Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
4 February 2011
10:3191455Festival opens today at 1pm, tomorrow at 10.30. No food at Blakes today or tomorrow as I shall be working full time at the Town Hall.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 658- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 660
4 February 2011
21:5991522Not long left the festival a cracking job by the staff. Many beers available 75 beers today truely the highlight of Dovers events.
beer the food of the gods
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
5 February 2011
01:2991532I won a t-shirt on the tombola today. Never won anything during the years you ran it, Tom!!!!!
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 658- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 660
5 February 2011
20:3291598You should have bought more tickets
beer the food of the gods
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
6 February 2011
08:5591616Always agreat range of beers there, but I understand that there were no queues there this year (I drove past several times during Friday and Saturday and didn't see any either).
I was also told by someone who went there that it was £5.00 to get in, then £3.00 for a glass and then £3.50 for a pint (later advised that it was £2.50 a pint). 1 pint then costs £10.50
If you have a couple of pints, this makes £13.00 for 2 pints - £6.50 per pint; just a little O.T.T. don't you think ?
If you have 4 pints - and I appreciate that the more pints you have, the cheaper per pint it will work out, it's £18.00 - that's £4.50.
Went into Blakes in the evening and it was full of Kent University Real Ale and Cider Appreciation Society young people.
Well done Peter, the Ale festival certainly drew them in - and they didn't have to pay for the entrance or glass.
Roger
Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
6 February 2011
09:4291621There was also a CAMRA real ale festival here on the same days as Dovers. I couldn't get a ticket for either day for love nor money.
40 real ales and ciders plus 6 nations rugby and live music in the evening.As my sons would say " well wicked and gutted it was sold out"
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
6 February 2011
10:2591635i would have gone to it but i dont like warm flat beer,i like my beer cold,slighty fizzy with a nice creamy head to it.
Guest 658- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 660
6 February 2011
10:2691637Roger the cost of the glass is refundable when you leave if you don't want to take it home as a keepsake. Every year the glass is different and many people collect them. Also try and find beer at between 5% to 10% for £2.50 a pint anywhere else.Also if you are a camra member entrance is free.
beer the food of the gods
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
6 February 2011
10:3291638Roger, you can always take your own glass or, if you prefer, return your festival glass for a full refund. The entrance fee is to cover the basic costs of providing the venue. As a district councillor I am sure you know how much that is. Entry is free for CAMRA members, who were approximately two-thirds of the attendance. So for CAMRA members the cost is £2.50 a pint, one of the cheapest festivals in the country and certainly THE cheapest for high- gravity beers.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 650- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 542
6 February 2011
10:3491639It's a super beer festival, in lovely surroundings and with heaps of great and knowledgeable company.
Admissions vary - I understand that it's free to card-carrying CAMRA members. and on Saturday am it's £2.00, and free later on.
It's run by volunteers, taking four days, including setting up and dismantling, and they did this year a range of some 75 beers, all high gravity (5 to 10%), most unfamiliar and unusual. If you don't want to keep the souvenir glass you get the money back, and any unused beer tokens can be refunded or donated to CAMRA-DDS's sponsored charity. (Proceeds from the festival go to a charity or good cause each year.)
All power to local good events, and if they then bring benefit to to good causes and to local businesses too - brilliant!
(Edit - Oops, sorry Peter and Guzzler, I posted at the same time)
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
6 February 2011
11:5191650Brian, I very much doubt that the beer was warm (a cold damp blanket or towels can keep it cool) and if poured properly you can get a frothy head even when straight from the barrel.
Real Ale is never ever "fizzy" that means it is full of gas, I will refrain from adding any other comment
.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
6 February 2011
12:0491653Jan
Totally agree.It is an acquired taste but like any mass marketing ..people would rather have a Big Mac full of taste enhancers and additives rather than a 'proper' homemade burger like Mum used to make covered in caramelised onions and served in a northern oven bottom barm cake...The same with beer all froth and no body. Currently drinking Doombar Cornish ale at £2-80 per pint.
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
Guest 658- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 660
6 February 2011
12:1691658As the old saying goes lager drinkers don't like beer they just like going to the toilet a lot.
beer the food of the gods
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
6 February 2011
12:2091659Marek, I should know a lttle about real ale, my husband was fanatical about the stuff. He spent more time hunting out new real ales for the pub and then looking after them down in the cellar than he spent with me.
I still have the collection of pump clips that we displayed in the bar in a box somewhere together with some unusual bar towels.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
6 February 2011
12:2691661Jan
Excellent..at least he wasn't chasing women..
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
6 February 2011
13:4391667Marek, there's an excellent brewery on Guernsey called Randalls. Are their ales available on Jersey?
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
6 February 2011
14:1091672Peter
Yep they brew the Liberation bitter which is also a good pint.
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
6 February 2011
19:4091717guzzler,just because i drink lager dosent mean i pee alot,there are quite a few good lagers out there that would match the best real ales.
and just to add belguim hold beer festivals on a regular bases.
one trapist brewry releases a spesial beer once a year and its limeted edition beer to a coulpe of hundread bottels,its dished out to custemers on a first come first served system and limeted to 5 bottles each.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
6 February 2011
20:2291726strange people arguing which type of beer is best, at the end of the day we all have different taste buds.
brian likes his stella which is an upmarket belgian concoction which has a large following, detractors say that it has a scented taste.
real ale lovers that i know will argue amongst each other for hours which is the best.
the alfresco day time drinking fraternity prefer the town centre as a good hostelry and finish by instituting their ancient tradition of lobbing the empty can into the river.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
6 February 2011
22:4791741I agree with you Brian. But look at the Trappist bottles and they will tell you to drink it at 11-13 degrees C: the same temperature as real British Ale. Euro-fizz is drunk at 3degrees C because at that temperature it's just a thirst-quencher; any warmer and it's undrinkable because it had no flavour in the first place.
There are many exceptions to my generalisation; UK-brewed Stella etc are not among the exceptions. At Blakes we have Konig Pilsener on draught and Budvar and Zywiec in bottle, all excellent Continental lagers with lots of flavour.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
