Real Ale comes home at Burton Beer Festival
By: JimOldfield
March 16th, 2012
Real ale came home last night – for the 33rd time – as drinkers came in droves to the heartland of British brewing, Burton-Upon-Trent, for the start of the three-day Burton Beer Festival.
Several hundred arrived at Burton’s magnificent gothic town hall to savour an eclectic beer list of 146 real ales, plus a score of ciders, perries and bottled beers, at Burton and South Derbyshire CAMRA’s annual event.
The festivities – which are expected to draw a further 4,500 today (Friday) and tomorow (Saturday) – were officially launched by renowned beer writer and editor Roger Protz (pictured left) , who also announced the winners of the East Midland Best Bitter of 2012.
First place went to Northamptonshire’s Great Oakley for Wot’s Occuring (3.9 per cent) – a golden session beer. Ashover, from Derbyshire, picked up second spot for pale hoppy ale, Hydro (4.3 per cent). Grafter’s from near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, took third for the amber single-hopped Over The Moon (4.0 per cent).
Visitors attending today and tomorrow can expect live entertainment during the sessions, including recitals on a Wurlitzer organ both lunchtimes, acoustic folk on Saturday afternoon, and live bands in the evenings.
Children are welcome until 6pm, and the festival organisers have even provided a Kiddies Corner, wth a magician on Saturday afternoon.
There are also chocolates and jams on sale, plus a range of hot and cold food.
The sessions run from 11.30am-11pm on both days
Entrance is free to card-carrying CAMRA members, and £2 for non-members, during the lunchtime sessions and £2 for CAMRA members (£6 for non-members) during the evenings.
For out-of-towners, the Town Hall is a two-minute walk from the railway station.
Hand-Pumped caught up with Roger Protz to talk about the future of the real ale industry, and what micro-brewers must do to survive in an increasingly competitive industry.
