Blog Tracker
24-08-2023, 13:42
Visit the Paul Bailey's Beer Blog site (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/08/a-few-thoughts-on-beer-festivals-with.html)
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There's been quite a lot of debate recently about beerfestivals, the different types, what these types are, and how they function.The debate was sparked partially by controversy regarding the recent ChampionBeer of Britain contest, which thrust beer festivals into the limelight, but primarilyby my visit last week, to the London Craft Beer Festival. My thoughts concerningthe measures used at the event were reinforced by remarks made by brewer andfellow Blogger Ed Wray, on his own site.
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Ed was complaining about the measures used at LCBF, whichwere “samples”or more accurately sips, and as we all know, beer can’t be tasted in sip. Charles Dickens famously wrote in the Old Curiosity Shop, "Did youever taste beer?" "I had a sip of it once," said the smallservant. "Here's a state of things!" cried Mr Swiveller, raising hiseyes to the ceiling. "She never tasted it — it can't be tasted in asip!"
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Many others have said the same thing, including Good Beer Guide completest Retired Martin, who maintains that a pint is a taster, a statementthat is much nearer the mark. Others have said similar things, and whilst Iwould accept that a half pint is just about acceptable, where does this leave thethird of a pint measures, introduced by CAMRA over the course of the lastdecade or so. This brings me onto another subject, and again a controversial one,which concerns the price of a beer at these events.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiGjG23oV2hOkoyAE24Kdk7T-6621um6fHtg8NNdVHFiH9nbGuNVVmMvewIfs9zr8t6TpSYn7Mj 74SyYwiD-t-RaF54DIvuWK-1Gg0KVwU8pytOrE-I1gVF3S6LlglNLVdrSXyQWli9H-ZtlEfrhyaF3RRQXXFHV8N-egDSmYWofUl6kTdP0_GbsbH_8/w400-h225/Kent%20Beer%20Fest.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiGjG23oV2hOkoyAE24Kdk7T-6621um6fHtg8NNdVHFiH9nbGuNVVmMvewIfs9zr8t6TpSYn7Mj 74SyYwiD-t-RaF54DIvuWK-1Gg0KVwU8pytOrE-I1gVF3S6LlglNLVdrSXyQWli9H-ZtlEfrhyaF3RRQXXFHV8N-egDSmYWofUl6kTdP0_GbsbH_8/s3027/Kent%20Beer%20Fest.JPG)
At LCBF all “samples” of beer were free, and there was noadmission charge either – at least there wasn't for people like Ed and me whoqualified for Press Passes. This made me think of the many beer festivals I’ve attendedover the years, both in the UK, but also out in Germany. Festivals majoring onbeer are a relative newcomer to the UK and were inspired by people from the UK who visited German beer festivals and liking what they saw and experienceddecided to set up their own events back home.
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The honour of holding the first UK beer festival, belongs toCambridge. The four-day event took place in July 1974, and was held at thecity’s Corn Exchange, with 6,000 eager drinkers in attendance. Other eventsfollowed, with the first Kent Beer Festival taking place a year later, in amarquee at Canterbury's Dane John Gardens, back in 1975. The principalorganiser of the event was a girl called Gill Keay (nee Knight), who I met whena former school friend and I attended our first CAMRA meeting at the City Arms,close to Canterbury cathedral. In an extraordinary feat, Gill went on to run 40Kent Beer Festivals, before finally stepping down for a well-deserved rest in2014.
