Fetch Real Ale Drinkers (FRAD)

Wriggling Snake

Sep 2019

4:55pm, 15 Sep 2019

23,965 posts

0

Wriggling Snake

Just got back from Catalunya, hiking for two weeks. My Spanish was near to useless as Catala has taken off big time up in the hills and mountains....anyway found two breweries on our bikes. The best being Hopsters in Besalu....tremendous IPA.

thehopsters.com

mr d

Sep 2019

8:26pm, 18 Sep 2019

3,316 posts

0

mr d

Ilkley brewery - Mary Jane pale ale, quite nice as was the Fullers Bohemian Way.

BaronessBL

Sep 2019

9:23am, 19 Sep 2019

7,803 posts

0

BaronessBL

Off to the new Ipswich Beer Festival tomorrow - should be interesting, it's no longer run by CAMRA but is a commercial event so more pricey but with give it a look and see if it's worth the extra money!

Wriggling Snake

Sep 2019

11:15am, 19 Sep 2019

24,046 posts

0

Wriggling Snake

That's interesting, not run by CAMRA, what happened there? I still haven't got myself sorted out to go to a beer festival lately, it's madness I haven't.

mr d

Sep 2019

8:55pm, 19 Sep 2019

3,317 posts

0

mr d

I may be wrong, but I think the national CAMRA is unwilling to underwrite the local associations festival.

BaronessBL

Sep 2019

8:22am, 20 Sep 2019

7,804 posts

0

BaronessBL

I also may be wrong, but I think the greater issue is that Ipswich CAMRA and the local council were unable to reach agreement on a venue and there aren't many suitable non-council owned venues in the area I suspect. The year they held it at the football club was great but I believe that was affected by weather and I suspect a very costly exercise too so mr d's thought could also have some bearing as to why CAMRA do not run the Ipswich Beer Festival now. Having said that I would not wish to knock Ipswich and East Suffolk CAMRA - they run or assist with a number of other Beer Festivals locally and do a lot of good work promoting pubs too.

BaronessBL

Sep 2019

7:39pm, 20 Sep 2019

7,807 posts

0

BaronessBL

Well - Ipswich Beer Festival was interesting. Had I paid to get in this afternoon (which I didn't) I understand it would have cost me about £8 for which I would have been able to take home a non-beer festival branded half pint tulip glass (no pint glasses available). As a CAMRA member I also got a £4 beer voucher. Beer was sold in 1/3 or 1/2 pint measures at about £1.20 and £1.60 respectively. Tonight admission is best part of £14 but that is largely for the band(s) that will be on. In my experience of beer festivals if you have a really good band that people will pay over the odds to come to see, you end up not selling so much beer. Those who have come to drink beers are annoyed by the music and those who are just there to watch it don't drink much beer - but good luck to the organisers if they can make it work.

The selection of real ales wasn't as good as in 'the old days' of the Ipswich Beer Festival and there were a lot of craft/fruit/wheat/sour/alcohol-free(wtaf -its a beer festival) and things that I didn't much care for. Some though were a pleasant surprise. There were two food stalls only one of which was open this afternoon and the food was overpriced crap - I'd have eaten the programme before paying £3.50 for a samosa if I'd known how bad it was going to be. But good luck to them. I hope they can tweak it to make it a successful annual event, it's certainly got potential. I'd look in again next year if so, but only for an afternoon and only if I was going to get in for considerably less than £8 which I understand the afternoon session should have been.

mr d

Sep 2019

8:06pm, 20 Sep 2019

3,318 posts

0

mr d

True Baroness, I forgot about the venue issues. I will get the lowdown from my CAMRA member friend as we struggle around Cycle Swarm next Sunday. I know the National/Local situation has been a problem in the past.

Doesn't sound like the beer was overpriced, but £14 into a limited size beer festival is a lot.

Groundhog

Sep 2019

11:54am, 23 Sep 2019

552 posts

0

Groundhog

The beer pantry at home is almost bare - or more like, it's nearly full of empties rather than full bottles, so it's time for me to get brewing again. Not exactly sure what I'm going to be doing this time, but it might be based around an IPA.

I'm also looking at growing some hops in our garden, so a green hopped ale might be on for next year. Something nice to think about anyway.

mr d

Oct 2019

9:31pm, 16 Oct 2019

3,342 posts

0

mr d

Groundhog, sounds exciting.

Sorry Baroness Cycle Swarm was cancelled, meeting with my friend for a beer soon, will try to remember to ask.

In Harrogate recently Yorkshire Pale Ale, Mary Jane, Black Sheep Velo and Black Sheep Best all sampled over two nights and all very nice.

