SUNDERLAND BEER FESTIVAL

The Sunderland Beer & Cider Festival moved to a new venue this year; The Point in the centre of the city. This was an opportunity to expand the range of beers and ciders on offer as we have more space. This obviously made for more work, especially in the set up and clear down.

Set Up - Tuesday 10th October 2017

After spending a weekend in Glasgow with the family and the mandatory visit to a few pubs, I was fit and ready on Tuesday morning to be picked up by the hired van to collect the beer etc from Maxim Brewery. The evening before all the bar racking, handpulls etc had been dropped off so the bar could be constructed while the beer collections took place.

 Load one was a van full of casks, with the van sinking perceptively on its suspension as 2 heavy palettes of casks were loaded. For me it was an incident free journey to the city centre, but then again I wasn't driving.

The Point is the former ABC Cinema on the corner of Holmeside and Park Lane. Holmeside is a busy road , and Park Lane is pedestrianised, so the only place to do any drop offs was this alleyway behind the venue. This alley looked  like somewhere drunks would wander into to relive themselves after a night getting ratted.  

Whilst unloading and trying not to stand in anything suspect, I noticed this strange sight.One of our CAMRA members was on the opposite side of the road, smartphone in hand looking at the screen, heading away from the Point. Now the building is probably the largest in the area so I shouted across to him.. 

" I couldn't find it ". he replied

Pointing up I said " Its that large brick building you are in the shadow of"

"Oh"

The second trip to and from Maxim, to collect the cider , festival glasses and other bits and pieces was uneventful. Soon it was time for the 3rd and final collection, and involved another alley way, this time a lot more hygienic.

Some local breweries had delivered to the Mid Boldon Club. This has a cellar with access from the alleyway for deliveries down into the cellar. A golden rule of beer cellars is :-

Full and heavy casks in, light and empty casks out.Not - full and heavy casks in, full and heavy casks out !

It took three of us,  1 inside pushing a cask up a ladder, and 2 of us outside hauling on a rope with ageing, straining muscles. It was like taking part in a vertical tug of war. I had said just before we got there :-

" Is this going to knack my already knacked back ?"( although I didnt quite use those words).

Came back the unsympathetic reply - "yes". I haven't told Mrs Ken yet about this episode

The Festival, Thursday 12th - Saturday 14th.

I was working behind the bar,which was great, as you meet all sorts of characters; some you know, some you have met for the first time. All are always friendly, happy to be there. 

The beers and ciders in the festival programme were numbered (from 1 to 40) and named. The trick is to memorise where all 40 beers are on the bar, as some come up and say, can I have a no 1 please.  Now when I count its from left to right, but some were coming to where was at, between 31 and 40 and asking for a number 1 please. I usually say, "is that with rice or chips ?" Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

On the subject of rice and chips, the venue provided food. They sold foot long hot dogs with a twist ; the buns were half a foot ! Only in Sunderland 

Day 1 was a steady flow, Day 2 was manic and Day 3 was a bit slow to be honest. The city's fantastic football team were at home so about a dozen supporters were in, enjoying themselves before the inevitable gloom to come. Our last orders were at 1900 on the Saturday and a few came in within an hour of the deadline. " Come on guys, have a few more..the clocks ticking here !"

Take down - Sunday 15th.

Sunday morning was quite warm and it got hotter during the day as we toiled to remove the casks, dismantle the bar and get everything down to the infamous alleyway, which showed more signs of pollution. I was absolutely knackered as I headed off the car, aching back and feet. Muttering that I am getting to old for this.

But, did I enjoy myself; of course I did ; already looking forward to next year    

BEER IN MADIERA

THIS POST HAS BEEN DELAYED BY 48 HOURS DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AT FUNCHAL AIRPORT, MADIERA.

Mrs Ken and I have just been on another weeks holiday in Madiera. Last year, on our last day we spotted a new "beer house" in Funchal, the island capital. Not having time, I vowed to return.

It is set in the harbour not far from the Christiano Ronaldo Museum - for which an entry fee is charged. The money he earns and he still wants more. Probably to pay for the ridiculous statue outside , and the ugly bust outside the airport named after him.

Enough of the rant - ed.

Anyhow the beer-house says it has an brewery. Looking at the menu  for this mainly food led place, they understate the beer and list it along with the islands main brewery, Coral. ( Which is code for yellow fizzy piss).

Ordering what turned out to a pint in a dimpled glass with a handle, I was looking round to see where  the beer was brewed.

