The 21st Battersea Beer Festival

I had a day in lieu and what better way to spend it than to go to a beer festival!  The ideal day, had a lie in, had a run around the park (to make myself feel like I’m not too unhealthy), went for a huge fry up then went to Battersea.  I was going with my brother and a work mate, who was with his housemate.  

To the festival!

Held in the Grand Hall up on Lavender Hill, it's a good venue with all the barrels down the middle of the hall and a big ‘U’ shaped bar.  The cider was downstairs.  My first beer festival since my two visits to the GBBF last year.  

Beer festivals are usually pretty good fun.  The nice thing is how they all have their own personalities.  The big festivals like the GBBF certainly are a good day out with such a huge beer selection and entertainment, but it’s the small ones that can be the real winners.  Festivals like the Hook Norton Beer Festival or just pub festivals like the Imperial Beer fest in Exeter often have the most charm and character.  

I knew from experience that due to its popularity the Battersea Beer Festival sells out of ale towards the end of Friday night.  So getting there early was the key to having the best choice.  Sam (my brother) and I arrived at 2pm and my work mate Beno and his housemate Tim were already there getting stuck in.  They’d got us a table which was a good find.  I started on half pints as I always do at a festival as you usually get a bit more than a half and its a good way of trying more of the beers.  I saw a bloke at the GBBF last year with his own pint carrying basket with 4 halves in there.  I thought that was a great idea!  He was making notes on each one.  

I usually like to try as many beers that I’ve not had before at festivals.  My favourites of the day were the Box Steam Brewery, Derail Ale a good strong bitter (5.2%).  The Beowulf Brewery, Finn's Hall Porter was my favourite porter of the day.  I couldn’t go there without having a beer by the glass sponsor Hop Back Brewery, their Crop Circle was really refreshing and easy to drink.  I did sink many many, if not too many more beers and even a cider.  One issue with beer festivals is sometimes you do get one that is truly wrong, the worst I think I ever had was a pint of porter from India that must have been made with water straight from the Ganges!  This years shocker was Acer from the Bristol Beer Factory, the first sip realised I wasn’t going to like it, the citrus blast they advertise is really way too strong!  I struggled through it and was pleased to have a quality pint of Copper Dragon, Best Bitter afterwards.  

The first beers.

I liked the way the demographic of the festival changed over the day.  When we arrived there were lots of middle aged bearded men with bellies, the typical ale drinking sterotypes.  Later though the average age dropped dramatically and many more younger beer drinkers came along to see what was on offer.  It was good fun and a good crowd.  I had always wondered how young men when from being healthy young types to the bearded bellied drinkers you often see at bars and at what age.  Tim, Beno’s house mate gave me that answer.  Sporting a fine beard with a bit of a belly going on and clearly into his ale, it looks like 27 is the age in question!  

Tim and Beno

Even the Stoat made an appearance

The food was good with a wide selection of dishes.  Much better than last year as I recall.  I had some very good wurst and chips.  I think I should have had more food to soak up some of the ale!  

Wurst and Chips

Finally the beer ran out as we knew it would and it was time to move on.  I think we were all fairly obliterated by this point, from what I’ve noted in the guide I’d had 9.5 pints by then so one more at the Falcon near Clapham Junction station.  I really can not for the life of me remember much about what happened there or what beer I had but I can say from previous experience that it’s a good pub, worth a visit,  especially when they have their own beer festival.  

Time for home and the hang over was particularly bad the next day!  This did make me question if going to a beer festival for so long is a good idea...Well the answer is always yes, but in terms of beer tasting maybe not so much.  My notes became a scrawl and towards the end I kept forgetting what I’d bought my brother by the time I got back to the table, which he wasn’t pleased about.  

As a festival the Battersea is a good medium sized fest and I’m looking forward to 2012!