Raise a glass to a summer of beer
By Phil Mellows
On Wednesday, June 15, we’ll be raising a foam-topped glass for Beer Day Britain, the annual celebration of the nation’s favourite alcoholic beverage. The occasion, created and curated by the inimitable Jane Peyton, somehow feels more like the start of a summer-long event than a single slurp, as the sun shines on a whole series of happenings highlighted in the intrepid beer-drinker’s diary.
Across the country, traditional beer festivals, usually hosted by local branches of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), have been supplemented by gatherings attracted by modern craft beers, many organised by brewers themselves, that have a different, younger feel, and all giving more opportunities to taste the vast diversity of beers Britain now enjoys.
And there’s more to it than drinking. Festivals typically offer food and live music in a variety of interesting locations, offering an excuse to visit somewhere new and discover what else the destination has to offer.
The weekend of June 24-26 is a good example, a time when you might wish you could be in three places at once.
In Sussex, These Hills happens in the South Downs countryside just outside Lewes. It’s hosted by Beak Brewery, which has quickly gained a fine reputation and will be joined by an impressive line-up of craft brewers from home and abroad.
Visitors might want to make some time to pop into the historic town during the two-day event to quaff beers from another local brewer, Harvey’s, on the roof garden at the Rights of Man (the house where revolutionary Tom Paine lived is across the road) or at the Lewes Arms, famous as the pub where the regulars won a campaign to put Harvey’s Best back on the bar after it was taken over by another brewer.
At the same time we’ve got Summer Beer Thing. Described as “a celebration of all that is seasonal, regional and interesting in the world of beer and beyond”, it takes place at the trendy canal-side Kampus development in the heart of Manchester. As well as beers from a dozen or so craft brewers, there is food, wine, tastings, DJs and live music over three days.
And, for something completely different, you can drink a range of local cask beers while sitting in historic train carriages at the North Norfolk Railway Beer and Cider Festival, held by the sea in Sheringham. There’s live music in the evenings and a hog roast. But you probably won’t experience the “craft beer mayhem” promised at the Glasgow Craft Beer Festival on July 8 and 9. The event is one of seven now organised by We Are Beer, which also has summer craft beer festivals in Manchester (July 22-23) and London (August 12-13).
The latter is one of my favourites to go to, taking place in Tobacco Dock, a light and airy venue that doesn’t seem to get too crowded, despite the quality of the many beers of all styles that are on offer.
If you’re going to make only one festival this summer, though, is has to be Camra’s Great British Beer Festival, over five days at London’s Olympia, August 2-6. It is, of course, dominated by real ale, but in countless different styles. Not only is every corner of the UK represented, rare cask-conditioned brews are shipped in from Europe and America. If you don’t mind queueing up, you might even get to taste them!
For a more intimate occasion, Verdant Brewing is hosting the new Little Summer Beer Bash at its tap room in Penryn, Cornwall. There are 35 brewers lined up to appear at this one-day festival on July 23, a joint effort between Verdant and two other cutting edge players, Deya and Left Handed Giant.
Another favourite of mine is Thornbridge Peakender, pictured, over the weekend of August 19-21. Staged in Bakewell Showground amid the scenery of the Peak District National Park, this one is very much a family-friendly festival with a full timetable of music and entertainment - while dedicated beer drinkers can escape the face-painting at learned talks and tastings.
So, once you’ve raised your glass on Beer Day Britain, there’s no reason why you can’t keep raising it through the summer, again and again.