The beer is
here but where is the mint sauce?
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Nottingham
beer festival opened to an enthusiastic crowd but few were willing
to try the mint sauce.
Ty Corcoran reports from the opening of the Nottingham Beer Festival
2001.
The beer festival
was opened by Dominic Heale of 91热爆 East Midlands Today with the
Mayor of Nottingham and other dignitaries in attendance.
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| Looks good,
doesn't it? |
This did not get
in the way of the beer tasting for long and soon I had a half pint
of the 4.2% 'Mushy Mild' in my hand. It is one of two beers brewed
by the new Nottingham Brewery
for the festival.
A smoky dark colour,
the beer gives off a pleasant 'mossy' smell. It's 'mild' taste was
much improved by a dash of mint sauce! Not that I could taste any
pea! It wasn't the best.
Not so the impressive
'Double Jeopardy'. The peas with which it was brewed disappeared
into a hoppy, crisp taste. It has a strong golden colour. It's reputation
states that "if the beer doesn't get you the peas will".
Not true... yet.
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| A quick
half |
Both beers spoke
volumes for the Nottingham Brewery
and did nothing to harm their reputation as Master Brewers. It also
spoke of their knowledge of how to get the best out of beer festivals.
Only one of
Nathan's Fine Ales were
available on the first day, but I did take a quick peek at the 'Dozey
Hedgehog Autumn Ale'. Not ready for tasting, it had a deep brooding
dark colour with just a hint of red. A chocolate hoppy smell tempted
me to take a sip but the swirling sediment put me off.
The 'Standard
Best Bitter' was a golden 3.6% offering. It was also not enjoying
the uncooled festival experience but showed a light golden colour
and hinted at a fresh hoppy taste.
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| A cider
drinker |
The cider and
perrie bar had around 20 different barrels but I do not think that
they will last. Next door there was a stall with county wines, not
a common site at most festivals.
The second hall
took me by surprise as it was actually a covered swimming pool.
It had an airy feel and benefited from the slightly flexing floor
which softened noise.
There was a
separate hall for food. A good range with helpful staff, reasonable
prices and somewhere to sit down. Excellent for a beer festival.
All in all a
good festival. On a personal note I would like to see more cooling
for the beer but this should not get in the way of having a really
good time.
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