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Dulwich Beer Festival 2026 (CAMRA Beer Festival)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Kernel (The Kernel) - East India Pale Ale London 1897 |  | 1 |
| Five Points - Derailed Porter - Speciality Porter | | 1 |
| Fable (cuckooing somewhere in Essex) - Old Leigh Ale (collaboration with Leigh on Sea) | | 1 |
| Bradfield - Farmers Cruci-Bull |  | 1 |
| Moorhouse's - Pendle Witches Brew | | 1 |
| Hawkshead - Dry Stone Stout | | 1 |
| Crouch Vale - Essex Boys Best Bitter | | 1 |
Visits Details
22 May 2026 (Hogan Sampling)
Early evening visit on the second day of the 3rd Dulwich Beer and Cider Festival hosted by Dulwich Hamlet Football Club and very well attended. A hearty tribute must be paid to all the hard-working SE London CAMRA volunteers behind the festival and ably assisted by other CAMRA members from branches further afield who made it happen. By all accounts on its third day, it ran out of beers at 8pm just two hours before its scheduled end. A fine selection of 7 real ales passed my lips. In total, beer festival goers were treated to 50+ cask beers, 20+ ciders and perries, plus a selection of bottled and canned beers.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fable (cuckooing somewhere in Essex) - Old Leigh Ale (collaboration with Leigh on Sea) | 5.70 | | 7th and last beer of this visit: A very creamy top and lasting all the way on this Essex-brewed old ale from Leigh-on-Sea’s slightly out-of-town brewery set up in 2017 and about 2.8 miles north of historic Old Leigh. A dry bitterness rising on this winter seasonal special collaboration with Fable Brewery, located on Wallasea Island in Rochford, Essex, and set up also in 2017 as a "cuckoo brewer" using other companies' spare equipment. This old ale is named after the historic waterside area of Leigh-on-Sea. A malty sweetness rising from its molasses, treacle, toffee, chocolate and toasted nuts, paired with dark fruits like raisins, dried figs and dates. Chevalier (a premium 1800s heritage base malt), Munich, Carafa Special III, and Best Black malt all aiding its flavours of sweet toasted maltiness with dark vine fruits, brown sugar and black treacle lingering on its descent downwards for me. Its traditional selection of Goldings, Nugget, and Willamette hops aiding its balanced mix so as not to be too overly sweet. Served in top nick with a great satisfying mouthfeel! A superb finale for me! |
| Kernel (The Kernel) - East India Pale Ale London 1897 | 5.80 | | 6th beer of this visit: Served with good head and lacing and almost lasting on this British IPA from this Bermondsey-based brewery in south-east London founded in September 2009 and now located at Dockley Road Industrial Estate and also known as the Spa Terminus. Based on an 1897 Fuller’s recipe, it arrived on my taste buds with lashings of fruitiness with a marmalade-infused orange zestiness and orange-honey positively tap dancing on my tongue. A touch of maltiness from its Golden Promise (a heritage English malting barley) and Dextrin malt. A dry spicy bitterness rising from its traditional British varieties, Goldings and Challenger, lending flavourings of a hedgerow, grass, and a touch of tea. A dry hoppy herbal bitterness spouting downwards with hints of tea for the vicar. Served in very fine fettle and more tea, vicar, if you please! |
| Five Points - Derailed Porter - Speciality Porter | 5.00 | | 5th beer of this visit: Poured with very good head and lacing sticking all the way to the sides of the glass throughout on this East London specialty porter from Hackney and where brewing was set up in 2013. It stayed on my rails for me for the whole journey. A very smoky first bite off its steam engine. A dry maltiness rising from its funnel aided by its shovels of Maris Otter, Brown, Crystal, Chocolate, Munich, Dark Crystal, and Black malts all into its engine’s firebox. Coming out of this mix's funnel were hints of red berry flavours and dark fruit such as damsons and currants. This was followed by a coach or two passing over my palate of sweet molasses and chocolate. A fruitiness shunting onto my taste buddies aided by its Golding hops. A clitter-clatter with a dry bitter spicy tartness on its final journey into my engine shed. Very moreish and served in top nick condition! |
