Foley's Oktoberfest/Ciderfest

A little news update - Foley's are hosting a little Oktoberfest of thier own throughout October, with additions to their bottled range of Jever Pils, Lowenbrau Oktoberfest, Paulaner & Flying Dog Dogtoberfest Marzen to name a few. In addition, they are doing thier bit for independent Cider makers (is that the right term?) by running a Cider Festival alongside - all ciders on tap, and rotating weekly, all month. Do go and check it out, if Cider's your thing.

Also, congratulations are in order for Williams Bros, who have had an excellent run at the recent International Beer Challenge. Midnight Sun won Gold, Alba picked up a Silver medal and the perennial stalwart Fraoch won a Bronze. Williams are a bit of a cult hit right now, with thier beers picking up consistently good reviews for both flavour, diversity and label design - this might sound a bit wooly, but this means a lot to me. So well done, lads. I can heartily recommend both the 7 Giraffes and Red Als. Interesting, forward-thinking brews.

You can check out Williams' new website here, and read the rest of the result of the IBC here.

The Owl and The Barge Beer & Music Festival 2009

..Is this weekend. I checked it out last year - very pleasant it was too. Beers from Local faves Leeds, Saltaire, Naylor's and Elland to mention a few. So if you've got nothing on, have a wander on down and sip a beer by the canal.

Another upcoming festival that has caught my eye is The Bull's (Horton Kirby, Kent) Pictish Festival. I really like the idea of a festival dedicated to one brewer, as perverse as that may sound. Pictish are a good lot and don't shy away from making single-varietal beers, something which I admire greatly in a brewer. The festival takes place 03/09/09 and you can read about it here.

Foley's Beer List Announced

Here's the beer list (so far) for Foley's Cask Ale House's upcoming beer festival, focusing on Northern Brewers. I'm sure there will be additions in the upcoming weeks.

Watermill Inn Brewing Co – A Bit’er Ruff, W’Ruff Nite
Lytham Brewery – Amber, IPA
Prospect Brewery – Nutty Slack, Blinding Light
Outstanding Beers – Ginger, Stout
Allendale Brewery – Golden Plover, Wolf
Fallon Brewery – Red Merkin (what!?!?), Dark Prince
Mallinson’s - Halicarnassus, Let There Be Hops
Leeds Brewery – Midnight Bell, Ascension
Hornbeam Brewery – Bitter, Black Coral Stout
Idle Brewery –The Idle Landlord, Grunter
Yorkshire Dales Brewery – Butter Tubs, Muker Silver
Village Brewer – White Boar, Old Raby
Yard of Ale Brewery –Yard Hopper, One Foot In The Yard, Black as Owt Stout
Cumbrian – Dicky Doodle, Lowes Water Gold

Jarrow – Rivet Catcher, Westoe IPA
Black Hole – Red Dwarf, StargazerSheffield – Paradise Pale, Porter

As you can see, beers from Doncaster, Denton, Cumbria, Hexham, Huddersfield, Askrigg...a fine selection indeed. I'll be heading straight for the near-mythical Rivet Catcher from Jarrow, and have heard excellent things about Hornbeam & Black Hole. Any recommendations, people? Nice to see York Brewery supporting the smaller guys, too.

There will also be a 'Meet the Brewer' Session with the ever-improving Mallinson's. I've not had a bad beer from them yet - excellent for such a new brewer. Also, I hear that the excellent Moravka could be a regular feature at Foley's from May onwards. Definately one to keep an eye out for.

Mr Foleys 'A-Z of Northern Brewers' Beer Festival: 7th - 12 May 2009.

Tel 01904 621162 for more info

Beer Fests Coming Up

Now that (an albeit Arctic) 2009 is well and truly underway, those Beer Fests are starting to pop up. There's a few happening locally, so get along, buy your tokens and get sampling. Support your independent brewers.

Boston Spa Beer Festival 2009 - Feb 21st (one day)
Boston Spa Village hall, LS23 6AA
20+ local beers, food, entartainment, starts 12 noon. Direct bus (770) to/from Leeds runs well into the evening.

Bradford Beer Festival -Feb 26th - 28th (Thu-Sat)
Victoria Hall, Victoria Road, Saltaire, BD18 3JS, 2 mins walk from Saltaire Railway Station
www.bradfordcamra.org.uk
100+ real ales, cider and foreign beer.


Harrogate Charity Beer Festival -Feb 26th - 28th (Thu-Sat)
Harrogate International Centre, Kings Road, Harrogate, HG1 5LA
Good selection local beers , starts at 6pm each day. Entry ticket required.

Leeds CAMRA Beer, Cider & Perry Festival 2009 - Mar 19th-21st (Thu-Sat)
Pudsey Civic Hall, Dawson's Corner, LS28 5TA, 4 mins walk from New Pudsey Railway Station
150+ real ales, 20+ cider & perry, Global Beer Bar.

Horsforth Beer Festival - Mar 27th - 28th (Fri-Sat)
St. Margaret's Parish Church Hall, Church Road, LS18 5LQ
www.stmargaretshorsforth.org.uk/6.html
40 beers plus food and entertainment, building the future appeal fund.

APRIL

North Bar Belgian Bier Fest 09 - Apr 2nd-16th (Thurs for 2 weeks)
24 New Briggate, Leeds, LS1 6NU
Unusual, rare and classic Belgian beers alongside the usual treats.

Guiseley Factory Workers Club 3rd Beer Festival -Apr 3rd - 4th (Fri-Sat)
6 Town Street, Guiseley, LS20 9DT
20 real ales and 2 ciders.

Barnsley Beer Festival - Apr 10th-13th (Fri-Mon)
Milton Hall, Elsecar, S74 8EZ
5 Minutes from rail station
http://www.barnsleycamra.org.uk/beerfestival/2009.shtml
40 real ales from local and Cumbrian breweries

Doncaster's 19th Beer Festival - Apr 16th-18th (Thu-Sat
The Hub, Chappell Drive, DN1 2RF, The Waterfront College building
90+ real ales, ciders and foreign bar

Further North - April 16th - 24th (Thu- next Fri)
194 Harrogate Road, Leeds, LS7 4NZ
Selection of Belgian beers

3rd Skipton Beer Festival - Apr 23rd-25th (Fri-Sat)
Town Hall, High Street, Skipton, BD23 1DT
60+ Real Ales, Cider, Perry, Fruit Wine, European bottles

If you're holding or organising a festival, be you a events organiser or a landlord, and you want to let TGS know - give me a shout on the email above.