" You looking for someone sir" said the waiter who brought our drinks. 

" Just wondering where the beer is brewed."

" Come, I show you the beer machine"

Inside was this gleaming stainless steel contraption, spotlessly clean with no smell of anything. It looked suspiciously unused but it was going to be  a waste of time asking him as the place was busy and the waiters were dashing around like blue arsed flies .  Anyhow he took a couple of pictures then dashed off to get our food.

 The beer was OK, no idea what strength it was, but it tasted suspiciously like the Coral, bland and slightly sweet. I will never know.

Not to worry,  cos the main beer I like is Superbock Abadia. Discovered this a couple of years ago and it's excellent. At 6%, it is a reddish brown and has a nice malty taste. Even the wife liked it, so 9 bottles ended up in the case coming home.

The hotel we were staying in have started selling Franziskaner Weissbier. At 5 euros for a tall glass, good value for a hotel.They also sell Coral Stout, which is brewed on the island. I couldn't help noticing I was the only one drinking the stout and the Weissbeer, mostly they were supping wine and the Coral bland lager.

Back to the delay.

Madiera is a very hilly island with few flat bits. The airport runway is built on stills, with the sea surrounding it on three sides. On the 4th side , next to the runway , is a cliff that rises inland. If the wind is blowing in the wrong direction this can cause strong crosswinds and turbulence, making it dangerous for plane landings. There are interesting videos online showing planes "having difficulty" 

On our departure day the runway was closed so we had to be bused to another hotel for an extra night. The same thing happened the next day !!. So got home 44 hours late. 

Ready for a few beers tonight at the Marine and the Spice Garden in Shields !!

SUNDERLAND BEER & CIDER FESTIVAL - PART 1 - THE MAKING OF 1040

The Making of 1040 

 

Sounds like a film title , but it is in fact about a new beer, as is explained below 

 

The CAMRA Sunderland & Sth Tyneside branch beer festival will be with us soon. It will be held in The Point in Sunderland, a new venue for the branch. To coincide with the event Maxim Brewery are celebrating 10 years of brewing, while the branch has been in existence for 40 years.

To recognise these combined events an idea was hatched for a special beer brewed ; called 1040. In beer speak that means an original gravity of 1040, making it a 4% ale. In addition, the beer would be ruby coloured to recognise the 40 years.

The 1040 brew started today ( 18th Sept) so I asked if I could call in and see part of the brewing process. I had already spent a day at the brewery helping out 2 years ago **. In fact I was asked if I would like to clean some casks again, I must made such a good job last time.!  I made some excuse about having to leave as Mrs Ken's MOT was due (the car, not her !).

KETTLE BOILING

FOR THE HORSES

Anyhow, when I arrived the wort was being transferred into the kettle to be boiled with the hops, in this case Willamette and Bramling Cross hops.The used grains were transferred into a small skip to feed the local horses.

SPOT ON 1040

A hydrometer was used to show that the beer's original gravity was in fact spot on  1040 ( see picture right  as proof - you may have to look closely).

The next process was to transfer the hot liquor through a heat exchanger, used to get the temperature down to 18 deg, at which point the yeast was added and the beer pumped into a fermentation vessel to be left for 3 days. It would then be transferred into a conditioning tank to mature. 

The racking of the beer into casks would be in a week; unfortunately I will be in sunnier climes for a holiday by then. 

Nearly car checking time and I was conscious of the fact that my bottled beer stock at home was getting dangerously low. So I bought myself from the brewery shop half a dozen bottle of Maximus as a treat !

Looking forward to trying the new beer at our festival, but that's another blog.

Thanks to Glen for tolerating me for a second time 

.

* A Day at Maxim Brewery

A MYSTERIOUS SAILOR IN BERWICK & NORTH SHIELDS

JULY 17TH 2009

A group of us travelled to Berwick on the train and visited several pubs in the town, having many beers in the process. We started with breakfast in the Leaping Salmon ( when it used to be a Wetherspoons),  then headed down to the Barrels Ale House with its famous dentists chair. I think we then went to the Brown Bear and sat in the pub garden. There may have been some more pubs visited after but we ended up at the top of the town near the station with time to spare before the train. 

I had noted a pub in the Good Beer Guide called the Pilot. " Its a bit of a walk" I said. Half of them muttered something like " bugger that" and headed into the Castle Hotel, three of us sought out the Pilot.

