Fullers Roadshow

About forty-five real ale fans sat eagerly awaiting in glorious weather for the start of the 'Fullers Roadshow'. The Roadshow is organised and presented by Fullers Fine Ale Club, the 'Team' who travel the country bringing the taste of Fullers beers to Real Ale drinkers, came to the 'Dove Street Inn' on Thursday 29th of June.

The team came amongst us with Chiswick Bitter, as Emma Watts started her talk on the history and the way Fullers brew their beers, Emma apologised for the absence of Head Brewer John Keeling who was ill and was due to give the talk. Emma, is the Senior Trade Quality Advisor and Team leader told us about the founding partners of Fuller, Smith & Turner who started the brewery in 1845, today the brewery now brews 250,000 barrels of beer a year, and has apparently, the oldest Wisteria in the country growing on the outside of the building.
Now the Tutored Tasting began which is where Emma normally comes in, the Team came round with some more 'Chiswick Bitter'; this is a 3.5% cask bitter and dry hopped for extra flavour. Followed by 'Discovery' a new beer in 2005, 3.9% abv, a blonde beer with American hops with Citrus and Grapefruit notes. Next a bottled beer 'Organic Honey Dew' at 5% abv a light and golden beer. The well-known 'London Pride' was offered at 4.1% abv and is 80% of Fullers production, sold at 10,000 outlets and is a regular beer at the Dove, it is exported and in Sweden has won medals at the Stockholm beer festival. Next was ESB (Extra Special Bitter) at 5.5% abv in cask (5.9% in bottle and can). A pale ale and crystal malts, spicy hop character, 3 times CAMRA Champion beer of Britain. Next a bottle conditioned beer '1845' at 6.3% abv with rich fruitcake flavours, spices and nutmeg which now is the UK's No 1 Bottle Conditioned Ale. By this time a good deal of banter was exchanged between Emma and the merry tasters as the next sample came along which was London Porter at 5.4% abv, a blend of brown, crystal and chocolate malts. Smooth and rich in flavour. And now for the last, Vintage Ale, we had two tastings of this, one brewed in 1999 and the second in 2005, at 8.5% abv, this bottle conditioned beer has a nutty and malty tasty with Christmas cake flavours, the 1999 a slightly rough edge to it while the 2005 is a perfect strong, smooth beer, which brought us nicely to the end of two hours of an informative and entertaining evening.

Included in the entrance fee were 4 half-pint tokens, food voucher and a goody bag. As usual the food was excellent with Karen cooking on her BBQ's, which during the summer are a regular feature between Thursdays and Sundays.

Lakes and Ale

A holiday in the Lake District in September unfortunately coincided with the Ipswich Beer Festival so for sure we were in search for some different beers.
Shirley and I based ourselves in Bowness - on - Windermere and early in the week we looked for somewhere to eat, it was raining as we walked into Bowness looking for 'Hole int' Wall'. An old pub split level with dark wood beams and decorative wooden panels on the ceiling in the bar. The beers on offer were Robinson's Best Bitter at 4.2%, Double Hop at 5% and Hartleys XB at 4 % all between £2.20.and £2.50, we tasted all three, they were OK but not very exciting beers. One thing I was interested in while waiting to be served was a sign behind the bar asking customers to order bitter first, the reason for this, the beer is served through a swan neck with a sparkler with which must be a lot of very small holes as when the pint is served it at first resembles a pint of milk, this is put to one side, the other drinks are served then the pint is then topped up.
On a warm and sunny day we drove over the Hardnott and Wrynose pass on our way to sample beers brewed by Great Gable Brewery based at the Wasdale Head Inn. The Inn is in a superb setting and lies at the foot of England's highest mountain (Scafell Pike) and near its deepest lake (Wastwater). The beers on offer here were Great Gable at 3.4 %, Burnmoor P'Ale at 4.2%, Illgill I.P.A. at 5% and Yewbarrow at 5.5%, we tasted all four with Yewbarrow a strong dark mild having our vote. The Wasdale Inn is one of the last sixteen in the Camra Pub of the Year competition.
On our last full day we drove a short distance from our apartment to catch the ferry across Winderemere Lake with our first stop at Hawkshead famous for the home of Beatrix Potter. We headed for The Kings Arms Hotel which is located in the square to find some Hawkshead beers, two were on offer here at this 500 year old Inn, Bitter at 3.7% and Lakeland Gold at 4.3% also Coniston Bluebird Bitter at 3.6% and Moorhouse Pride of Pendle at 4.1%. We tasted both the Hawkshead beers.
Next stop was Coniston and the 16th - century Black Bull Inn and home to The Coniston Brewing Co. On offer here were Coniston Bluebird Bitter at 3.6 %, Old Man Ale at 4.2% and Theakston's Old Peculier, before we left we had tried both the Coniston beers.
The Coniston Lake is famous for Donald Cambell and his water speed record breaking boat 'Bluebird'.
In the evening we walked to the centre of Bowness and on to The Royal Oak. The beers on offer here were Timothy Tailor Landlord, Greene King Abbot, Coniston Bluebird Bitter and Barnsgates Cracker at 3.9%, here we tried the Coniston Bluebird Bitter and the Barnesgates Cracker, Barnesgates is from a brewery from just outside Ambleside. Just round the corner we headed for the Village Inn to have something to eat, here the beers on offer were Tetleys Cask Best Bitter, Hawkshead Red (Best Bitter), Jennings Cumberland Ale at 4% and Black Sheep Best Bitter. With our Fish and Chips we sampled the Hawkshead Red and Jennings Cumberland Ale.
On our visit to the Lake District we thought all the beers were very good but we think the outstanding beers were from the Hawkshead Brewery. The Lake District is a lovely place to visit and if the leaflet 'Ale trail' (Cumbria Fells & Dales) is anything to go by which has a comprehensive list of Cumbria's twenty-two breweries is certainly the place to visit for ales.

Wasdale Head Hotel	Kings Arms Hotel, Hawkshead	Black Bull, Coniston

Crouch Vale Brewery
February 3rd 2007

25 Ipswich and East Suffolk Camra members took a bus trip to Crouch Vale Brewery on a lovely day in February.

Entrance to Crouch Vale brewery	In the reception	The main man giving us a chat about the new brewery
The Brewery moved here in 2006, January i think was the first time beer was brewed here.	The Prince of Wales at Stow Maries	The Hoop at Stock