Friday 21st September 2012 - GCR Beer Festival, Loughborough

The (now annual it seems) trip to the Great Central Railway at Loughborough with RG for their annual beer festival.  This year they were operating from a second site near Leicester but time prevented us from partaking of that part of the festival.

This time I wanted to sampled lower strength beers (with a colour theme as it turns out, meaning I went for the following :

• Welbeck Red Feather (3.9%)
• Milestone Will Scarlett (3.8%)
• B&T Golden Fox (4.1%)
• Leather Britches Goldings (3.8%)
• Tydd Steam Golden Kiwi (4.1%)
• Bartrams Green Man (4%)
• White Horse Wayland Smithy (4.4%) - described as "Red like the fire at it's heart...")

We then decided to move on and I'd previously noted that the Blue Monkey Brewery had recently oipened their latest Organ Grinder pub in the town and it was only a few minutes walk from the festival.  There I went for their Guerrilla Stout and then (returning to the above theme) 99 Reb Babboons.

RG mentioned that he wanted to visit The Three Nuns and has it happens we soon found it.  This is an Everards pub and we both went for their Beacon.

Back to Tamworth and a meal at an Indian.

Friday 14th September -Coventry

Latest monthly outing finds us en route to Coventry but, like me, with most of the group starting at the Windsor in Birmingham.  There I went for Wadworth Horizon.

Off then to Coventry and we decided to opt for the Virgion Trains cheaper ticket.  Once there we headed to part of the city that had survived the second world way, and future developments, very well as exemplified by the Windmill.  Timothy Taylor Landlord was available straight from the cask as an aded bonus.  We moved to one of the many small drinking areas where DP remarked thgat some of the building reminded him of Better Builder toy bricks and enlightened us with a rather cryptic quiz around what the local sewers were famous for - see here for the answer.  WE stayed for a second beer here and for me it was Morland Old Golden Hen.

Next port of call was the Town Wall Tavern.  This time I went for Church End What's The Fox's Hat.  The pub features a large collection of sheet music from the 50s / 60s as wall paper as well as 78s on a shelf.  Amongst the selection were some from Cliff Richards and this got us onto the Young Ones and a chance for me to get my own back on DP by asking him what the name of the pet hamster was (see here.) The helpful locals pointed us in the direction of our next port of call...

... The Gatehouse Tavern where I went for a local brewery from Rugby - Wood Farm Brewing Company and their offering Union.

Finally, it was time for the last pub, The Establishment, a large modern pub that was well frequented by all ages.  We sat in the large garden where I enjoyed the Byatts Coventry Bitter.

Realising (collectively) that we didn't know hich way the station was we found a taxi and headed back to the station and to Birmingham for a last drink in the Brier Rose which for me was Backyard Brewery Bitter.

Friday 7th September 2012 - Being a RAT

I took the opportunity offered by a few days off work which coincided with RAT 2012 (the Rail Ale Trail) to see what this festival offered.  For those who don't know it is hosted at a number of venue that can be visited easily by train, in the case The Station at Codshill, Odfeelows in Shifnal and The Old Fighting Cocks at Oakengates.

Given there was time to kill in Birmingham, en route however, our first port of call was the Windsor where I sampled Thornbridge Lord Marples and then Archers Old Glory.

Onto the RAT and first stop at Codsall where we found the festival in a tent by the car park  I'd chosed this as the start as it appeared to offer the best beer selection of the venues and true enough I wasn't dissappointed.The only downside was that the fezstival Special wasn't on at that venue but hoefully it wopuld be at opne of the others so instead I went for :

• Allgates Apollo
• Birds Thunderbird
• Griffin Golden Flame
• Lymestone Stonecutter
• Wanstsum IPA

Moving onto the Shifnal and the Odfellows, the festival beer was on but in the main bar rather than the tent so I might have missed it if I hadn't popped in.  Beers samples here were :

• Ironbridge RAT Festival Ale
• Shires Dabley Gold

Finally it was time for the  train out to Oakengates where the festival beers were in the main bar.  I chose

• Ironbridge IPA
• Buxton Axe Edge (which wasn't on the festival programme) - a double IPA at 6.8%