Ale Street News Online

This reality could be easily confirmed by attending just one session at the Great British Beer Festival held at London’s Earls Court Sept. 5-9.

The festival’s organizer, the 35-year-old Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), is not a group to rest on its laurels, however. This year’s fest began with a protest against increased beer taxes which CAMRA says will lead to pub closings and pints costing as much as 5 pounds ($10) by the time the Olympics roll into town in 2012. Other CAMRA initiatives highlighted at the Fest included the green-friendliness of drinking local cask-conditioned ale, promoting Britain’s scores of local Real Ale festivals and the Cyclops program designed to help new and inexperienced drinkers discover Real Ale.

It’s been four years since I attended the GBBF. The first change I noticed was the sheer size; the Earls Court location is much bigger than Olympia, the fest’s former home, one tube stop away. I also noticed the Beers Sans Frontieres bar, which features non-British beers, including about 40 cask ales from the U.S., has tripled in size; instead of being buried in the back, it’s now front and central near the entrance. Thirdly, I noticed a new size of glass — the one-third pint size in addition to the traditional half and full imperial (20-oz.) pints was introduced last year. I found the almost 7 oz. servings for mostly around one English pound ($2) to be an affordable and comfortable method of tasting.

The Tuesday afternoon trade session was brisk. If you’re in the business of beer in Britain, this was the place to be. Clusters of suited or unsuited beer purveyors conducted impromptu meetings everywhere as the first pints of British nectar were pulled from pregnant casks. The Wells & Young’s double-decker bus was a prominent pow-wow place. Elsewhere an ever-growing group of Skinners brewery folks kept erupting into song, an active volcano of Cornish folklore.

Beers were arranged geographically — almost 300 breweries and more than 450 real ales and ciders. Most beers were poured by an army of dedicated volunteers, although some breweries staffed their own kiosks — Marston’s, Wychwood, Theakston, Fuller’s for example. The Bar Nouveau, sponsored by Wetherspoons, featured a variety of new breweries — more than 50 micros opened last year despite a dodgy economy; while the Bar UnusuAle featured many organic ales and some unusually named brews — Anti-Imperialistic Soviet Stout for example from Bartram’s in Suffolk.

I made a bee-line for Harvey’s Best Bitter, the beer I grew up with in my Sussex youth. It was the runner-up Champion in 2006 — as good as ever I sighed with the first satisfying sip. Next, I couldn’t resist Crouch Vale’s Brewers Gold, Champion beer of 2005 and 06. The majority of beers are in the range of traditional British Bitter, pale and mildly aromatic. The newer American hop-influenced Golden Ales whack the palate a bit harder, but still keep to the session strength of 3.5-5%. Milds are still popular (sort of a draft brown ale with low 3.5ish% alcohol except for oxymoronic strong milds which come in stronger). There were a number of porters in the house, but about the strongest brews you could find were Spectrum’s Old Stoatwobbler or Highland’s Orkney Blast bordering on barleywine at 6%; the dark and warming Mammon from Milton at 7%; or the enigmatic Cherry Popper from Green Jack at 8.5%. Most of Britain’s strong styles have their own separate showcase at the Winter Ales festival in January. For those seeking stronger fare in the summer (or more carbonation in bottles!), Bieres Sans Frontieres could fill the bill. Here Port Brewing’s Angel’s Share from California ruled the roost at 12% strength, but there were many Italian, Belgian, German — even Japanese or Australian beers to choose from, a little pricier than the locals.

Next in my glass was Beijing Black from Potbelly a fruity dark mild. At the SIBA (Society of Independent brewers), booth I tasted the hoppy golden Flower Power from Whim and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Bitter from Oakham. I was interested to try the brews from Otley which came recommended from Wales where I had recently been vacationing. I was not surprised to learn that O-Garden, with orange peel, coriander and a heavy dose of clove, and "01" both won gold awards in the specialty and golden categories respectively.

At around 4 p.m. the judging awards were announced by longtime Good Beer Guide editor Roger Protz following a moment of remembrance for beer writer Michael Jackson; this was the first GBBF without him. The Champion Beer of Britain went to Alton’s Pride from the Triple fff brewer in Hampshire. The 11-year-old microbrewery just cut the ribbon on a new 50-bbl. brewhouse. Roger, a bit of a traditionalist, admitted to a certain gratification that traditional styles had regained the crown — bitter this year, mild last — after a couple of years of dominance of the newer hoppier, "golden" beers.

As the doors opened to the public and beer lovers streamed in like water from an opened sluice gate, I found myself nursing what seemed like a nightcap — Gale’s Festive Mild — at the Fullers bar. I noticed an attractive and seemingly unattended Griffin umbrella nearby, and having lost my brolly the day before, I began to covet it. I made inquiries but no one claimed ownership, not even the chap who was entertaining his parliamentary beer tasting group. However, as I laid claim to it, a woman did the same. "I have as much right to it as you do," I said in no uncertain terms. After much back and forth it began to dawn on me that perhaps it really did belong to her. But then she said, "Why do you want it — because it’s an umbrella or because it’s Fuller’s?" "Because it’s Fuller’s," I said. "OK, there you go," she said. I am indebted to you Beverly Lazarides, Fuller’s National Account Manager.

Lunchtime sessions of the GBBF continued to siphon city workers from their offices throughout the week, giving way to more mellow afternoon tastings that bridged the gap to raucous evenings in the Britain’s largest pub until 10:30 p.m. closing time (7 p.m. on Saturday). Ample choice of food — pork pies, fish and chips, curries, free range meat, Thai food, Japanese noodles and cheese plates — was available to absorb the liquid intake. More than 65,000 beer lovers passed thru the doors during the 5-day festival stint.

For more information and full competition results, visit gbbf.org.uk or www. www.camra.org.uk.