View Full Version : Beer Festivals
We have noticed that Quaffale have removed their beer festivals listings meaning that I think we are now by far the best festival listing site on the web. With this in mind I am about to try and do a new push on them (so with some luck changes in the next couple of months :(, so slooooow).
Things I hope to do,
- Move it onto the new template with the links across the top
- Improve the address submission (can't be any worse)
- Add a button to the pubs to add a beer festival to the pub
- Add filters to the listing so that you can see what counties and towns have festivals
- If I can think of a way make the listings appear clearer
- Allow members to tag the fact they are going to the festival
- Possibly let festival runners re-edit their festival page
I'm not promising all of these, but will do my best, is there anything you would like to see on them?
Also feel free to promote us to anywhere you think may be interested :)
gillhalfpint
06-07-2010, 17:16
Someone on Scoopgen group on yahoo suggested your beer festival page to an enquirer wanting info for Exeter and Plymouth fests.
It is a much needed service to have somewhere to look up what festivals are happening, and have their links for beer lists.
We are in Cornwall for a few weeks, and I have looked for fests around here myself.
Going to Plymouth 16-17 July, and Lizard 2000 at Helston 29-31 July.
Interested in any others pub or CAMRA run that may be known out there.
trainman
07-07-2010, 08:14
You could do with a network of geographically diverse contributors, Conrad, and an easy way for them to enter festival data (pending moderation) from local Camra magazines or direct pub knowledge. I'd happily do it from London Drinker, though I'm not in my usual 'circulation' at the moment, but from the most recent online version the only missing dates I noticed were 21-25Jul at Pembury Tavern http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/25070/. A pal occasionally mails me Opening Times (Stockport/South Manchester) so I'll keep a weather eye on that if/when it arrives.
Anyone else have local mags? I recall being asked whether I had a beer belly in Rochester (it was quite evident I did!) but, to the locals amusement, & my own, it turned out the barmaid was referring to Rochester Beer Belly, the local ale mag. So... there must be plenty of Aylesbury Ales, Dudley Drinkers, Brummy Beers, Salopian Suppings, Dartford Dipsos, Lancashire on the Lash, and Yorkshire Guzzlers out there.
I imagine you could get a list from Camra and the local branches would probably send free copies if they knew their festivals (pub or independent) were gaining exposure.
Oggwyn Trench
07-07-2010, 17:36
You could do with a network of geographically diverse contributors, Conrad, and an easy way for them to enter festival data (pending moderation) from local Camra magazines or direct pub knowledge. I'd happily do it from London Drinker, though I'm not in my usual 'circulation' at the moment, but from the most recent online version the only missing dates I noticed were 21-25Jul at Pembury Tavern http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/25070/. A pal occasionally mails me Opening Times (Stockport/South Manchester) so I'll keep a weather eye on that if/when it arrives.
Anyone else have local mags? I recall being asked whether I had a beer belly in Rochester (it was quite evident I did!) but, to the locals amusement, & my own, it turned out the barmaid was referring to Rochester Beer Belly, the local ale mag. So... there must be plenty of Aylesbury Ales, Dudley Drinkers, Brummy Beers, Salopian Suppings, Dartford Dipsos, Lancashire on the Lash, and Yorkshire Guzzlers out there.
I imagine you could get a list from Camra and the local branches would probably send free copies if they knew their festivals (pub or independent) were gaining exposure.
Strange , i usually manage to pick up the Hereford Hopvine and Worcester Pint Taken CAMRA mags on my travels but never see any local ones for Shropshire ?
Oggwyn Trench
07-07-2010, 17:40
Acctualy the CAMRA mags are good for listing opening/closing pubs
aleandhearty
07-07-2010, 18:49
Acctualy the CAMRA mags are good for listing opening/closing pubs
Agreed. Wakefield's 'O to K' (Ossett to Knottingley) is very good in that respect.
gillhalfpint
08-07-2010, 07:58
I always collect mags at pubs and fests and keep the latest of each in a shoebox at home, so if I go into an area I have that area's mag to take with me. That's the theory anyway.
As I get a new one, I recycle the old one to a pub or fest.
One of the best for fests is the RURAD that appears around Derbyshire. They have an on-line site, but give a brilliant list of pub and CAMRA fests.
I have Pint Sides (Coventry) listing 7-11 July Derby, 9-11 July Hereford, 29-31 July Stafford, 12-14 Aug Worcester.
Derby Drinker 14-17 July Dolphin and Silk Mill beer fest in Derby.the Alexander 22-24 July, Unicorn at Newton Solney 28 July - 1 August.
