Tickets are selling fast for the Campaign for Real Ale’s [CAMRA] autumn beer festival in under three weeks time, on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 October- where 4752 pints of real ale from 66 different South West breweries will be on sale- plus around 15 casks of cider and perry. CAMRA nationally is celebrating reaching 150,000 members, the most successful consumer organisation in Europe.
“The Saturday lunch session is the best seller at the moment, with less than 100 tickets left across all outlets,” says CAMRA West Dorset Chairman Dave Harris. “Friday Lunch’s session is selling much more quickly this year and both evening sessions are selling well, with Friday evening looking likely to sell out first.”
There are two sessions each day, 11am to 3pm and 6pm to 11pm on Friday and Saturday 4 & 5 October. Tickets cost £5 for Friday & Saturday evening, £4 for Saturday lunchtime and £3 for Friday lunchtime. They are being sold by West Dorset CAMRA online at www.camrawdorset.org.uk/Octoberfest.htm or fromThe Boot & The Globe pubs in Weymouth, the Royal Portland Arms & The George Inn on Portland and the Blue Raddle at Dorchester. In addition, Weymouth Pavilion 01305 783225
01305 783225 FREE has a supply, as has CAMRA West Dorset Chairman Dave Harris at 01305 772286 01305 772286 FREE.
The popular venue at the Ocean Room had been in doubt earlier this year, with Weymouth & Portland Borough Council closing the Pavilion complex. “We are delighted that the new tenants have reopened the building- there’s no doubt the Ocean Room was always our first choice of venue and we’re overjoyed to be back,” comments CAMRA Spokesman Michel Hooper-Immins. “It will be our third October beer festival at the Ocean Room and CAMRA members from all over the UK are already making plans to travel to Weymouth for the weekend. They all have high praise for the Ocean Room and particularly the sweeping views across Weymouth Bay.”
West Dorset CAMRA’s October beer festival was held for eight years at Brewer’s Quay, but closure of the Hope Square attraction in early 2011 forced a move. Moving to the Ocean Room in 2011 meant more real ale drinkers could be accommodated and last year some 1300 tickets were sold for the four session event, spread over two days.
Some 66 casks of real ale have been ordered, amounting to 4752 pints of beer on tap from the South West- including 13 from Dorset, 15 from Somerset, ten from Cornwall, nine from Wiltshire, 13 from Devon, three from Bristol and three surprises!
The thatched Blue Anchor brewpub in Helston, Cornwall, is one of the country’s oldest, once a monk’s rest house and producing its own distinctive beers since the 15th. century. They are sending their celebrated Spingo Special to Weymouth, a dark fruity brew with peppery hops, rarely drunk outside Cornwall.
Furthest travelled will be Trink Golden Ale from the Penzance Brewery, almost at Lands End. From the Country Life brewery at Bideford comes Devonshire Piglet and near Sidmouth, Branscombe Vale Mild is produced, a rare beer style for Devon. One of the strongest ales in the room will be Full Bore, a barley wine made by Hunters at Ipplepen, near Newton Abbot.
Different styles of beer are evident from Somerset- Zig Zag Stout from Mill Street brewery in Frome and Old Barn Ruby Ale from Twisted Oak in Bristol. Milk Stout makes the journey south from the Bristol Beer Company and the distinctive Russian Stoat from the Wessex brewery near Warminster weighs in at 9% ABV, three times stronger than ordinary bitter!
Dorset is well represented, led by Gillingham CAMRA member Paul Smith and his Small Paul’s Chocolate Porter- enriched with chocolate malt and extra chocolate- balanced by some late hoppiness from Challenger hops. Winning CAMRA Beer of the Festival at Dorchester in February, it will certainly be a contender for the Weymouth title. Two brand new Dorset microbreweries have been invited- the Bournemouth Brewery, oddly enough based in Poole, brings Wessex Wobble Bitter and the even newer King Alfred brewery at Bourton, hard against the Somerset frontier, sends Saxon Gold. Town Mill’s blackcurranty Black Ven dark ale will arrive from Lyme Regis, as will Raven Porter from Corfe Castle. Palmer’s award winning Tally Ho! is lovingly made at their thatched brewery in Bridport and will be yet another contender for the Beer of the Festival title.
“This years beer order has been one of the most difficult yet, with so many breweries in the South West brewing consistently to a regular high standard,” says Bar Manager Rich Gabe. “It’s not possible to stock them all, but with the aim of something for everybody, I have selected a combination of all styles of beer, utilising festival favourites of the past, well established South West breweries and some exciting new breweries that I have yet to sample.”There will be live music on Saturday evening.
Cider lovers will have fifteen ciders and perries to try. The prizewinning Gwynt y Ddraig Welsh cider and perry makers are providing Two Trees perry and Pyder, an unusual combination of cider and perry. Other perries are from Hampshire and Purbeck. Ciders include the local Pitfield Thunderbolt, a single variety Purbeck Dabinett and Somerset vintage- stored in a oak barrels for flavour- plus an interesting single variety, Porter’s Perfection. “Last year was not a particularly good year for apples and pears,” explains cider expert Alex Bardswell, “come and see what surprises are in store for your taste buds!”
Michel Hooper-Immins
