Wetherspoon's Spring Real Ale Festival, Fri 28 March - Sunday 13 April.

[aleandhearty]

Surprised no-one has mentioned this yet. The link below should hopefully open onto the festival programme. Scroll down for the beer list and tasting notes. Have to say, on first glance, it doesn't look the most inspiring set of brews, but I've no doubt I'll be sampling some of them at some stage.

http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/static/pdfs/admin-generated/podium/ale-festival-2013-247.pdf?t=1395153645

[Bucking Fastard]

Thanks for posting the list a&h,like you I am bound to come across some of those brews ,so here's hoping there is something decent.

[Aqualung]

It doesn't look as interesting a list as the last one with all those American brews.
The most interesting one for me will be the GK Hop Monster. Can they make it taste like something more than a stronger version of Abbot?
The Brit Hop one also looks interesting, I assume it includes every single variety of British hops currently avaliable.

One of the problems for Spoons guest lists and Festivals (their festivals are basically short term guest lists where they go for broke with the guest ales) is that there aren't enough breweries big enough to produce a cask for every Spoons in the country.
A good way around this is what has happened with the Brit Hop beer, make it a collaboration. I assume that Hardknott came up with the idea and Fuller's assisted them to execute it.

In London Spoons there must be a few dozen small breweries that find their way into their pubs to enhance the guest list. To me this is the way forward for them rather than taking on some random beer from the Marston's stable or pushing national blands like London Pride, Doom Bore and Adnam's Broadside.

[london calling]

It doesn't look as interesting a list as the last one with all those American brews.
The most interesting one for me will be the GK Hop Monster. Can they make it taste like something more than a stronger version of Abbot?
The Brit Hop one also looks interesting, I assume it includes every single variety of British hops currently avaliable.

One of the problems for Spoons guest lists and Festivals (their festivals are basically short term guest lists where they go for broke with the guest ales) is that there aren't enough breweries big enough to produce a cask for every Spoons in the country.
A good way around this is what has happened with the Brit Hop beer, make it a collaboration. I assume that Hardknott came up with the idea and Fuller's assisted them to execute it.

In London Spoons there must be a few dozen small breweries that find their way into their pubs to enhance the guest list. To me this is the way forward for them rather than taking on some random beer from the Marston's stable or pushing national blands like London Pride, Doom Bore and Adnam's Broadside.
Agree with you .Wetherspoons s should get some smaller brewers and let them brew a beer at a big brewery for the fest rather than the foreign brewers who by and large haven't brewed many interesting beers.The Brithop was a collab with Hardknott and was only in Fullers pubs about 2 years ago.I thought it was hoppy and good.But will Wetherspoons pay enough money for them to use the same amount of hops.Had the Double hop monster not enough hops and too much alcohol but its not my style of beer so you might like it.

[PaulOfHorsham]

Nicholson's (http://www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/offer/springbeerfestival/) are doing something similar, starting 24 March - 50 beers and, like JDW, seems to be a high-powered set of guest beers (and without importing the brewers).

[Aqualung]

I've missed out on the first half of this due to problems with my hands and wrists (gout?).
I was lucky enough to find my two target beers straight away. The Brit Hop was good but not outstanding. It didn't help drinking it after two enormously hoppy low ABV Brodie's beers.

I liked the Greene King Hop Monster (especially at £1.99 a pint!!), but did find it a bit sweet. Maybe I'm expecting too much from a 7.2% ABV beer. The best for me so far was the Purity Saddle Black, a superb strong stout.

[hondo]

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/inner-west/young-henrys-real-ale-defeats-international-competition-to-win-award-and-big-contract/story-fngr8h4f-1226879661276

[Quinno]

Had the Celt Dark Age in The Hatchet Inn (JD Wetherspoon) (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/64937/), Newbury the other day. Very nice but then again I am quite a fan of theirs.

[Aqualung]

Had the Celt Dark Age in The Hatchet Inn (JD Wetherspoon) (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/64937/), Newbury the other day. Very nice but then again I am quite a fan of theirs.
I would second that, it's one of seven I've rated 9/10 and a lot of them are dark.
Of the "Interational" beers the only one that has really impressed was the Adnam's / Yeastie Boys Tea Leaf IPA which had a very strong flavour of tea attached to it. Having said that, did I like it? I'm not sure, it was certainly interesting!
I think that Adnam's are the only brewery that take producing these "craft" beers for Spoons seriously. The Marston's Swedish IPA tasted just like any old Marston's beer to me.

[Quinno]

I think that Adnam's are the only brewery that take producing these "craft" beers for Spoons seriously.

Agreed - the range and quality has been outstanding.

[Aqualung]

I saw a tweet yesterday boasting that the Devonshire House in Crouch End was doing the GK Double Hop Monster so off I went this afternoon to give it the rigours of the 3 pint test. It was in cracking form at £1.99 a pint and my verdict is that GK have finally successfully produced a great beer that isn't just a strong version of Abbot. The new world hop flavour was prevelant throughout, and while I would have liked more hop aroma the overall taste easily made up for that. To be honest I could have stayed for more but judging by the merriment my shambolic return to base camp caused it was just as well I didn't!
I upped my rating to 9 so there are now 8 on my list with that score.