Ten thousand holes, forty-plus beers
'Steady' Steve Hornbuckle makes it easy to love a beer festival. Perfectly stillaged beers in the function room of the Royal Oak, Ockbrook. Attentive, enthusiastic staff. Cheese platters and pork pies on sale.
And those beers - every year he sources casks from a specific English county to showcase every brewery there, whether its a brewpub or a regional powerhouse. This year it's Lancashire's turn (non-metropolitan, not ceremonial). Truth be told, beforehand I was hard-pushed to name anything from there with the exception of Thwaites. But tonight has been insightful.
Deep tropical fruit in Burscough's Priory Gold. Some slight-yet-moreish bittersweetness around Lytham's IPA. The sheer glubbability of Moonstone's Black Star Mild. Sharp wit-ness with a bubblegum chomp at the end of Blue Buzzard's White Dwarf.
I only had ninety minutes so hardly dinted the beers on offer - gravity in the back room, handpull on the bar. Swift halves were called for. So I'm looking forward to going back on Saturday, early doors, for a few pints.
Early doors being 0830. For England v France in the Rugby World Cup on the big screen. In that function room. Full of festival beers. With a full cooked breakfast at half time.
What could possibly go wrong?
And those beers - every year he sources casks from a specific English county to showcase every brewery there, whether its a brewpub or a regional powerhouse. This year it's Lancashire's turn (non-metropolitan, not ceremonial). Truth be told, beforehand I was hard-pushed to name anything from there with the exception of Thwaites. But tonight has been insightful.
Deep tropical fruit in Burscough's Priory Gold. Some slight-yet-moreish bittersweetness around Lytham's IPA. The sheer glubbability of Moonstone's Black Star Mild. Sharp wit-ness with a bubblegum chomp at the end of Blue Buzzard's White Dwarf.
I only had ninety minutes so hardly dinted the beers on offer - gravity in the back room, handpull on the bar. Swift halves were called for. So I'm looking forward to going back on Saturday, early doors, for a few pints.
Early doors being 0830. For England v France in the Rugby World Cup on the big screen. In that function room. Full of festival beers. With a full cooked breakfast at half time.
What could possibly go wrong?
Can't think of anything...25 points up at half time, a half century beckoning...good beers and the allure of pig products for breakfast...sounds like a slice of fried gold to me!
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