We attended the Battersea Beer Festival on Wednesday night. We had a bevvy of tasty beer and interesting conversations. All in all this one is worth having on your annual list, especially if you are near to London.
It wasn’t really the most comfortable (distinct lack of tables and chairs) beer festival but I guess that’s not really what a beer festival is about.
The night was progressing well and we were making it through the beers we had selected to try and then we met Mark who is putting together the Wandsworth Beer Festival at the end of March. He steered us towards the Moor Old Freddy Walker and then shared a bottle of the very rare Westvleteren 12 with us. After that, the tasting got a little less focused.
In order (at least for the first 10 beers), our tasting notes are gone but have put score and programme scribbles where there are some:
- Abbeydale Matins 3.6% ABV – 11
- Otley OBB 4.5% ABV – 15, complex tasty tawny
- Purity Pure Gold 3.8% ABV – 10, No
- Downton Quadhop 3.9% – 10, No
- Bazens Pacific Bitter 3.8% – 10, No
- Ascot Ales Posh Pooch 4.2% – 15
- Moor Old Freddy Walker 7.3% (Plus a few more of these later) – 15 +++
- Ascot Ales Double Trouble 5.4% – 14, Interesting attempt
- Westvleteren 12 12% – Just enjoyed
- Wickwar Mr Perretts Traditional Stout 5.9% – 15
- Fyne Ales Piper’s Gold 3.8% – No score
- Darkstar Hophead 3.8% (Plus a few more of these later) – No score just a ++
- Thornbridge Jaipur 5.9% – No score
- Wentworth British Bulldog- No score
- Surrey Hills Albury Ruby 4.6% – No score
- Ellezelelloise Hercule 9% – No score
- Ranke Guldenberg 8.5% – No score and a fight almost broke out in the ranks on this one
A few thoughts. Without a doubt the Westvleteren 12 was sublime. The Moor Old Freddy Walker was probably the beer of the festival. It was the first time of trying Otley and look forward to trying more from these guys. The Darkstar Hophead wasn’t tried until later in the night and it was pretty incredible that it stood up.
Bring on the Sussex Beer Festival!
February 19th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Dude, you forget to include the pint of Weasel we had on de way home mate and the the “hair of the dog” beer for breakfast the next day. That was a very nice bottle of Germna kolsch beer – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6lsch_(beer) – lovely. True GONZO beer drinking and reports from the field! HST would be pround.