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1975, also saw CAMRA holding its first national beerfestival, held at the old flower market in London’s Covent Garden. Billed asthe Covent Garden Beer Exhibition, (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-covent-garden-beer-exhibition-1975.html) the event was a huge success, that helped introducethe delights of cask beer to a much wider, and appreciative audience. Iattended the Friday lunchtime session with a friend from university, and wewere bowled over by the number of independent breweries with beer on sale atthe event. We returned the following evening, but with queues snaking rightaround the outside of the building, we were unable to gain admittance.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LXOCjPYFUrUW-qifbmMdI1KZ8Lv_XXC7tqacvXTaDTZwi-J4kubjCuwdunOuiaAS1RBw9FTWF7-zciKaXUB154__WibV9APPE-wV5ugAqtupgiydx1LGdGg4xtSHgbg8PD2Tfqg8Ex8dBkZczHLd PMHlwRRMw6IS3IWUFnsCtErDT2kRE28mKdOATIA/w400-h225/DSC_0071.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LXOCjPYFUrUW-qifbmMdI1KZ8Lv_XXC7tqacvXTaDTZwi-J4kubjCuwdunOuiaAS1RBw9FTWF7-zciKaXUB154__WibV9APPE-wV5ugAqtupgiydx1LGdGg4xtSHgbg8PD2Tfqg8Ex8dBkZczHLd PMHlwRRMw6IS3IWUFnsCtErDT2kRE28mKdOATIA/s3104/DSC_0071.JPG)
I've written about this event before, so it's worth clickingon the link above to read what things were like in those early days. There wascertainly something special and unique about that event and many other peoplemust have felt the same because Covent Garden was the forerunner to dozens ofsuccessive festivals, both national and local. All had a common thread, namelya wide and varied selection of cask ales, many of which would never have beenseen in the locality before – certainly in the early days!
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6r7PkFeS_vAKyqtkChqVFn_kQdF_3xFmzWXyDtZnsOr yA83tlkEy_ij2kU8qECMSzXARGDRnr5dt91VhsZskWbO7XB_gK b7VfK07Pl0fzldS10ItF7VstXjD8nOd5Wmd4AktEAeWp0X930v 198F-k17V6yeljLbZGDHQZmPWJBRAolhkVi6YSlpPWahQ/w400-h251/General%20view.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6r7PkFeS_vAKyqtkChqVFn_kQdF_3xFmzWXyDtZnsOr yA83tlkEy_ij2kU8qECMSzXARGDRnr5dt91VhsZskWbO7XB_gK b7VfK07Pl0fzldS10ItF7VstXjD8nOd5Wmd4AktEAeWp0X930v 198F-k17V6yeljLbZGDHQZmPWJBRAolhkVi6YSlpPWahQ/s4175/General%20view.jpg)
So about European beer festivals? Although I never attendedany, and can find very little research material about them, during the 1980’s asuccession of rather beery events were held in the Belgian town of Ostend. These “beer festivals” were designed toparticularly appeal to beer drinkers from the UK and rather than tasting lotsof different beers, the idea seemed to be tip as much industrial lager down one'sneck as possible!
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These events still take place, although they seem to havemellowed over the past 40 years, but of far more interest to serious beerdrinkers are the festivals held in Germany, the most famous one being Munich’sworld-famous Oktoberfest. There are other, less well-known beer festivals thattake place in the Federal Republic, and many of them are not onlylong-established, but originated as folk, or even religious festivals. I'vebeen fortunate to have experienced three of these events, all of which were different,in their own way.