This is another one of these back street locals that I think are great. Now we didnt notice it at the time but there was a photograph of an old sailor on the wall behind my head. My mate, who was taking photos, photo-shopped the one you see here.

 AUGUST 26TH 2017

 

"Ken, Ive just been to a great pub and have seen your photo on the wall". This was from one of the guys who was with me that day in Berwick. " Its in the Low Lights Tavern at North Shields Fish Quay"

SEPT 2ND 2017

  

It was a nice sunny day so Mrs Ken & me decided to venture out to the North Shields Fish Quay and see what all the fuss was about. Parking up, we had the customary fish and chips first then headed for the Low Lights. I was tempted to ask the lad behind the bar, " Excuse me but is there a picture of me in here ?" 

The photo wasn't in the bar so figured out it was in the small room to the right. Sure enough there he was, with a couple sitting next to it trying to relax,  enjoying  a drink when  I walked in brandishing my phone camera  It was like looking in a mirror !!. I took this picture while the couple were giving me strange sideways glances. They left soon after.

 

So just think of the chain of events. 

If we hadn't made that detour to find the Pilot

If I hadn't been sitting underneath that photo

If my mate didnt have Photoshop

If another friend hadn't gone to North Shields

If it hadnt been a fine day last Saturday.

No idea who this guy is by the way !!

 

THE BLACK LION - A BACK STREET PUB HIDDEN AWAY

Yesterday Mrs Ken and myself decided to have a trip up to Weardale, more specifically Tunstall Reservoir near Wolsingham. We hadn't been there for over 30 years and were prompted by a friend who had visited the place the other week. A quick research of the Good Beer Guide found the Black Lion Pub in Wolsingham as a good place to have a pint after our walk round the reservoir.

I have only ever driven through Wolsingham, never stopping. 2 pubs are always passed, The Black Bull and the Bay Horse but the Black Lion was new to me.

It was quite warm and sunny so I was ready for a pint. Finding the pub, we entered ( this was about 5pm) to find only 1 customer in the bar and the barmaid. I made the mistake of ordering the wife's drink first, a latte. So the barmaid disappeared round into the kitchen for the ingredients for this while I chatted to the guy at the bar. Turned out he was a fellow CAMRA member who knew Washington, where I live, well and was able to rattle off some locations and pubs from his memory. 

During this reminiscing the latte was in the construction phase when the barmaid accidentally knocked over her small bottle of milk.  " Now don't cry over your spilt milk"  I joked which she took with good humour. After 5 minutes of latte making she asked what I wanted. " Its been that long Ive forgotten !" ( another joke )  The pint of Pennine Amber Necker I asked for was spot on for a warm day. 

The CAMRA guy finished off and some people appeared from the back of the pub. There was a pub garden !! We decided to go outside. The barmaid said to the wife  " are you OK carrying that cup, do you want a hand?" I said, " you can carry my pint if you want" . It was that sort of friendly place where we were made to feel welcome as soon as we walked in the door.

The small garden was a suntrap and we noticed sitting on one of the chairs, partially obscured, a cat dozing in the sun. After 5 minutes a couple came into the garden with a dog. The cat didnt see the dog and the dog ( think it was a spaniel) didnt see the cat. Foolishly, the cat decided to move. The dog nearly crapped itself, emitting these loud wolf like wails. The cat did a runner over the garden wall and the dog nearly knocked over two tables in its panic.

Things calmed down then we left this great little pub to head home. 

It got to thinking about how good some out of the way back street pubs are. Off the beaten track they are well worth seeking out. The Steps in Washington, The Monument in Penshaw and the Dun Cow in Seaton spring to mind.  

  

 So if you are in Weardale anytime :- black-lion-wolsingham

CAMRA ANGLE ISSUE 49

The Autumn edition of CAMRA Angle , the quarterly magazine of the Sunderland and South Tyneside branch of CAMRA, has  just been published. Copies are being  distributed to real ale pubs throughout the area , and beyond. As usual , this is another full issue and well worth a read.  

There are articles from our roving reporters in London Kings Cross, Lancaster, The Great British Beer Festival and the inaugural Woodfest in Castleford. There is a centre spread containing the updated Washington Ale Trail and a review of the Washington Arms. 

A couple of milestones feature. The Sunderland and South Tyneside CAMRA branch celebrates its 40th year and Maxim Brewery its 10th.

On a sad note we remember long time CAMRA member John Holland who died last month. 
 

