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Kingston Beer Festival 2007 (CAMRA Beer Festival)

Beer (sort)Average Score (sort)No. Samples (sort)
Bank Top - Port O'CallGood1
Weltons - Pride & JoyGood1
Wylam - RocketGood1
Wharfedale - ExecutionerGood1
Wentworth - Rampant GryphonGood1
Eastwood & Sanders - 1872 PorterGood1
Coniston - Bluebird XB (aka Premium XB Bluebird Bitter)Good1
King Beer (formerly W.J. King) - Old DadAcceptable1
York (now brewed by and at Black Sheep) - StonewallAcceptable1
Inveralmond - IndependenceAcceptable1
Bushy's - Piston BrewAcceptable1
Hexhamshire - Devil's ElbowPoor1

Visits Details

30 Jun 2007 (Ian)
I came Saturday lunchtime and it was fairly busy. The disappointing thing was that about 20-30% of the beers were not available for one reason or another.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Eastwood & Sanders - 1872 Porter6.50GoodNot sure what's up with my taste buds today. Very roasted, harshly so and not a lot else. Nice alchohol effect without any obvious taste. Will develop over the next days
Bank Top - Port O'Call5.00GoodBlack, dark brown edges. Thin beige head. Smooth porter, with choc bitterness rounded by some decent fruit. It's alright. Too much roasted malt. Fine, drinkable, good flavours.
Wharfedale - Executioner4.50GoodVery dark brown/chestnut, no head. It's an odd old fashioned beer, some smooth yet powdery coffee, some spicy hop on finish. Decent enough and good complexity. A bit between a fruity brown ale and a porter, but with striking peppery hop. Certainly the most interesting beer so far.
Wentworth - Rampant Gryphon6.20GoodNot on when I arrived, so not sure of its condition. Slight haze to an orange/copper colour. Blue cheese, malt, hop aroma. This is bizarre. Slightly buttery, but it's got this great condition and then a burst of English hops. Will develop and possibly be amazing. Slight mature cheddar tang.
Coniston - Bluebird XB (aka Premium XB Bluebird Bitter)4.20GoodIt seems almost amazing that I've not had this on cask before. Gold, lasting off white head. Looks in good condition. Slightly farty yeast aroma with lemon/grapefruit hop. Spritzy in mouth. Very drinkable, very bitter. Good citrus fruits, and good green hop on finish. Tasty, better than average, but not excellent.
Weltons - Pride & Joy2.80GoodAnother one of the Roger Protz's beers to try before you die. Copper colour with thin bubbly beige head. Bit undeveloped, raw malt/yeast on aroma. Some fruit. Fine in mouth. Fairly typical UK bitter. Some hop floral on end. Decent bitterness. Almost a bit of chlorine to the hoppiness. Far more bitter than I would expect.
Wylam - Rocket5.00GoodCertainly has a good hit of Centennial hops, especially on the finish. Not a fantastic aroma, but mouthfeel and finish are excellent. Grapefruit, fleshy fruit finish is very good.
Bushy's - Piston Brew4.50AcceptableReddish deep copper, with lasting bubbly off white head. Either quite malty or suffering from slight diacetyl. OK in mouth. Flavours are quite muted. Some toffee in a smooth mouthfeel. Some hop on end. OK, but not exciting.
King Beer (formerly W.J. King) - Old Dad4.40AcceptableBrownish red, disappearing beige head. Berry malt fruit is balanced by a healthy dose of hops on finish. It's an OK ESB. Got the right ingredients, but not exciting.
York (now brewed by and at Black Sheep) - Stonewall3.80AcceptableCopper colour with lasting beige head. Citrusy bitter. Slightly creamy in mouth. Hop on finish is reasonably harsh. I like the York beers, but this is only slightly better than ordinary. Earthy strongish hop lifts it.
Inveralmond - Independence3.80AcceptableCopper colour. Minerally, sharp, a little hard and tinny. Hops are on the earthy side. Drank it talking to a guy called Martin from South Wimbledon who was wearing a Horse Brass Pub polo shirt from Portland, Oregon. It really is quite flinty, the beer. Like licking a wall of a flint stone church with earthy hops growing up the side whilst sucking a Werther's Original.
Hexhamshire - Devil's Elbow3.60PoorPale chestnut, disappearing bubbly beige head. Diacetyl aroma. It's a normal bitter with buttery diacetyl, moderate hop finish.

About the Kingston Beer Festival 2007

Summary of Beer Scores

 Total
Exceptional-
Excellent-
Good7
Acceptable4
Poor1

The pub is found in Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, KT1 2DN.

Held in a hall next to the Town Hall in Kingston around 15 minutes from the railway station. A fairly small beer festival with the usual group of CAMRA members. Fairly relaxed and well attended. Beers were kept cool well. Plenty of seating in the bar of the social club itself and outside.

We have visited this pub once, seen 12 different beers and tried them all.

Map location

Postcode: KT1 2DN