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In date order, these events, were Annafest 2013, Frankenfest2015, and in 2017 the granddaddy of them all, Munich’s Oktoberfest. (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/three-go-to-oktoberfest-part-one.html) With thepossible exception of Frankenfest, the other two events have been running formany years, and confirming what I said above, both bill themselves as folkfestivals rather than beer festival's. Oktoberfest, of course, is known allover all over the world, whereas Annafest is a strictly local event, but isnone the worse for that. Coming somewhere in between is Nuremberg’s Frankenfest. (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/frankisches-bierfest-2015-nurnberg.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wAwYLOYqrjWv4aS9ll-lNDTLr-7jcCRmFJkYuIjgkJlNaMvcqsCy_5vJ5EAizZoAov1ZWGgP7qVr nqFLQHYthekbHWG6gpyRHXyJCrfzXCyV6krQU3cnGVDM0_RBGk j5-Dg8ZOL1liTP7DgtFovTPXQhoi8_CU-nCjB2ZlH1gG5j1uFZhedPpXPCWJ4/w400-h225/LCBF%20Top%20View.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wAwYLOYqrjWv4aS9ll-lNDTLr-7jcCRmFJkYuIjgkJlNaMvcqsCy_5vJ5EAizZoAov1ZWGgP7qVr nqFLQHYthekbHWG6gpyRHXyJCrfzXCyV6krQU3cnGVDM0_RBGk j5-Dg8ZOL1liTP7DgtFovTPXQhoi8_CU-nCjB2ZlH1gG5j1uFZhedPpXPCWJ4/s3843/LCBF%20Top%20View.jpg)
A strictly limited number of breweries supply beers to Annafestand Oktoberfest, and both festivals events serve the beer only in one litre Maβ mugs (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/mass-overload.html)- stoneware in the case of Annafest and glass at Oktoberfest. Such measures arethe polar opposite of the “taster” samples dished out at London Craft Beer Festival,but whilst on the subject of small measures, the United States own event, theGreat American Beer Festival, serves the beers in absurd one ounce “pours”, asour American cousins describe these thimble's. One “gulp pours” would be moreappropriate!https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_GxYbB8LCG9VHACa3Ldcg_BvmoUziNWp64oT3Vog24 r9JPGlghqGmHFcNKmqnuPcjmbo-hTWKFIfOwSxTPX2syfMrsGCVxBL5ZKON92bJikVK0v2amln4CF FEV7Q_ajG8EA655OKauETyOocDWDKqzUz1hjUW2XkS35tYFlpT pDfQTecWKEmOkQykkc/w400-h240/IMAG0603_BURST002.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_GxYbB8LCG9VHACa3Ldcg_BvmoUziNWp64oT3Vog24 r9JPGlghqGmHFcNKmqnuPcjmbo-hTWKFIfOwSxTPX2syfMrsGCVxBL5ZKON92bJikVK0v2amln4CF FEV7Q_ajG8EA655OKauETyOocDWDKqzUz1hjUW2XkS35tYFlpT pDfQTecWKEmOkQykkc/s2592/IMAG0603_BURST002.jpg)Returning to the two German festivals described above, aswell as large measures, the beers themselves are on the strong side, with a typical abv of 6%. In the end, it is thiscombination of large volumes and a high alcohol content, that finishes off allbut the most hardened drinkers, and I certainly found that three litres ofthese strong “Fest Biers” was more than enough. Despite the high octane andlarge volume, there was a great party atmosphere at both events, with the addedattraction of live music in the evenings, all designed to get people in theswing and, of course, encourage rapid consumption of the beer.
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Annafest (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-personal-view-of-annafest.html) is an outdoor event that takes place on a woodedhill overlooking the small Franconian town of Forchheim, situated roughlyhalfway between Nuremberg and Bamberg, and Frankenfest is also an outdoorfestival. The latter event is held in the spacious moat of the massive castlethat dominates the skyline of the old city of Nuremberg. There are many more beerson sale than at the other two festivals, with 25 -30 or possibly even more. Thehalf litre measures are also far more sensible too.
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Oktoberfest of course, needs little in the way ofintroduction. Not only is the event world famous, it is also very commercial,and is over 200 years old. The festival is held in massive “tents” at the Theresienwiese meadow (know colloquially as the "Wiesn") ,close to central Munich, but the tents are really temporary beerhalls - semi-permanent structures, which are disassembled after the event, andthen erected again the following summer, ready for that year’s Oktoberfest.
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TheBailey family enjoyed our time at Oktoberfest 2017, (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/three-go-to-oktoberfest-part-two.html) and with only a smallwindow to experience the festival, (we were en route to our main holiday destination), we arrived at the Wiesn not long after the 11 am opening.We found a very family friendly atmosphere, with lots of quite scary fairgroundrides and other attractions, such as shooting galleries, but we still had timeto enjoy a Maβ each of Fest Bier, along some equally hearty, Bavarian fare.Things change, and as the day wears on into night time, theparty is in full swing, and the tents are bursting at seams. If you haven't gota reservation, then you might as well pack up and go home.
