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Reading Beer Festival 2009 (CAMRA Beer Festival)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Ascot - Anastasia's Imperial Stout |  | 1 |
| Elland - Amnesia |  | 1 |
| Brodie's (latterly contract brewed by Rhymney) - Mild | | 1 |
| Pictish - Atlas | | 1 |
| Kirkby Lonsdale - Ruskin's | | 1 |
| Earl Soham - Gannet Mild | | 1 |
| Binghams - Bingham Stout | | 1 |
| Ulverston - Celebration | | 1 |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Dragon's Blood ESB | | 1 |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Kipling | | 1 |
| Norfolk Square - Pi | | 1 |
| Exeter - Avocet Ale | | 1 |
| Lakeland (formerly Stringers) - Dry Stout | | 1 |
| Prescott - Hill Climb | | 1 |
| Devon Earth - Lost in the Woods | | 1 |
| Storyteller - Tell Tale |  | 1 |
| Hunter's - Crack Shot | | 1 |
| Mallinsons - Let There Be Hops | | 1 |
| Driftwood Spars - Lou's Brew | | 1 |
| Backyard - Dandelion & Burdock Porter | | 1 |
| Little Ale Cart - Fair Maid | | 1 |
| Farnham - William Cobbett | | 1 |
| Mallinsons - Black Mambo No. 5 | | 1 |
| Aston - Rotunda Red | | 1 |
| Pitstop - Chicane | | 2 |
| Mallinsons - Marina Mild | | 1 |
| Downton - Chocolate Orange Delight | | 1 |
| Forge - Dreckly | | 1 |
| Epicurus Craft Beer (formerly Hornbeam) - Polska Bitter |  | 1 |
| Hunter's - Pheasant Plucker | | 1 |
| Quantock - Quantock Ale | | 1 |
| Downton - Nelson's Delight | | 1 |
| Monty's - Moondance | | 1 |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Sensoria II | | 1 |
| Otley - OPA | | 1 |
| Altarnum (formerly Penpont) - Roughtor | | 1 |
| Bewdley - Old School | | 1 |
| Teignworthy - Martha's Mild | | 1 |
| Pictish - Agave | | 1 |
| Potbelly - Ambrosia |  | 1 |
| Epicurus Craft Beer (formerly Hornbeam) - Lemon Blosson | | 1 |
Visits Details
01 May 2009 (Mick Northants)
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earl Soham - Gannet Mild | 3.30 | | |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Dragon's Blood ESB | 5.20 | | |
| Exeter - Avocet Ale | 3.90 | | |
| Kirkby Lonsdale - Ruskin's | 3.90 | | |
| Norfolk Square - Pi | 3.80 | | |
| Prescott - Hill Climb | 3.80 | | |
| Brodie's (latterly contract brewed by Rhymney) - Mild | 3.60 | | |
| Ulverston - Celebration | 3.90 | | |
| Forge - Dreckly | 5.50 | | |
| Hunter's - Crack Shot | 3.80 | | |
| Little Ale Cart - Fair Maid | 4.00 | | |
| Storyteller - Tell Tale | 3.80 | |
01 May 2009 (Mick Northants)
A crowded beer festival
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binghams - Bingham Stout | 5.00 | | |
| Devon Earth - Lost in the Woods | 4.70 | | |
| Farnham - William Cobbett | 4.50 | | |
| Pitstop - Chicane | 7.00 | | |
| Driftwood Spars - Lou's Brew | 5.00 | |
30 Apr 2009 (Ian)
Well I met up with Chris from Ratebeer and pretty soon after getting in the queue we were in. We sat in the second of the two tents and tried new breweries, new beers and chatted with the locals on our table about possible beers to try. Still one of my top UK festivals. So much to choose, so easy to get to and being able to drink thirds is great. Finished the night drinking Augustiner Edelstoff on draught with Olaf who brings in the German beers for Camra festivals. The lager to prove that lagers can be great.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ascot - Anastasia's Imperial Stout | 8.00 | | Beer of the festival for me Black, thick and unctious, thin tan head. Really good. Enormously good. Good hops to balance. Rich tarry dark malts, kinda sweet, just so lovely, really impressed. Very intense dark choc. Swallow and finish are brilliant, really sing. Stands up alongside many a US impy stout and very much in that vein |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Kipling | 5.20 | | Just such lovely lime fruit with bit of tropical juice. Lovely. |
| Lakeland (formerly Stringers) - Dry Stout | 4.50 | | Also known as No. 2 stout. One of the best beers of the first day. Black, big lasting tan head. Very roasty aroma. Very roasted overall. I liked it. Good fullness, lovely dark choc. |
| Elland - Amnesia | 5.60 | | Gold, no head. Hop and I thought butter on the aorma. Good hops through out, bit earthy, bit citrusy, some grapefruit, and a nice bite about the beer. It’s fullish and very drinkable. |
| Pictish - Atlas | 5.00 | | Pretty looking beer. Sherberty hop, really quite biting. Great condition. Enormously drinkable lovely sharp fruit. |
| Mallinsons - Marina Mild | 4.00 | | Almost black/dark brown, no head. Very choccy for a mild. Mild aroma. Very simple and easy drinking on the palate. |
| Mallinsons - Let There Be Hops | 5.30 | | Hazy orangey gold, fading off white head. Certainly sweetly hoppy on aroma. It’s ok, lots of hops, but definitely had hoppier beers, Brew Dog Hardcore IPA for example. Sweet resin. Bit earthy. Good, but doesn’t blow me away. |
