PubsandBeer
History: Home > Chappel Beer Festival - Summer 2026
Chappel Beer Festival - Summer 2026 (CAMRA Beer Festival)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Roughacre - The Hawker |  | 1 |
| 8 Sail - Best Bitter |  | 1 |
| Bishop Nick - Burrow | | 1 |
| Brentwood - Big Brown Bear | | 1 |
| Crouch Vale - Blackwater Mild | | 1 |
| Brentwood - Marvellous Maple Mild |  | 1 |
| Wylde Sky - Best | | 1 |
Visits Details
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roughacre - The Hawker | 4.80 | | 6th beer: Good foamy head and lasting on this porter from a microbrewery established in March 2018, starting in Castle Camps before relocating to its permanent home in Clare, a historic market town in West Suffolk near the major hubs of Sudbury and Bury St Edmunds. A first bite not unlike tasting a chocolate. A dry bitterness rising from its UK Challenger, behind cedar, spice, green tea and subtle citrus, and French Aramis hops, lending a sweet, herbal, spicy, and mild citrus, lemongrass hint. Late additions are US hop, Palisade from Washington State, behind floral tones, grass and bright stone fruit such as apricot, and Oregon-bred Crystal, behind a mild citrus zest, and a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. These combined hops for me lending a touch of spice and fruitiness. A malty chocolatey note joining in from its grain bill of roasted barley, dark crystal and chocolate malts. A dry bitter hoppiness shunting out full steam ahead. Served with very good conditioning with a great mouthfeel throughout. |
| Crouch Vale - Blackwater Mild | 3.70 | | 5th beer: Good head and lasting lacing. A very dry malty first hit on this mild from Crouch Vale Brewery, the longest-established independent craft brewery in Essex, set up in October 1981 in South Woodham Ferrers, a town located along the River Crouch just southeast of the major hub of Chelmsford. A caramelised bitterness rising. A maltiness from its roasted barley in the mash lending it a deep-ruby colour and dry roastiness doing battle with its fruity hoppiness and a bitter malt-infused hoppiness prevailing. A dry, dark fruited bitterness sliding downwards. Served in good order. |
| Brentwood - Big Brown Bear | 4.00 | | 2nd beer: Very good head and lasting lacing on this traditional bitter from family-run operation, Brentwood Brewing, set up in 2006 at Calcott Hall Farm in Pilgrims Hatch, just north of the major Essex town of Brentwood. A dry bitter spicy first bite in following the second-ever commercial recipe formulated in the brewery's history. A very earthy, grassy dry hoppiness rising from its UK Challenger, Goldings and Fuggles hops. Its roasted British malts working their magic with English Pale Malt lending biscuity flavours, Crystal Malt behind its sweet caramel and toffee flavours, Brown Malt aiding a dry toasted touch and spicy hints and Chocolate Malt aiding the brown hue and roasted depth without making it heavy like a porter. A fragrant, floral note prevailing before its slide downwards. Served in good condition. |
| 8 Sail - Best Bitter | 4.20 | | 1st beer: Presented with very good head and lasting lacing on this amber ale from independent microbrewery, 8 Sail, established in 2010 inside a renovated Victorian sawmill, and sitting in the shadow of the historic Heckington Windmil, the UK's last remaining working eight-sailed tower mill, located in the rural village of Heckington, just east of the market town of Sleaford and west of Boston in Lincolnshire. A dry bitter first hit. A mildly fruited bitterness rising from a dual-nation blend of traditional English and bold American hops. Its English Fuggles behind its earthy sweetness, its American Cluster behind its sharp spice, and its American Cascade lending a citrus edge. A touch of maltiness from its Pale Malt aiding its biscuity foundation, Crystal Malt lending its sweet caramel and Brown Malt behind its toasted nuttiness. A dry lingering fruitiness for me. Served in very good nick. |
