Beer Compurgation

It was a Saturday morning in November and my face was drained of all colour. I clung to the nearest pillar on platform 4 of Manchester Piccadilly. I casually wondered whether 16-year-old me had been right all along; that I would indeed die from too much Irish stout. Whilst the majority of my matter was silently screaming for my bed, my heart wished it was on the now-departing train to New Mills that I had been watching from several platforms away.  It was the first morning of Smokefest 2019 , hosted by Torrside Brewery, and I'd been looking forward to the event ever since I purchased ticket numbers 3 & 4 as they went on sale. (I am still not sure which rascal snapped up 1 & 2.) My only saving grace, that kept me going as I continued to feel very sorry for myself for the next 24 hours, was a ticket for the following day and a determination to be well enough in time for it.  I've never made much of a secret of my love for smoked beer. From pre social m...

The problem with an on-the-fence opinion that discusses the merits of both fields is that those situated far from the fence on either side only listen to the cons of their particular grassy plain. It was through this that my last post, a discussion on the pros and cons of the“All-in” beer festival ticket , led to the greatest example of others looking only for negatives. If points one through to five sided with the views of one person, you can bet that they approached me over point 6, fists waving all the way. However, as my comments came before I had ever experienced any beer festivals that provided the “all-you-can-drink” experience, it felt remiss of me not to follow up that post now that I have been through the process. The festival was Dark City 2018; Northern Monk Brew Co’s annual dedication to all beers that are dark. Alongside the two incarnations of their lighter festival – Hop city – this was the first time there had been change to the ticket structure. A...

We are more spoilt right now then we often care to remember. For years I’ve been hearing that there has never been a better time to be a beer drinker and that is only increasing. Still, over-indulgence can lead to complacency and timely feet-grounding reminders can be necessary. If this time of year really is beer festival season then I thought that I’d grown tired of it. Much like the occasional December when one needs a little push in finding their Christmas spirit, there was something about this festival season that just wasn’t clicking for me. I was weary of rush for tickets, overly subscribed trade days and beer list "drops." I left Leeds International Beer Festival (LIBF) in September feeling a little disappointed in something that I couldn’t quite place. In contrast to all of my positive previous visits, when people asked me how it was I was responding with a shrug and a muttered “ alright, yeah .” I couldn’t place my discontent. The festival is still...