Stowmarket Beer Festival

Today I took the train to Stowmarket for the Stowmarket Beer Festival.

I enjoyed it 2 years ago when I went (see here) but managed to miss the date last year. Here are a few photos.

I joined the queue about 5 minutes before the doors opened.

I was soon inside and had my first beer, a 1/2 pint of Colchester Freak Show session bitter.

There were plenty of beers to choose from.

The stillage, as before, was in the barn.

That's my seat with the beer and programme.

Plenty of room here, unlike May's Colchester Beer Festival.

After a couple of 1/2 pints, I changed to drinking 1/3 pint so as to get to try more beers. Here are a few I tried.

• Brentford Zeus Juice (4.8%) American Style Pale Ale. Very pale and bursting with notes of mango and apricot. A favourite.
• Colchester Freak Show (3.8%) Session Bitter. A pale copper ale.
• Drinkstone Drinkstone Bitter (3.8%). Classic smooth session bitter. My second one.
• Elephant School Porter in a Storm (4.9%) Porter. Rich... a bit too rich for me.
• Five Points XPA (4.0%) Pale Ale. Very pale and hoppy with fruity notes. Dawn would like this.
• Humber Doucy Friday Street (4.0%) Pale Ale. Light and refreshing. Another one Dawn would like.
• Jack Rabbit Roasted (4.3%) Stout. Dark and chocolatey.
• Mighty Oak Oscar Wilde (3.7%) Dark Mild. With suggestions of forest fruit and dark chocolate. I liked this a lot.
• Nethergate Lemon Head (4.0%) Specialty. Very Lemon and Ginger. Refreshing.
• Old Goat Cherry Wheat (4.9%) Specialty. Cherry in taste and cherry in colour. I liked it.
• Portobello Tropical Crush (4.4%) IPA. Tropical fruit flavours. A favourite from the Colchester Beer Festival.

I left shortly before 4pm as I had had my fill and caught the fast Peterborough train back to Bury St. Edmunds. A great afternoon. I'll be back on Sunday for the Stowmarket Food and Drink Festival on Sunday with Dawna dn William. More on that anon.