skool. But if you visit a Czech male doctor who tells you to avoid alcohol with the tablets he just prescribed you, and you say "What? No beer?", the answer will be something like "Beer? No, that isn't alcohol, and has many health properties. Vitamin this and that, strengthens the bones, etc, etc". The brochure at the festival last night had a whole page of guff along those lines. I gotta say that this morning I'd have complained to the Czech Advertising Standards Authority about it, if I didn't know they are run by a bent lawyer
This country's dedication to beer is, as you say, truly awe -inspiring.
Guinness West Indies Porter. Lovely stuff. I've tried a few of the new bottled range Guinness are putting out, some are good but this Porter is my fave.
Had a very nice evening at the Kidbrooke Beer Festival last night, along with a good chat to Strasburger, who I haven't seen since his late lamented boozer went :-( Not sure how much will be left tonight, but it's a lovely beer festival and I enjoyed watching the swifts swoop over the field, beer in hand.
Can you say if Strasburger is ok and what he's doing ? He hasn't posted for ages.
Had a very nice evening at the Kidbrooke Beer Festival last night, along with a good chat to Strasburger, who I haven't seen since his late lamented boozer went :-( Not sure how much will be left tonight, but it's a lovely beer festival and I enjoyed watching the swifts swoop over the field, beer in hand.
Can you say if Strasburger is ok and what he's doing ? He hasn't posted for ages.
He's working in IT (and helping out at Beer Festivals). Seemed a lot more relaxed and very enthusiastic about the local pubs. He is local to the Long Pond and pops in there regularly, but seems to have been in every pub I mentioned. Sorry, it did seem to be mainly beer we talked about. There is a Catford Beer Festival arranged at the newly re-opened Catford Bridge Tavern in about 5 weeks time which he will be at. I have the flyer somewhere so will post up the details when I can find it.
Cycled from Greenwich to the barrier and back yesterday. Very hot. Decided I deserved a refreshing pint of lager in the Old Brewery Meantime's beer garden in the Royal Naval college. I know it can be a bit pricey in there so rather than go for a Peroni I decided to opt for a standard in house lager. As the barmaid was pouring it looked just what I needed as the condensation formed on the outside of the glass. I was having a proper Ice Cold in Alexander moment. Then she said £5.75! For a second I am sure my expression was exactly the same as that bloke in the Macdonald ad taking the piss out of fancy coffee bars when he is charged £9 for a coffee.
Cycled from Greenwich to the barrier and back yesterday. Very hot. Decided I deserved a refreshing pint of lager in the Old Brewery Meantime's beer garden in the Royal Naval college. I know it can be a bit pricey in there so rather than go for a Peroni I decided to opt for a standard in house lager. As the barmaid was pouring it looked just what I needed as the condensation formed on the outside of the glass. I was having a proper Ice Cold in Alexander moment. Then she said £5.75! For a second I am sure my expression was exactly the same as that bloke in the Macdonald ad taking the piss out of fancy coffee bars when he is charged £9 for a coffee.
Ice Cold in Alex, one of my late wife's favourite films. Bye the way, I hope everybody noted the correct way to pour a larger, learnt that trick in Denmark, gets rid of the gasses. Best British beer? Try Adnams draft Broadside. Bye the way, John Mills had to take that shot umpteen times before they could get it right, he reckoned he was well pissed by the time they took the last one.
I was drinking this stuff last night. Explored a few of the pubs around Woolwich. The Equitable, Great Harry, The Prince Albert "Roses", The Dial Arch, The Taproom and The Ordnance.
Today I'm on the South London Tram and Beer Tour. Seven pubs between the Jolly Woodman, Beckenham and the Alexandra in Wimbledon. Trams and beer, what could be more Charlton? Pity it has to go through the heart of Nigeland.
Had an Innis and gun rum finish, and a Brewdog that had been kept in a whisky barrel and was 15%. Both were awful. The Brewdog one was like a can at a party someone had dropped a cigar butt in
Had an Innis and gun rum finish, and a Brewdog that had been kept in a whisky barrel and was 15%. Both were awful. The Brewdog one was like a can at a party someone had dropped a cigar butt in
I really like barrel aged stuff. Innis and Gunn were the first mainstream guys to do it. They are real sippers that are normally served too cold, I find they get better as they warm up.
Comments
Charlton Park RFC, Broad Walk, SE3.
As any festival goer knows, first two days the best as stocks tend to run low by Saturday.
My Dad's pub is one of the sponsors.
Engineering at its best.
Not a bad beer in sight.
Nice IPA from marble, somethingsky
But I have already enjoyed beers with @ElfsborgAddick and The Sint Truiden Gate- Locker this year and hopefully two more Lifers passing through in August, so looks like a record year for Lifers in Prague. Still waiting for @Chippycafc to confirm his dates though :-) ( seriously Chips, would be a pleasure)
Anyway, finally went to the Prague Beer Festival with the neighbours last night. Wonderful beers, all of us impressed with the IPAs and APAs on offer. One of the neighbours rounded off the evening with a 22 degree IPA , which we think was around 9%. He quaffed it like it was a Staropramen so we will be interested to see how he is today. But for anybody planning to do it next year, our tip is eat before you go. The food offer was dire.
Spent most of our 3 days in breweries and seeking out small backstreet bars, which there are plenty.
None of the four of us had a bad beer in the entire trip.
Great food in a cellar bar called Ferdinand (on karmelistka, malastrana side). Apparently has something to do with archduke Ferdinand.
The knowledge, pride and passion for beer by the Czech people is astounding.
I wouldn't be surprised if it was taught as a compulsory subject in schools.
Not sure how much will be left tonight, but it's a lovely beer festival and I enjoyed watching the swifts swoop over the field, beer in hand.
This country's dedication to beer is, as you say, truly awe -inspiring.
Currently enjoying a bottle of this Rodenbach Grand Cru. Never had this style before but Christ it's good.
I'm in Bock in Manchester. Serves mainly Belgian beers, lovely place.
https://www.ratebeer.com/beer/de-molen-weer-wind-2016/451158/
They are real sippers that are normally served too cold, I find they get better as they warm up.