Ale & Steam Weekend 6^th & 7^th June 2009

North Cotswold Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale

Last Year Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway approached North Cotswold Branch of CAMRA to assist in this inaugural event by providing the Real Ale in the Waiting Room at Winchcombe Station. The combination of Real Ale and Train Enthusiasts seemed too good an opportunity to resist so we readily agreed.

Subsequently last September our first Beer Festival with Moreton Cricket Club proved a great success so we mobilised the same willing band of volunteers to apply their skills to the new second venue deemed a lower risk with only 16 Ales on offer and a roof over our heads.

The Ale theme was any beer that had a name associated with Railways supported by some Gloucestershire favourites from local brewers with 3 ciders and one perry.

Despite the weather turning against us the event was a great success for both GWR and CAMRA with over 200 extra rail travellers on Saturday and 60 platform ticket issues plus around half that number on Sunday. Two thirds of the Beer went on Saturday mostly to Martyn Herberts friends and Gloucestershire Branch, and the rest on Sunday with two extra barrels with assistance from Shakespeare and Swansea Branches.

6 new members were also recruited, lower than normal, mainly due to CAMRA members not wanting to pay two subscriptions.

Our Chairman and Steve Merrett managed to sell 18 pints to the Elegant Excursions Train first class diners but they were stranded when it moved off but recovered from the shock and were offered an unexpected lunch and returned on the next train back from Toddington.

Everything else went to plan and GWR wish to hold it again next year when the second waiting room on the opposite platform will be available allowing a wider range of ales and more space.

Many thanks to our hard working volunteers and the customers who enjoyed a great party particularly on Saturday afternoon before leaving on the last trains to Cheltenham and Toddington. Beer of the Festival was Ramsbury GWR Whistle Blower, but the first Beer to sell out was Prescott Hill Climb which was the first offering from this new Gloucestershire Brewery.

Report & photos below by Roger Price


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The beers and ciders that were on offer:

Beers		%	Tasting Notes

COTTAGE	Golden Arrow	4.5	A golden beer with powerful floral hoppy aroma, a fruity full-bodied taste with a dry bitter finish
RCH	PG Steam	3.9	This complex multi layered ale has a floral hop aroma with medium bodied hop, bitter taste with some fruit and sweetness
RCH	Silver Steam	4.5	A mixture of Bramling cross, Glodings and Pilgrim hops gives a blackcurrant flavour with a lemon zesty finish
SEVERN VALE	Dursley Steam	4.2	Created to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the "Dursley Donkey", the branch line which served Dursley and the Cam valley. A sparkling summer ale full of flowery hops
WHITSTABLE	Oyster Stout	4.5	A rich dry stout with deep chocolate and mocha flavours
GOFFS	Guinevere	4.1	A lighter style traditional ale with a balanced bitterness and a slight spicyness to the character
BOX STEAM	Tunnel Vision	4.2	Well rounded traditional bitter beer. Clean tasting with a slight bitterness on the palate
RAMSBURY	GWR Whistleblower	5.0	Made from home grown spring barley from the Ramsbury Estate it is a very pale beer full of flavour with a citrus finish, dangerously drinkable
WICKWAR	Station Porter	6.1	A powerful warming multi-award winning porter
DARK STAR	Hophead	3.8	A golden bitter with a hoppy aroma and a citrus taste
STROUD	Budding	4.5	Champion Beer of Gloucestershire 2006 and 2008.Very popular pale ale with a grassy bitterness, sweet malt and luscious floral aroma
STANWAY	Stanney Bitter	4.5	A light refreshing amber beer, dominated by hops in the aroma with a bitter taste and a hoppy, bitter aftertaste
NORTH COTSWOLD	Isambard Kingdom Brown Ale	5.0	A version of a nut brown ale, mid-brown in colour and well balanced with English hops. BREWED ESPECIALLY FOR THIS FESTIVAL
NORTH COTSWOLD	Shag Weaver	4.5	Pale hoppy bitter made with New Zealand hops
PRESCOTT	Hill Climb	3.8	A thirst-quenching, golden pale ale
THORNBRIDGE	Red Brick	4,9	This copper ale has light citrus aromas with an underlying biscuit crunch. Sweet and malty in the mouth with a crisp, slightly astringent finish and subtle grapefruit bitterness

CIDERS AND PERRIES

GREEN VALLEY, DEVON		6.8	Dry

GWATKIN, HEREFORDSHIRE
FARMHOUSE PERRY		7.0	Medium
NORMAN CIDER		7.5	Medium

PERRY CIDER MILLS, SOMERSET
CIDER		6.0	Medium / Sweet

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