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Back in 2017, we had long departedby then, as we had a train to Regensburg to catch, but footage I've seen andpeoples experiences I have read about, all point to an enthusiastic, raucousbut good-natured atmosphere which looks and sounds like tremendous fun, especiallyif you are part of a large crowd.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTEPHyYexSVV491BdpAIOYwB5B69u85qDTfpsLJJNOg fMrqYHe3z5e3ptPRcDebbnYTM4pKk5CWU_UXapPsDx9-m8MMRTgoM7GpDJ45kLNkGraLPh2bRkBj2dw324kL_th9xh710O CMNAK9IUuMdmmiZf0bvJkOxf9KGSeZSNJdlnAXa6i_ryjfuxrH A/w400-h325/Goldener%20Hahn.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTEPHyYexSVV491BdpAIOYwB5B69u85qDTfpsLJJNOg fMrqYHe3z5e3ptPRcDebbnYTM4pKk5CWU_UXapPsDx9-m8MMRTgoM7GpDJ45kLNkGraLPh2bRkBj2dw324kL_th9xh710O CMNAK9IUuMdmmiZf0bvJkOxf9KGSeZSNJdlnAXa6i_ryjfuxrH A/s3447/Goldener%20Hahn.jpg)
These German beer festivals are all free to enter, but sotoo are the majority of British events. Home grown beer festivals are staffedlargely by unpaid volunteers, but this is not the case in Germany, where pricesare necessarily inflated to cover staffing costs, plus the overheads andsubstantial running costs associated with these events. This is particularlytrue in the case of Oktoberfest, and whilst self-service is the norm at Nuremberg’sFrankenfest, table service from strong-armed and busty, Dirndl-clad, Bavarian maidens, isthe norm at the other two events.
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Frankenfest is the event that is most similar to a British beerfestival, because it offers the opportunity of sampling a wide range of beersfrom different producers. Contrast this with Annafest and Oktoberfest wherethere are beers from just half a dozen or so brewers on sale. Both are definitelymore of a hugging, glugging, and chugging event, where having a good time isthe main objective, rather than obsessing over which beer is the best, which hasthe most malt or the best hop aroma.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BYH4biyrIkiEh2192-rwdcti-sh-Xs40P9TPKb2_pZBBbXVYJLB3VEUSSwjLgRQfOTOvf4MhZ81FYO 4K6A7m45pNc5w7N1brHvTIyLI9pqzYffZ2eZSYaGgHAjbnv0PS H0Ch5iWnja3vKB_lMCuj_mrcLDeg8P4AWHirkqqWAOU4qcvbeE vr3jsmUH8/w400-h240/Nederkeller.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BYH4biyrIkiEh2192-rwdcti-sh-Xs40P9TPKb2_pZBBbXVYJLB3VEUSSwjLgRQfOTOvf4MhZ81FYO 4K6A7m45pNc5w7N1brHvTIyLI9pqzYffZ2eZSYaGgHAjbnv0PS H0Ch5iWnja3vKB_lMCuj_mrcLDeg8P4AWHirkqqWAOU4qcvbeE vr3jsmUH8/s2491/Nederkeller.jpg)
I love them all, but I think I've had the chance to only goback to just one, it would have to be Annafest, purely for the simplicity of theevent, its rustic, outdoor setting, and the fact it remains a local event,albeit one where visitors from afar are both welcomed and encouraged. Follow Blog via EmailClick to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
More... (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/08/a-few-thoughts-on-beer-festivals-with.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrHlqb_zuI-hENXql9H_7QTtJR8V9ljJPxWg5TZFHA024lg_9npKFzOrslRCC aAxEUrcwLNzHEVyKbzkh6jMKL0cB4_3kLKI4gc5zyNuZmK5o8D 3oD1ZjRvN8N7JDSsLMcVH0rBdm57j6ebQJ82PRt58DVMMZC2_d PU13hN6BQwIIJtbjQFIHKQtCalU/w400-h225/Brew%20York.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrHlqb_zuI-hENXql9H_7QTtJR8V9ljJPxWg5TZFHA024lg_9npKFzOrslRCC aAxEUrcwLNzHEVyKbzkh6jMKL0cB4_3kLKI4gc5zyNuZmK5o8D 3oD1ZjRvN8N7JDSsLMcVH0rBdm57j6ebQJ82PRt58DVMMZC2_d PU13hN6BQwIIJtbjQFIHKQtCalU/s4000/Brew%20York.jpg)
There's been quite a lot of debate recently about beerfestivals, the different types, what these types are, and how they function.The debate was sparked partially by controversy regarding the recent ChampionBeer of Britain contest, which thrust beer festivals into the limelight, but primarilyby my visit last week, to the London Craft Beer Festival. My thoughts concerningthe measures used at the event were reinforced by remarks made by brewer andfellow Blogger Ed Wray, on his own site.
