Sunday 25 June 2017

COCK UP YOUR BEAVER

Ive just returned from Glasgow and another fantastic afternoon at the Glasgow Beer Festival. Its held every year in the Briggait Arts Studios. Its behind the Clutha, the riverside pub that made the news when a helicopter crash landed on its roof.

Anyhow , this is my third visit. I also go myself while the family go round the shops; however, within 5 minutes of sitting down, there is always someone friendly to talk to. This time a couple from Manchester, so we spent at least half an hour reliving the best pubs in the city. 

Another guy on the table was a CAMRA local who, the more he drank, kept coming out with wise and funny statements. The best was :

" Do you notice when young people come to a festival, they make a dash to the bar and order their drink first, then look for a seat. We old ones make a dash to find a seat first, then go to order a drink"

On the subject of drink, we finally get round to the title of this post. The festival had over 150 ales, ciders and foreign beers. On a Facebook post before we headed up to Glasgow I spotted a picture taken from the festival programme of a beer brewed at Bute Brewery called Cock Up Your Beaver. There then followed the usual comments about the name. In fact one CAMRA volunteer posted while I was there that he enjoyed saying to any women looking at beers where he was serving " Would you like to try a Cock up your Beaver ?

 
The name is actually the title of a Robbie Burns Poem. A beaver, in this context, was a hat; hence cocking your hat. The beer is usually only brewed in time for Burns night.

Personally, I thought the marketing was better than the beer. Its a 4.5% red ale; it was Ok.

Other great names were  " 99 Red Babons", "Betty and the Gardens- B side" and another imaginative name from Rat Brewery ; Raturday Night Fever"

The last two times Ive been was on a Saturday. Both times we were "entertained" by the Caledonian Brewery Bagpipe Band ( I don't do bagpipes) . This time I was there on a Friday, so I asked one guy behind the bar if the bagpipes were going to be on. "Saturday"" he said. Forgetting where I was I said "Great!" He glowered and walked away. 

And finally, the best beer for me this time wasn't actually a beer ; Toffee Apple Cider" Gorgeous !

Same time next year.