| Bishop Nick - Burrow | 4.50 | | 3rd beer: Served with a good head and lasting lacing on this chestnut brown ale from Braintree in Essex by Bishop Nick, reclaiming a sacred family legacy that spans generations of Essex brewing history, with the brewery established in 2011 in Felsted before expanding to its permanent home in Braintree in 2013, a historic market town located just north of the major hub of Chelmsford. A fruited sharpness on its first hit. A dry hoppy bitterness rising with a floral fruitiness from its all-English hop selection of UK Goldings, behind its floral fruitiness and lavender and honey hints, UK Challenger lending cedarwood, herbal spice and green tea flavours, and Slovenian Styrian Goldings aiding that slightly zesty fruited sharpness for me and mimicking spicy ginger and orchard fruits. A touch of malty floral fruitiness in on the mix from locally sourced East Anglian malts lending it, its chestnut hue. A hoppy dryness floral-dancing out. Very moreish and served in very good nick. |
| Brentwood - Marvellous Maple Mild | 3.70 | | 4th beer: Served with not a lot of head or lacing to last on this dark brown mild from Brentwood Brewing Company, a family-run brewery established in 2006 operating from Calcott Hall Farm in Pilgrims Hatch, Essex, a small village situated just north of the town of Brentwood. A dark fruited berry-like first hit. A dry bitterness rising. A malty note joining in from its nutty roasted malts alongside an authentic addition of pure Canadian maple syrup. A biscuity caramel flavouring for me. A dry bitter hoppiness shunting downwards from its likely UK Challenger, Fuggles and Goldings, lending earthy, mild herbal notes and a touch of woody spice and no fruit or citrus present to let the sweetness of the maple syrup and biscuity malts take centre stage. Served in fine fettle. |
| Wylde Sky - Best | 4.50 | | 7th beer: Good head of steam and lacing lasting for its duration on this Cambridgeshire traditional English best bitter from Wylde Sky Brewing, an independent craft brewery set up in September 2018 on the outskirts of Linton, just southeast of the university city of Cambridge. A dry fruited first hit on this copper-amber hued bitter. This pour keeps perfectly on the rails with a fruity maltiness rising from its mix of Best Ale, Crystal, Amber, and a hint of low chocolate malts lending subtle caramel and toffee notes. A hoppy fruitiness lingering from its English Challenger and East Kent Golding hops. It delivers a slightly sharp hoppiness sliding downwards like a runaway locomotive, with the odd toffee, raisin, and nut flavouring waving as it goes by. Served in good order. |
About the Chappel Beer Festival - Summer 2026
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 1 |
| 4 |
| 2 |
 | - |
 | - |
The pub is found in Chappel, Essex, CO6 2DS.
The Chappel Beer Festival is a highly popular, twice-yearly event jointly organised by the Essex branches of CAMRA and volunteers from the East Anglian Railway Museum. It is famous for being one of the only UK beer festivals with an active National Rail station situated directly inside the venue. The Summer festival ran from Tuesday 8th September, from late afternoon to 9.30pm, to Saturday 12th September from 11am to 9.30pm. Held at the East Anglian Railway Museum, Chappel & Wakes Colne Station, Station Road, Wakes Colne, CO6 2DS, you can take the Greater Anglia train along the Gainsborough Line (connecting from Marks Tey) straight into the festival. To support the event, Greater Anglia typically provides an extra late-night train service to ensure attendees get home safely. The summer edition typically showcases over 130 real ales, alongside a selection of real ciders and perries. The festival grounds feature a variety of local food caterers, live music acts, and entertainment throughout the week. Because the festival is held in a unique museum setting with limited space, strict ticketing rules apply: Thursday to Saturday, tickets must be purchased in advance on-line; no tickets are sold on the door. Tuesday & Wednesday: Entry is available on the door (subject to a £2 surcharge), though booking on-line in advance offers a discount. CAMRA members: Because this is a joint fundraising venture to support the railway heritage museum rather than a standalone CAMRA event, standard free-admission rules for members do not apply. However, card-carrying members do receive a substantial reduction in ticket pricing, which covers entry, a commemorative glass, and a starter pack of tokens. A visit on 12th September 2026 revealed that the pre-paid on-line ticket for £14 provided £10 worth of card tokens. The station sits right on the border between the two communities. Because it spans this boundary and serves both areas, it has a foot in both camps. Chappel & Wakes Colne railw
We have visited this pub once, seen 7 different beers and tried them all.
Postcode: CO6 2DS