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Ed was complaining about the measures used at LCBF, whichwere “samples”or more accurately sips, and as we all know, beer can’t be tasted in sip. Charles Dickens famously wrote in the Old Curiosity Shop, "Did youever taste beer?" "I had a sip of it once," said the smallservant. "Here's a state of things!" cried Mr Swiveller, raising hiseyes to the ceiling. "She never tasted it — it can't be tasted in asip!"
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Many others have said the same thing, including Good Beer Guide completest Retired Martin, who maintains that a pint is a taster, a statementthat is much nearer the mark. Others have said similar things, and whilst Iwould accept that a half pint is just about acceptable, where does this leave thethird of a pint measures, introduced by CAMRA over the course of the lastdecade or so. This brings me onto another subject, and again a controversial one,which concerns the price of a beer at these events.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiGjG23oV2hOkoyAE24Kdk7T-6621um6fHtg8NNdVHFiH9nbGuNVVmMvewIfs9zr8t6TpSYn7Mj 74SyYwiD-t-RaF54DIvuWK-1Gg0KVwU8pytOrE-I1gVF3S6LlglNLVdrSXyQWli9H-ZtlEfrhyaF3RRQXXFHV8N-egDSmYWofUl6kTdP0_GbsbH_8/w400-h225/Kent%20Beer%20Fest.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiGjG23oV2hOkoyAE24Kdk7T-6621um6fHtg8NNdVHFiH9nbGuNVVmMvewIfs9zr8t6TpSYn7Mj 74SyYwiD-t-RaF54DIvuWK-1Gg0KVwU8pytOrE-I1gVF3S6LlglNLVdrSXyQWli9H-ZtlEfrhyaF3RRQXXFHV8N-egDSmYWofUl6kTdP0_GbsbH_8/s3027/Kent%20Beer%20Fest.JPG)
At LCBF all “samples” of beer were free, and there was noadmission charge either – at least there wasn't for people like Ed and me whoqualified for Press Passes. This made me think of the many beer festivals I’ve attendedover the years, both in the UK, but also out in Germany. Festivals majoring onbeer are a relative newcomer to the UK and were inspired by people from the UK who visited German beer festivals and liking what they saw and experienceddecided to set up their own events back home.
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The honour of holding the first UK beer festival, belongs toCambridge. The four-day event took place in July 1974, and was held at thecity’s Corn Exchange, with 6,000 eager drinkers in attendance. Other eventsfollowed, with the first Kent Beer Festival taking place a year later, in amarquee at Canterbury's Dane John Gardens, back in 1975. The principalorganiser of the event was a girl called Gill Keay (nee Knight), who I met whena former school friend and I attended our first CAMRA meeting at the City Arms,close to Canterbury cathedral. In an extraordinary feat, Gill went on to run 40Kent Beer Festivals, before finally stepping down for a well-deserved rest in2014.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5j_6ZlybChYR9Zs4ZXJ-bqTwOoPj1K-FAJP59jOJH8p8vYq4ShxGoBRqGPXZTcfHfQhmswRSB1j19E0f7-HAtl5Ba0fGsz1_36O7VrlyOl0aip0ybZRRb03IOLKavhqhFx43 PEy480HH0eETEJ9-E0e7HlkLUT3LXUr93OsMLV9dkES0tvMJ4AbxQRM/w400-h300/Canterbury%20Sept%202016%20009.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5j_6ZlybChYR9Zs4ZXJ-bqTwOoPj1K-FAJP59jOJH8p8vYq4ShxGoBRqGPXZTcfHfQhmswRSB1j19E0f7-HAtl5Ba0fGsz1_36O7VrlyOl0aip0ybZRRb03IOLKavhqhFx43 PEy480HH0eETEJ9-E0e7HlkLUT3LXUr93OsMLV9dkES0tvMJ4AbxQRM/s4608/Canterbury%20Sept%202016%20009.jpg)
