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4^th Ale & Steam Weekend on 19^th & 20^th May 2012

North Cotswold GWR Beer Festival Sells Out Again

The Fourth Beer Festival held at Winchcombe Station, in conjunction with the Glos/Wark Railway on the weekend of 19^th to 20^th May, was a great success. Despite lack of sunshine the crowds turned out en masse to drink their way through 26 barrels of beer and 3 tubs of cider and perry. Over 600 people visited the festival on Saturday with fewer on Sunday but sufficient to consume the remaining beer and cider including the two extra barrels brought in on Saturday evening from Stanway with little left by closing time on Sunday.

The beers were again served from the one platform using the new waiting room with the doors removed to assist access. The second train from Cheltenham carried 270 passengers which tested our bar staff initially but soon served the customers who spread out along the platform and grass banks.

A marquee next to the bar provided a wet weather facility but was hardly used and most people took the chairs out onto the grass to enjoy the warm weather. The south facing grass bank with established fir trees was popular again including the children’s play area where they organised a game of badminton.

Marmalade Cat (4.5%) from Fat Cat Brewery in Norfolk was the first beer to run out and won Beer of the Festival confirming the initial tasting impression on Friday. See subsequent report on the presentation to the Brewery at the end of this page. Thanks to Festival Director Martyn Herbert and John Stock for their hard work in providing an excellent range of beer. Please click this link for a complete beer & cider list. There is a provisional helpers trip to present a framed certificate to the brewery on Saturday 14^th July 2012.

GWR were delighted with the major additional business ferrying mainly CAMRA members on the trains and additional catering which will help the embankment repairs appeal. Andrew Smith from GWR thanked CAMRA for the excellent festival and we look forward to the first Autumn GWR Beer Festival planned for 15^th and 16^th September 2012 when the full line may be open again.

Thanks to everyone who attended and to the helpers and set up teams.

Report by : Roger Price, North Cotswold CAMRA Branch Chairman

First Train offloading keen festival customers
	Cheltenham Cyclists beat the trains to the bar first.
Second train brings more passengers
	Picnic tables fill up
Badminton underway
	No sun but relaxing and working through the beers
Andrew Smith from GWR acting as guard for the last Sat train
	Andrew and Martin kick off the Sunday session
Gaps appearing and barrels tipped on Sunday
	Film crew and actors join festival after filming evacuees from London
Last train to Cheltenham.

PRESENTATION TO FAT CAT BREWERY.

On Saturday 14th July 2012, John Stocks and I (Martyn Herbert) made the trip to Norwich, to make the presentation to Fat Cat brewery manager Chris Riches, after Marmalade Cat was voted beer of the Spring Ale and Steam Festival.

After a long train journey, we caught the bus to the Fat Cat Brew pub and met Chris and tasted the Fat Cat Bitter and presented him with the certificate before going into the adjoining brew house for a look round and chat. We returned to the bar and sampled the award winning beer. We left Chris and the brewery and went to our hotel then caught another bus to the Fat Cat pub on the west side of the city. We were greeted with 12 beers on handpump and 17 on gravity, and enjoyed a stay there before returning to the centre.

We then split up as I wanted to have a yomp around some the vast choice of real ale pubs in the area. During the next few hours I visited White Lion (East Anglian CAMRA cider pub of the year), The Kings Head (no keg beer or lager sold here), The Vine (where I had a fine Thai Meal), the Plasterers and finally the Rib of Beef.

Next morning we had a stroll and breakfast before catching the return trains back to Cheltenham.

Report by Martyn Herbert