L.A.S.T Orders Litchfield Tamworth area show 15-17 July Bromsgrove, 29-31 July Stafford.
One and Ale Cornwall shows 22-23 Oct Falmouth Beer Festival.
Yes, these mags have a wealth of info, and I am quite happy to reproduce here any info I pick up from them on a thread like this if anyone wants me to.
gillhalfpint
08-07-2010, 08:10
And there are more fests.
Out in Brum. Birmingham fest 28-30 October,
Eagle fest in Brum 23-24 July,
Wellington Brum 29-31 July,
Lye Crickey Club and Sadlers fest 19-21 Aug,
Salopian Bar in Shrewsbury Strong Ale fest 24-26 Sept, Salopian also have a RedEye Cider fest 2nd Weekend of July and last weekend of August.
Old Moseley Arms Balsall Heath 22-24 July.
All the fest info I have got from skimming through the mags and adverts.
gillhalfpint
08-07-2010, 08:58
Having a proper look in the mags we have in the caravan to dish out to Cornish pubs and found some more fests.
24-25 Sept...4th Ascot Racecourse Beer Festival
12-25 July...Ciderfest at The Victoria, John Bright Street, Birmingham.
Will have a look in the CAMRA paper What's Brewing as they get local as well as big CAMRA fests in.
gillhalfpint
08-07-2010, 09:09
Whats Brewing fests from small ads in any order.
22-25.7.10...Hawkshead brewery 4th fest
22-24.7.10...Beer on the Farm. 36th Kent fest
27-30 Aug...Bridge End Inn, Ruabon, Wrexham
20-21.8.10...Pompey Beer fest
28.7-1.8.10...Whitchurch Cricket Club
13-14.8.10...Guilford Cricket Club
26-29.8.10...Bewdley Beer Fest
7.8.10...Lions Club(Red & Black Club of Tavistock FC
2-5.9.10...Queen Adelaide, Northampton fest
16-18.7.10... Star Inn, Glossop fest
23-24.7.10...Wykefest food and beer fest, Weymouth
30.7-1.8.10...Tunnel House Inn, Coates.Beer and Music fest
Phew, this could be a big job and I haven't started on What's Brewing CAMRA fests. Anyone wanting info on these can probably find Whats Brewing on the CAMRA site for full info.
Ideally we need to make it so that it is easy for you to add them to the main site so that they appear for everyone.
Also A Swift One blog (http://www.aswiftone.com/2010/07/summer-village-festivals.html) has just mentioned a couple of festivals.
ROBCamra
08-07-2010, 12:25
SIBA has just announced that they will be holding their beer festival at the Palace Hotel Manchester 28th - 31st October.
300 beers overall with 48 available at any one time.
Long weekend in Manchester anyone? :drinkup::drinkup::drinkup:
SIBA North competition in the Grand Room of the Palace Hotel, on Thursday 28th followed by a beer festival exhibiting 300 cask beers from SIBA North members (121 breweries). All beers to be dispensed by hand pump (48 at any given time) with sparklers and a fresh glass on each fill. Open to the public from 4 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. on the 28th, noon to 10.30 p.m. on the 29th and 30th. Pay on the door (price to be confirmed but probably £5) with discounted entry to card carrying CAMRA members. Refundable Souvenir lined glass on deposit/purchase; food available at all sessions; entertainment on Saturday.
hurrah for sparklers :notworthy:
I usually pick up Hertfordshire’s Pints of View on my travels and will add the larger festivals and news of any closures or re-openings.
The thing I find most frustrating about the Add Beer Festival function (unless I’m using it wrongly) is the automatic population of the address from the postcode without an option to override or add more detail. I tend to get around this by putting something in the text.
The way they are displayed could be a bit clearer as well to give a better idea of the location. It’s not always apparent from the title so you have to click the link to see which town it’s in. Again, I tend to get around this by including this detail in the title.
I agree that both of those need addressing and are in mind for the next version.
In terms of what is already there at the moment - It is designed to type the full address in, not just the postcode, and won't work with just a postcode. We did just a postcode when adding pubs and the problem is that it is UK only, so as an experiment we used the full address for the festivals. The trouble is that full address needs to match up to Google as we are using it to get a map position which is needed for pubs. Anyway it hasn't worked so I will just do individual fields for address so that there is less temptation to just put a postcode in.
As to the location not showing that was just plain stupid, I guess because we show the festivals in their towns it didn't occur to me that it was necessary. Still useful to have more explanatory festival names though.
As to the location not showing that was just plain stupid, I guess because we show the festivals in their towns it didn't occur to me that it was necessary. Still useful to have more explanatory festival names though.