1975, also saw CAMRA holding its first national beerfestival, held at the old flower market in London’s Covent Garden. Billed asthe Covent Garden Beer Exhibition, (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-covent-garden-beer-exhibition-1975.html) the event was a huge success, that helped introducethe delights of cask beer to a much wider, and appreciative audience. Iattended the Friday lunchtime session with a friend from university, and wewere bowled over by the number of independent breweries with beer on sale atthe event. We returned the following evening, but with queues snaking rightaround the outside of the building, we were unable to gain admittance.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LXOCjPYFUrUW-qifbmMdI1KZ8Lv_XXC7tqacvXTaDTZwi-J4kubjCuwdunOuiaAS1RBw9FTWF7-zciKaXUB154__WibV9APPE-wV5ugAqtupgiydx1LGdGg4xtSHgbg8PD2Tfqg8Ex8dBkZczHLd PMHlwRRMw6IS3IWUFnsCtErDT2kRE28mKdOATIA/w400-h225/DSC_0071.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LXOCjPYFUrUW-qifbmMdI1KZ8Lv_XXC7tqacvXTaDTZwi-J4kubjCuwdunOuiaAS1RBw9FTWF7-zciKaXUB154__WibV9APPE-wV5ugAqtupgiydx1LGdGg4xtSHgbg8PD2Tfqg8Ex8dBkZczHLd PMHlwRRMw6IS3IWUFnsCtErDT2kRE28mKdOATIA/s3104/DSC_0071.JPG)
I've written about this event before, so it's worth clickingon the link above to read what things were like in those early days. There wascertainly something special and unique about that event and many other peoplemust have felt the same because Covent Garden was the forerunner to dozens ofsuccessive festivals, both national and local. All had a common thread, namelya wide and varied selection of cask ales, many of which would never have beenseen in the locality before – certainly in the early days!
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6r7PkFeS_vAKyqtkChqVFn_kQdF_3xFmzWXyDtZnsOr yA83tlkEy_ij2kU8qECMSzXARGDRnr5dt91VhsZskWbO7XB_gK b7VfK07Pl0fzldS10ItF7VstXjD8nOd5Wmd4AktEAeWp0X930v 198F-k17V6yeljLbZGDHQZmPWJBRAolhkVi6YSlpPWahQ/w400-h251/General%20view.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6r7PkFeS_vAKyqtkChqVFn_kQdF_3xFmzWXyDtZnsOr yA83tlkEy_ij2kU8qECMSzXARGDRnr5dt91VhsZskWbO7XB_gK b7VfK07Pl0fzldS10ItF7VstXjD8nOd5Wmd4AktEAeWp0X930v 198F-k17V6yeljLbZGDHQZmPWJBRAolhkVi6YSlpPWahQ/s4175/General%20view.jpg)
So about European beer festivals? Although I never attendedany, and can find very little research material about them, during the 1980’s asuccession of rather beery events were held in the Belgian town of Ostend. These “beer festivals” were designed toparticularly appeal to beer drinkers from the UK and rather than tasting lotsof different beers, the idea seemed to be tip as much industrial lager down one'sneck as possible!
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These events still take place, although they seem to havemellowed over the past 40 years, but of far more interest to serious beerdrinkers are the festivals held in Germany, the most famous one being Munich’sworld-famous Oktoberfest. There are other, less well-known beer festivals thattake place in the Federal Republic, and many of them are not onlylong-established, but originated as folk, or even religious festivals. I'vebeen fortunate to have experienced three of these events, all of which were different,in their own way.
