Loads of beer, No beer

We did Ramsbottom Beer Festival this weekend.  The first is always the hardest to judge.  So, having gathered all of the beers, we racked them and built the bar on Thursday, ready for Friday opening.
Looking at 50 beers, I was wondering what I could do with all the beer left over...
I knew it would be a long weekend, so any sensible person would get a bit of rest. I spent the evening finishing off the brochure till 1 in the morning...
Friday Morning, and there were people queueing outside the door at 11:40!  We had 52 pumps (2 spare) and we had 3 failures, so we only had 49 beers on hand pump.

The whole weekend was packed.  I don't think I've ever seen so many people in Ramsbottom.  The first beer ran out about 8pm on the Friday.  Saturday and the beers started running out left right and centre, and we ran out of beer completely by about half nine.

A great weekend, and everybody seemed to enjoy it, except for a couple of self-proclaimed "experts" who thought it was rubbish because the beer ran out.








Just to simplify everything for the "experts".

• There is a set amount of each beer, determined by the size of the cask. 
•  If a lot of people drink 1 beer, then it will run out.  
• The beer is there to be drunk, not to be looked at, and if it gets drunk, then there is none left. 
•  If you turn up two hours from the end of a two day festival, then it is highly likely that there will not be a full range of beers available. 

 This is not rocket science, believe me.

Other than a couple of small whines, the beer festival was a fantastic success, so we will be doing it all over again!



Still adding up the total, but I think we have managed to raise a substantial amount for the RNLI, which is great.

No progress

I got back to the 'Tap' a bit earlier on Thursday night, and found that the impromptu Thursday night bit of folk music is becoming a bit less impromptu!

Folk music sung around the bar, in an unconstrained manner makes for a fantastic atmosphere.  This is partly the roots of folk music, a few mates (or, indeed, strangers) having a bit of a sing and a play over a couple of beers.  Great.

When I get up to Langdale for the Folk Festival in May, I am determined to get up some mountain or other.  Crinkle would be great, if not just for the view, but I fear there is not much downhill left in my knees.

After working a 13 hour day again on Saturday, I thought I must at least be getting some form of exercise, and thus be getting at least a little bit fitter.
How come, then, I wake up on Sunday feeling as if I have just been beaten up ?  I am going to have to do something to get a bit fitter, so I can get up the mountains - and May is getting closer...

Sod it, I'll go back down the Major for one of Stuarts brilliant Peppered Steak Puddings!  No kidneys, just Steak. Perfect!

Wow, what a voice...

Thursday night I was in Nottingham down at the Canalhouse for the SIBA National beer judging.  The canalhouse is a Castle Rock brewery bar in the old Fellow Moore & Clayton warehouse, well worth a visit if you are in Nottingham.

There were 56 beers on handpump, and I was given some of the new Keg beer and keg lager that Thornbridge have started producing.  Even as a cask ale drinker, this was very nice, but the lager just got a "That's full of flavour - the lager drinkers will hate it!" from Clarky.

Called in at the Met on Friday and Rachel Sermanni was singing in the studio.  I much prefer the studio to the main hall, it is much less formal and has a far better atmosphere.

Rachel started her first set and wow, what a voice. At one point she apologised to the sound man, then turned off the PA and amplifiers to play totally accoustic, and it sounded great.





She was playing fantastic accoustic guitar, and if you weren't moved by her voice, then you have not got a soul.