Yesterday Mrs Ken and I attended the CAMRA Winter Beer Festival in Birmingham. Arriving in New Street Station, which is basically a huge shopping mall with platforms underneath. We caught a bus to the venue which is next to Hockley Circus. Slightly disappointed there was no big top or a trapeze, just a roundabout underneath a dual carriageway.
The venue, New Bingley hall, was 2 minutes walk, between there and the bus stop were two obstacles. One was a guy outside the gates of the car park in front of the hall who greeted us with a cheery, shook my hand and called Mrs Ken "Daisy" I thought he was CAMRA, turns out he was trying to flog a joke book. Told him politely where to put his book, then headed to the entrance, to be greeted by a CAMRA volunteer in a Hi Vis Jacket.
"You a member?"
" Yes I am"
" Is your good lady/"
I looked round till I realised he was on about the Mrs.
" No, not worth it the amount she drinks". He kept banging on about benefits etc, I just wanted to get inside and have a beer.
Giving him the slip, we picked our tokens, glass and programme and met up with others we know who had grabbed a long table. At the end where we sat there were 2 chaps not known to us and not part of our group.
One, sitting opposite, never spoke or smiled. He just drank his beer and tried to read his kindle. At one point he fell asleep. The other chap was what turned out to be a champion beer ticker. He had a huge ring binder on the table full of notes of what he had drunk, presumably for years. In a holdall on the floor, which I kept standing on every time a got up, was another ring binder. So he dutifully, checked the programme, his notes then toddled off to get his next drink so he could tick it off. He then underlined each beer in his dogeared 2020 Good Beer Guide.
After half an hour another one of my mates wandered in. He lives near Birmingham but is from the North East. The guy in the Hi Vis outside picked up on his accent and mentioned that I was already in, along with "this short bird with the sunglasses"! Mrs Ken! She's got a new nickname now!
Anyhow about the beers. I tried the champion beer - Fixed Wheel Blackheath Stout. It was OK. I also tried the CAMRA Champion Bottled Beer ( in cask form) , Thornbridge St Petersberg Imperial Russian Stout...again it was OK. My taste buds must be deteriorating
The best pump clip was this, brewed in Darlington:-
You should know this name is associated with the film "Deliverance"
After over 5 hours of drinking it was time to head back the station and our trip home. A long day but a chance to meet up with friends and Mrs friends I only see about once a year.
A quick note about the beer tokens, they had this crap system where a card had a value of £10. When you get a drink they cross of the value. You will note my final card had 60p left. Might get away with it in Wetherspoons but not a beer festival. I gave the card away.
One final thing, spotted this in the Gents:- Didn't have a clue why till someone said some of the local muslims use the venue and presumably wash their feet.