A regular section is a news update on pubs and breweries in the branch as well as Locale pubs and those that offer discounts. A new feature is a Cider page ; Ive been drinking more of it lately ( not out of a cheap bottle on a park bench - in case you were wondering).

Issue 49 is rounded off by a  pub quiz and a pump clip  quiz.  

Almost forgot, the magazine has a new editor. Nice guy !


If you cant find a copy, follow this link to download your own,  and for more branch news. .http://sst.camra.org.uk/

 

And remember, accept no imitations.  

2017 GREAT BRITISH BEER FESTIVAL

This weekend sees the end of the 2017 Great British Beer Festival. A group of us met up on Thursday for what was my 14th consecutive visit. We have this reunion every year and its a chance to catch up, and take the piss out of each other for nearly 6 hours of drinking.

I met a mate in Kings Cross Station then we travelled on the Tube to Barons Court, which is about 10 minutes walk from Kensington Olympia, the festival venue. The tube was crammed with standing room only. After the tube and the walk through the streets, it was a relief  to have to stand again in a long queue till noon opening time. Such was the queue length we didnt actually get into the building till 20 past. It should be noted at this point that, despite travelling the furthest ( from Durham) , again I was first there. After us 2, the rest just sauntered in later. " Queue? What Queue?"   

Now every year I take my own food. An investment in some cheap pies is always a good idea. Usually past their sell by date, they keep me going throughout the afternoon. This year I brought some CAMRA magazines down so had my backpack. They have tightened security so there was a mandatory bag search inside the venue.  

" Can you open the bag please" I was asked by this stern individual. 
"Theres only magazines and some out of date pork pies"  (Note the attempt at some humour there). 

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He remained stony faced throughout. Probably totally pissed off that he would have to do this for the rest of the afternoon while we all enjoyed ourselves.

 

We found a table with enough room for 6 then I went off to buy a festival glass. The counter for the glasses was longer than our bar at our beer festival. This little guy behind the counter held up glass as I offered my £3. He then proceeded to stick his tongue out, which ended in a point. He never said a word, but he looked like an extra from Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. The tongue went back in as the transaction completed.

Now, onto the beer. The winner of the Champion Beer of Britain had been announced 2 days previously.  Church End " Goats Milk" was the winner. 

Finding the beer in the 84 page program, I set off for bar B6 to find the beer had sold out but would be back on at 2.15. Not to worry, I ordered my first drink at the same bar , Bathams Mild, which turned out to be my favourite of the day !!

Now was a chance to take stock of the festival layout bar locations. There were more than 20 bars selling real ale, cider, perry, real ale in a bottle and foreign beers. 900 beers and ciders were available ( well, 899 as the Goats Milk wasnt), and nearly 20 food stalls. The program contained a full listing of every drink and food stall. The description for S35 Fish & Chips was very succinct - it said Fish & Chips !

The beer list had been previously published online so had an idea what i wanted. It was just a matter of finding the right bar. It was commented mid afternoon that some of the bars are that far to walk from our table that by the time you get there you've forgotten what you came for.

Titanic Brewery had there own bar and I was keen to try Plum Porter Grand Reserve ( what ever that means) . This was 6.5% so as I like strong dark beers I was expecting something special. Wrong ! The plummy aroma of the original was less pronounced and it tasted a bit "thin". Back to the drawing board guys, I think you just sank with that  one.

Soon  it was time to see if the Goats Milk was on, so i wandered up to B6. Seeing the handpull in use I walked up to the bar coming in from the left. 

This grunt wearing a fluorescent jacket and a radio mike said. " Can I help you sir ?"  

Yeah, "half of the Goats Milk please" 

" Join the queue then" he pointed to my right and to a long line of hopefuls queuing. I thought, bollocks to this so ordered a local beer, Errant Clever Girl which was quite drinkable.

I heard later the Goats Milk had sold out again. I just thought, all those buggers queuing for a drink they had never heard of, to then sip it and then comment sagely about its aroma , taste etc. I can wait till next time.

During all this by the way , the out of date Tesco Pork Pies were going down a treat. I had left then on the table , for some reason no one else would touch them. Cant yet figure out why.

So after nearly 6 hours , it was time for one last drink, so i opted for Tiny Rebel Stay Puft, a Marshmallow Stout.  Tasty way to end the day.

Ive worked out I had 11 different beers and 1 cider of varying styles; from new and long standing breweries -  and it turns out my favourite was the first drink I had, the Bathams Mild, which has been around for years.

A great day out , very tiring as didnt get home till 11pm, but already looking forward to next year .