| Mallinsons - Black Mambo No. 5 | 4.00 | | Black, dark brown edges, lasting beige. Deent dark roasted flavours, dark roasted malt, tad smokey. Bit of bite on finish. Good dark mild. Good choc, nice fullness. |
| Downton - Chocolate Orange Delight | 5.80 | | Not really expecting to like this, but it’s good. Very deep chestnut colour/mahogany, lasting beige head. Smells like an orange kitkat. Bit of wafer. It is rather chocolatey in the mouth, actually it’s very nice and grew on me after the initial hit of intensity. Bit of spice on swallow. Nice. |
| Backyard - Dandelion & Burdock Porter | 4.30 | | Very very dark brown. Quite lasting beige head. Vinous dark fruity aroma. A little rubbery maybe. Good blackberry blackcurrant fruit throughout. A bit of tar, but I like the cab sauv qualities. |
| Aston - Rotunda Red | 4.80 | | Very deep brown colour, lasting beige head. Yeast and malt on aroma. Reminds me of something. Reddish fruit here. Harsh redcurrant. Not what I was expecting. Daraker, meaner and fruitier than I expected. Interesting. |
| Pitstop - Chicane | 7.00 | | One of 3 impy stouts that this brewer brought to the festival. Very opaque dark brown/black, little head. Bit of acetone/plastic on aroma, with bit of choc. Sweetish in mouth, some syrup, dark syrup, some fruit and choc. Just a bit bizarre and Chris had to finish it. |
| Epicurus Craft Beer (formerly Hornbeam) - Polska Bitter | 4.10 | | Plum like aroma, bit of tea in the flavour. Very fruity in mouth, very fruity on finish, good plums throughout. |
| Hunter's - Pheasant Plucker | 4.30 | | Deep chestnut, lasting beige head. Bit of ashtray. It’s ok, smoke/ashtray. Bit of dark fruit on the malts. |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Sensoria II | 4.30 | | A new Thornbridge beer for me is a real event, so imagine my disappointment when this lacked some of the more interesting flavours, aromas and qualities that the breweries other beers do. Lovely mid brown colour, lasting beige head. Soe soft citrus hop on aroma. OK malts in mouth. Toffee-ish. Some plummy fruit on finish. OK, but not as exciting as some of their other beers. |
| Teignworthy - Martha's Mild | 5.30 | | Very dark brown, almost black. Liquorice type mild. Like Black Jack sweets. OK, but not really my thing. |
| Downton - Nelson's Delight | 4.50 | | Clear gold, very lasting bubbly white head. Slightly yeasty on aroma. Not sure rum is very present. It’s got a bit of sweetness form the rum, yes definite edge to it, over a perfectly fine golden ale. Rather good. |
| Quantock - Quantock Ale | 3.80 | | Yeasty, biscuit. Yeasty bitter, some toffee, but mostly a non descript bitter. Dullish |
| Otley - OPA | 4.60 | | Gold/copper colour with a slight haze. Lasting thin beige head. Toasty malts. Supposed to be a spin off of an IPA. It’s a reasonably hoppy malty toasty beer. OK. |
| Altarnum (formerly Penpont) - Roughtor | 4.70 | | Mid brown bitter colour with very lasting beige head. Odd flavoured strongish bitter. Bit of stone. It settles down into an ok premium bitter. |
| Pictish - Agave | 4.60 | | I approached this with some trepidation as Chris brought it back to the table. Clear pale gold, thin white head. The agavve is noticeable on aroma, but not unpleasant. OK in mouth, quite hoppy just not very stingy on finish. Bit lacking in malts. Very stingy on tongue. Sweet. Just not sure. |
| Monty's - Moondance | 4.00 | | Copper colour lasting beige head. Appley bitter aroma. It’s a bitter with green apple. Probably not quite ready to go on yet. Too tight on the tongue. |
| Bewdley - Old School | 3.80 | | Gold/copper colour with lasting beige head. Looks in cracking condition. It’s a bitter. Some apple flavour. Bit tight on tongue. Some malt, touch of biscuit. Needs a day to be good I would guess. Bit of herb on the finish. |
| Epicurus Craft Beer (formerly Hornbeam) - Lemon Blosson | 3.70 | | Gold, very carbonated by the looks of it, thin white head. Eeech, that’s not a good start. Bit of biscuit malt. Not good, odd buttery flavour |
| Potbelly - Ambrosia | 4.00 | | Pretty chestnut colour. Caramel malty in mouth. Syrupy malt. Not wonderful |
About the Reading Beer Festival 2009
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 1 |
| 14 |
| 13 |
| 12 |
| 2 |
The pub is found in Reading, Berkshire, RG1 8BN.
Third biggest UK CAMRA beer festival. Great location only 10 mins walk from the railway station, in King's Meadow. Yes the queues mean that you need to get there within an hour or two of opening time, but if you make the effort the list of new breweries, new/interesting beers all at third, half and full pint measures, make this a great festival. Two large marquees with plenty of outdoor space for seating make this a really good festival. Cider, perry champion of the year is judged and announced here as well as a decent size foreign bar.
We have visited this pub 3 times, seen 41 different beers and tried them all.
Postcode: RG1 8BN