This is more of an issue with the Diary pages where the town isn't shown unless it appears in the title, e.g. the Newt festival which is currently on. If you are viewing the festivals as a list then the postal town is shown which is enough.
Hmm hadn't really seen that. I don't fancy making those diary entries any longer. I think I will just suggest that place names should be included in the festival title.
Hmm hadn't really seen that. I don't fancy making those diary entries any longer. I think I will just suggest that place names should be included in the festival title.
I thinks that's probably sufficient Conrad, it's only a minor niggle. Most festivals do have the name in them anyway and people (perhaps Dave) seem to be putting in extra info with most.
Cheers
gillhalfpint
10-07-2010, 09:16
Having just put the Tamworth festival in, I found the text box useful as Assembly Rooms didn't come into the address from the postcode, so just put that the Assembly rooms is about 10 minutes from the railway station. No problem.
Whilst I try not to self-promote on here (to Conrad's annoyance at times when I keep PMing him asking if it's ok for me to post something...)
Our Welsh Ale and Literature festival takes place September 24th-26th. It's grown from 20 ales last year (green hopped) to 50+ this year, every single one Welsh, includes meet the brewers with most of the Welsh brewers present, the festival opened by Buster Grant, chair of the Association of Welsh Independent Brewers, The Hay Brewery opened (please cross everything you've got that it will be ready by then) by Peter Amor, Chair of SIBA and Wye Valley, Tutored beer tasting and beer and food matching with Melissa Cole, and numerous other bits and bobs. The website (updated as and when I confirm details) is www.thehaybrewery.co.uk/festival
Would be interested to know if anyone is interested in this one, would be nice to meet up with some of the PuG'ers and finally meet Ed and tell him to get on with his self promotion ;)
Bit off my track I'm afraid. However I have just added Pompey beer festival and the Barley Mow, Southsea one. Both in August
The Barley Mow one is week long, twenty odd beers, so I may get down there on a few days [bus stop nearby]
trainman
17-07-2010, 18:54
Not long now until the GBBF 2010, but the CAMRA site still has not populated the prospective beer 'list'.
As I may be in the country for the first time since the festival moved to Earls Court, I find myself wondering whether the elusive Wye Valley, and specifically the (now infamous) Butty Bach, will be represented.
Anyone planning to attend the big'un, &/or the Yorkshire fest I noticed advertised in The Full Pint at Duke of Wellington, Balls Pond Rd N1, 29Jul-02Aug? That pub seems to have won N.London pub of the season, Spring, (too many awards, I wonder?), but no reviews on PG yet. Opportunity knocks...
Not long now until the GBBF 2010,
Done it once - never again. Absolute nightmare. I'd only be interested if there is a decent band on.
I'm down at GBBF this year for the whole shebang. Set up, serve, quality control, quality control, quality control, serve, quality control, take down, back to the pub.
The reason being the business plan is to add another 25 beers a year, upto 150. Considering we've already booked Melissa Cole and Zak Avery on the beer side with the AWIB, and the Welsh Literature part of the Welsh Assembly is getting involved with finance and advertising, the 'Hay Festival' office have shown an interest and on the other side of town a film festival is being organised with directors, writers and actors. The only beer festival before was the 22/23 beer festival I did the same weekend last year. 4500 turned up to the Hereford Camra beer fest, the one which ran out of beer last year. I need around 1000 people to turn up and buy 2 pints for it to be a success financially.
Gbbf layout could be interesting - in alphabetical order according to GBG region. So as an example, Breconshire Brewery beers won't be found on the bar at 'B'. Nor 'P' for Powys. They'll be under 'M', for Mid-Wales. Daft as hell.
trainman
18-07-2010, 11:30
Done it once - never again. Absolute nightmare. I
Interesting, my couple of visits when at Olympia never seemed too bad for space and getting served. Maybe I'll nip in of an afternoon if I'm around.
Anyone been to Nottingham 'fest? Last year does sound to have been something of a 'mare, with cider running out even by friday night - and ale early Sat nt!
An invite is under consideration, but it would have to be the Thurs or Fri afternoon for me - I ain't queuing 3-deep anywhere. Plenty of decent N'ham pubs to go to afterwards.
http://stuartfrew.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/the-nottingham-robin-hood-beer-festival-2009/
gillhalfpint
18-07-2010, 20:20
Loved the Nottingham fest last year and am booking caravan at Arnold so I can do a few days in Nottingham and the festival again this year.
Short notice one from one of my haunts:
24TH JULY 2010.