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Wriggling Snake Sep 2019 4:55pm, 15 Sep 2019 23,965 posts	0 Wriggling Snake Just got back from Catalunya, hiking for two weeks. My Spanish was near to useless as Catala has taken off big time up in the hills and mountains....anyway found two breweries on our bikes. The best being Hopsters in Besalu....tremendous IPA. thehopsters.com
mr d Sep 2019 8:26pm, 18 Sep 2019 3,316 posts	0 mr d Ilkley brewery - Mary Jane pale ale, quite nice as was the Fullers Bohemian Way.
BaronessBL Sep 2019 9:23am, 19 Sep 2019 7,803 posts	0 BaronessBL Off to the new Ipswich Beer Festival tomorrow - should be interesting, it's no longer run by CAMRA but is a commercial event so more pricey but with give it a look and see if it's worth the extra money!
Wriggling Snake Sep 2019 11:15am, 19 Sep 2019 24,046 posts	0 Wriggling Snake That's interesting, not run by CAMRA, what happened there? I still haven't got myself sorted out to go to a beer festival lately, it's madness I haven't.
mr d Sep 2019 8:55pm, 19 Sep 2019 3,317 posts	0 mr d I may be wrong, but I think the national CAMRA is unwilling to underwrite the local associations festival.
BaronessBL Sep 2019 8:22am, 20 Sep 2019 7,804 posts	0 BaronessBL I also may be wrong, but I think the greater issue is that Ipswich CAMRA and the local council were unable to reach agreement on a venue and there aren't many suitable non-council owned venues in the area I suspect. The year they held it at the football club was great but I believe that was affected by weather and I suspect a very costly exercise too so mr d's thought could also have some bearing as to why CAMRA do not run the Ipswich Beer Festival now. Having said that I would not wish to knock Ipswich and East Suffolk CAMRA - they run or assist with a number of other Beer Festivals locally and do a lot of good work promoting pubs too.
BaronessBL Sep 2019 7:39pm, 20 Sep 2019 7,807 posts	0 BaronessBL Well - Ipswich Beer Festival was interesting. Had I paid to get in this afternoon (which I didn't) I understand it would have cost me about £8 for which I would have been able to take home a non-beer festival branded half pint tulip glass (no pint glasses available). As a CAMRA member I also got a £4 beer voucher. Beer was sold in 1/3 or 1/2 pint measures at about £1.20 and £1.60 respectively. Tonight admission is best part of £14 but that is largely for the band(s) that will be on. In my experience of beer festivals if you have a really good band that people will pay over the odds to come to see, you end up not selling so much beer. Those who have come to drink beers are annoyed by the music and those who are just there to watch it don't drink much beer - but good luck to the organisers if they can make it work. The selection of real ales wasn't as good as in 'the old days' of the Ipswich Beer Festival and there were a lot of craft/fruit/wheat/sour/alcohol-free(wtaf -its a beer festival) and things that I didn't much care for. Some though were a pleasant surprise. There were two food stalls only one of which was open this afternoon and the food was overpriced crap - I'd have eaten the programme before paying £3.50 for a samosa if I'd known how bad it was going to be. But good luck to them. I hope they can tweak it to make it a successful annual event, it's certainly got potential. I'd look in again next year if so, but only for an afternoon and only if I was going to get in for considerably less than £8 which I understand the afternoon session should have been.
mr d Sep 2019 8:06pm, 20 Sep 2019 3,318 posts	0 mr d True Baroness, I forgot about the venue issues. I will get the lowdown from my CAMRA member friend as we struggle around Cycle Swarm next Sunday. I know the National/Local situation has been a problem in the past. Doesn't sound like the beer was overpriced, but £14 into a limited size beer festival is a lot.
Groundhog Sep 2019 11:54am, 23 Sep 2019 552 posts	0 Groundhog The beer pantry at home is almost bare - or more like, it's nearly full of empties rather than full bottles, so it's time for me to get brewing again. Not exactly sure what I'm going to be doing this time, but it might be based around an IPA. I'm also looking at growing some hops in our garden, so a green hopped ale might be on for next year. Something nice to think about anyway.
mr d Oct 2019 9:31pm, 16 Oct 2019 3,342 posts	0 mr d Groundhog, sounds exciting. Sorry Baroness Cycle Swarm was cancelled, meeting with my friend for a beer soon, will try to remember to ask. In Harrogate recently Yorkshire Pale Ale, Mary Jane, Black Sheep Velo and Black Sheep Best all sampled over two nights and all very nice.