| Moorhouse's - Pendle Witches Brew | 5.10 | | 4th beer of this visit: Served with some head and lacing but not lasting on this amber-orange to copper-coloured Lancashire premium bitter from a historic brewery first set up in 1865 by William Moorhouse and located in Burnley, Lancashire, and their ales are still deeply tied to the local folklore of Pendle Hill and the tragic story of the Pendle Witches of 1612. A very sweetly malted first hit with nutty tones and soft malt aiding flavours entertaining my taste buds of toffee, raisins, and dark stewed fruits. It has been suitably aided by its mix of Maris Otter Pale Ale malt, combined with Crystal malt for its sweetness and a touch of Wheat. A dry bitterness climbing up from its herbal English hops, Progress and Fuggle, injecting a welcome traditional earthy, herbal, and rich peppery spicy touch and on top of exuding hints of orchard fruits. A hoppy fruitiness paddling out. Slightly tired for losing its lacing but flavoursome with a good mouthfeel still. |
| Hawkshead - Dry Stone Stout | 4.50 | | 3rd beer of this visit: Presented with head and lacing and almost lasting on this black stout from a 2006 purpose-built brewhouse in Staveley, near Kendal, Cumbria, having first been set up in 2002 in a 17th-century barn at Town End Farm near Esthwaite Water in the village of Hawkshead. A dry bitter first hit on this oatmeal stout, whose name comes from the enduring dry-stone walls across the Cumbrian landscape. A malty sweetness rising from its Maris Otter pale malt, crystal malt, chocolate malt, wheat malt, oats, and roast barley and so for me arriving on my palate with an oasty flavouring mixed with ground black coffee, bitter dark chocolate, and subtle hints of dates and figs. A dry hoppy bitterness sailing out aided by its bittering hops, Cascade and First Gold, and Hersbrucker and Bramling Cross lending it a pleasurable aroma. Served in good form. |
| Crouch Vale - Essex Boys Best Bitter | 3.80 | | 1st beer of this visit: This Essex mid-brown best bitter from Crouch Vale Brewery set up in 1981 by CAMRA enthusiasts in South Woodham Ferrers came with very good head and lasting lacing. A dry bitter first bite. A biscuity malty bitterness rising from its 100% English barley malt aiding its sweetness with a caramelised toastiness mixed with a bready toffee flavouring and dark marmalade. A dry hoppiness with a gentle floral, earthiness with subtle berry flavours prevailing from its generous lashings of traditional English Challenger and Boadicea hops for the sail downwards. The latter hop is from the famous Wye College in Kent developed by the Hop Research Department based at the college and was only commercially released to the public in 2004. Served in top form. |
| Bradfield - Farmers Cruci-Bull | 4.10 | | 2nd beer of this visit: Very good head and lasting lacing presented on this amber-coloured traditional English best bitter from the Bradfield Brewery set up in 2005 at Watt House Farm, High Bradfield, near Sheffield in South Yorkshire. A dry bitter first hit. A good hoppy note rising from its English hop varieties with a touch of hedgerow fruitiness for me and likely to be Fuggles for its early-stage bittering and aiding earthy, woody, and mild herbal flavours, and Goldings added later on to lend floral flavourings and hints of honey and light citrus. A maltiness joining in from its traditionally kilned English malts also aiding its amber colouring. A dry moreish hoppiness sailing out. In perfect nick it was! |
About the Dulwich Beer Festival 2026
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | - |
| 3 |
| 4 |
 | - |
 | - |
The pub is found in East Dulwich, Greater London, SE22 8BD.
3rd Dulwich Beer and Cider Festival from 21st to 23rd May 2026 hosted by Dulwich Hamlet Football Club and very well attended and all thanks to hard-working SE London CAMRA volunteers behind the festival and ably assisted by other CAMRA members from branches further afield who made it happen.
We have visited this pub once, seen 7 different beers and tried them all.
Postcode: SE22 8BD