THE MALET ARMS BEER FESTIVAL
20+ ALES ON SHOW
ENTERTAINMENT
ASSORTED BELLY TIMBER [By which I think he means food]
FROM 12 NOON
Sent to me by the landlord. Pub is at http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/65628/
gillhalfpint
22-07-2010, 07:43
Saw a notice outside the Copperhouse in Hayle, Corwall as we drove past saying a beer festival of 30 beers starts today.
Couldn't get more details, but I will be going today so can put details on here after I have been there.
gillhalfpint
22-07-2010, 20:43
The festival didn't start till 7pm today so we didn't get any of the beer, but it was well set up on stillages.
The beer list was countrywide, but all mainstream beers, Black Sheep, Fullers, Ringwood, Triple FFF, Orkney, Hop Back to name a few I remember. No new ales for us, but I imagine Cornish folk used to just the big three and the odd guest would find it brilliant.
Gill
I've added an image to my signature at the bottom of the post advertising the beer festival. If anyone finds it irritating please let me know and I'll change it to just a text link to the festival site.
If anyone has any comments on how it could be improved I'd love to hear them too.
PaulOfHorsham
27-07-2010, 19:54
Hmm hadn't really seen that. I don't fancy making those diary entries any longer. I think I will just suggest that place names should be included in the festival title.
I've got some work for you Conrad (or Dave - I'm not fussy!). Maybe it's been discussed in another thread, but how feasible would it be to add the festivals to a map? I'm thinking just festivals (not pubs) to avoid clutter, and probably just starting at UK level, so users can just zoom into whatever area they fancy.
Sometimes, it would be handy to check on an area and see what's coming up - in case I'm around, or planning a visit, but not so bothered about the date. It would obviously be nice to restrict by date, but let's not get too greedy, eh?
We are looking at it. The big problem is getting the location from address, every address system we have used so far seem to have different limitations that irritate.
Me and Dave were chatting about it earlier and it is certainly a target.
PaulOfHorsham
27-07-2010, 21:57
Excellent! Glad it was something on your radar, and not some absurd request that had you tutting in despair at your demanding audience:p
The Cross Keys in Chute (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/66545/) is having a small beer festival next weekend. Details are:
Friday 13th & Saturday 14th August
18 Ales from Wiltshire, Hampshire and Berkshire, including:
Upham Brewery
Braydon ales
Suthwyk Ales
Hensting Brewery
West Berks Brewery
Box Steam
There will be live music both nights and BBQ Friday and Hog Roast Saturday.
For info please see www.upperchute.com
Afternote: have just spotted that this is already on the Festivals calendar - apologies.
Hi Conrad
I am trying in vain to add a beer & sausage festival being held at the Wheatsheaf Inn, Titchfield over August Bank Hol weekend Friday 27 Aug evening to Monday 30th evening
Trouble is every time I enter the address & postcode of 1 East Street Titchfield, Fareham PO14 4AD
Your system wants to site it in Locks Heath, which will confuse the hell out of anyone trying to find it, Titchfield is just a village on its own,the Locks Heath area, which is miles away [pub there is Lock stock & barrel] and has SO31 6DX postcode
Any ideas?
Not going to be solved until we get the new version out, it is actually tied into the question about maps, the old version does actually put the festival onto a map that we never display, but to do that it needs to match the address with Google which can be a lost cause. I am planning to do it very differently in the new version.
Until then if you just put the real address in the description and accept any old thing it offers - we will correct it before approving it.
Thanks Conrad, had to go with Locks Heath instead of Titchfield
trainman
01-08-2010, 17:51
First visit to Duke of Wellington (Balls Pond Rd) for me yesterday. I liked the pub - I don't think the photos of the austere exterior do it any favours & would have liked to add an image of the light, horseshoe bar area, but no camera.
The Yorkshire beer festival had a great little 16 page booklet including tasting notes, a map of (some of) Yorkshire's brewing areas, and even comment on 'Yorkshire Squares' & the sparkler debate (concluding that a sparkler could be added on request - but obviously not for the greater number of ales which were on stills). £3.30pp was disappointing tho.
At the main (actual) bar they had some non-Yorkshire beers, including one from Marble, but it was Marble 57 (at 5.7%) so I wasn't starting on that!
The Garden Ladder in Harringay had 4 Brodies on stillage and 2 Redemption on pump, they'd run out of a popular line which I failed to note, but another that was unavailable (presume finished???) was Mexican Bandit, which I recall featured recently in babotw? Not a traditional venue, but really good welcome, beers £2.80 and guv asked if we had a Camra card for 30p pp disc. Our one member did not have his card, but otherwise discount would have been applied to the round. Yes, well worth the visit.
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