Beer engines meet steam engines at northern ale festival
By: JimOldfield
May 1st, 2012
A weekend of glug-glug and chug-chug is coming to South Yorkshire as Barnsley CAMRA hosts its annual beer festival… at a steam-railway.
The Elsecar Heritage Railway will swap steam engines for beer engines this Thursday (May 4) as 30-plus real ales – many of them festival specials – will be in full flow for four days of drinking.
Beer list organisers have gone full-steam ahead for nearby Yorkshire breweries, with almost EVERY ale on the list coming from the White Rose county.
Meanwhile, there is a distinct railway flavour among the ales, with on-the-doorstep brewers Wentworth delivering Monster Mash (after the Maerdy Monster engine), Avonside Strong and Smokebox Stout, and Doncaster-based Glentworth also bringing three – Plant, Mallard, and 36A (the name of Doncaster’s former Steam Locomotive shed).
Raw, of Staveley near Chesterfield and Oakwell, from Barnsley are also producing festival specials.
Visitors can also expect a variety of ciders and perries, plus live music and hot and cold food.
The festival opens from 4-10.30pm on Thursday, and from noon-10.30pm from Friday to Sunday. Entry is free at all times.
For train travellers to the event, the Heritage Railway is situated at the rear of the Elsecar Heritage Centre, about a 10-minute walk from Elsecar mainline station.
Hand-Pumped links:
See the beer list and more information here: http://www.barnsleycamra.org.uk
Find the railway here: http://www.elsecarrailway.co.uk/beerfestival.html