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In date order, these events, were Annafest 2013, Frankenfest2015, and in 2017 the granddaddy of them all, Munich’s Oktoberfest. (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/three-go-to-oktoberfest-part-one.html) With thepossible exception of Frankenfest, the other two events have been running formany years, and confirming what I said above, both bill themselves as folkfestivals rather than beer festival's. Oktoberfest, of course, is known allover all over the world, whereas Annafest is a strictly local event, but isnone the worse for that. Coming somewhere in between is Nuremberg’s Frankenfest. (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/frankisches-bierfest-2015-nurnberg.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wAwYLOYqrjWv4aS9ll-lNDTLr-7jcCRmFJkYuIjgkJlNaMvcqsCy_5vJ5EAizZoAov1ZWGgP7qVr nqFLQHYthekbHWG6gpyRHXyJCrfzXCyV6krQU3cnGVDM0_RBGk j5-Dg8ZOL1liTP7DgtFovTPXQhoi8_CU-nCjB2ZlH1gG5j1uFZhedPpXPCWJ4/w400-h225/LCBF%20Top%20View.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wAwYLOYqrjWv4aS9ll-lNDTLr-7jcCRmFJkYuIjgkJlNaMvcqsCy_5vJ5EAizZoAov1ZWGgP7qVr nqFLQHYthekbHWG6gpyRHXyJCrfzXCyV6krQU3cnGVDM0_RBGk j5-Dg8ZOL1liTP7DgtFovTPXQhoi8_CU-nCjB2ZlH1gG5j1uFZhedPpXPCWJ4/s3843/LCBF%20Top%20View.jpg)
A strictly limited number of breweries supply beers to Annafestand Oktoberfest, and both festivals events serve the beer only in one litre Maβ mugs (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/mass-overload.html)- stoneware in the case of Annafest and glass at Oktoberfest. Such measures arethe polar opposite of the “taster” samples dished out at London Craft Beer Festival,but whilst on the subject of small measures, the United States own event, theGreat American Beer Festival, serves the beers in absurd one ounce “pours”, asour American cousins describe these thimble's. One “gulp pours” would be moreappropriate!https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_GxYbB8LCG9VHACa3Ldcg_BvmoUziNWp64oT3Vog24 r9JPGlghqGmHFcNKmqnuPcjmbo-hTWKFIfOwSxTPX2syfMrsGCVxBL5ZKON92bJikVK0v2amln4CF FEV7Q_ajG8EA655OKauETyOocDWDKqzUz1hjUW2XkS35tYFlpT pDfQTecWKEmOkQykkc/w400-h240/IMAG0603_BURST002.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_GxYbB8LCG9VHACa3Ldcg_BvmoUziNWp64oT3Vog24 r9JPGlghqGmHFcNKmqnuPcjmbo-hTWKFIfOwSxTPX2syfMrsGCVxBL5ZKON92bJikVK0v2amln4CF FEV7Q_ajG8EA655OKauETyOocDWDKqzUz1hjUW2XkS35tYFlpT pDfQTecWKEmOkQykkc/s2592/IMAG0603_BURST002.jpg)Returning to the two German festivals described above, aswell as large measures, the beers themselves are on the strong side, with a typical abv of 6%. In the end, it is thiscombination of large volumes and a high alcohol content, that finishes off allbut the most hardened drinkers, and I certainly found that three litres ofthese strong “Fest Biers” was more than enough. Despite the high octane andlarge volume, there was a great party atmosphere at both events, with the addedattraction of live music in the evenings, all designed to get people in theswing and, of course, encourage rapid consumption of the beer.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5N-KF0xloeDdRJsR6dXWVv9wcKdeyYeQqzEpf3VuHvMRZTFX_wtgZ po9WQOkZHdn5EWUX9IG9YvI41k67T3dSuEzxEh_YsOD0HQ39gg 3t4PEDjrGAE6p6U7p8wPr8-QqEDOz4B4hVE77Uzu2uaLtpvu7y_WkRdM_g1rl-hzeQYINCa7TiG57Y1pTt8SI/w400-h240/IMAG0664.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5N-KF0xloeDdRJsR6dXWVv9wcKdeyYeQqzEpf3VuHvMRZTFX_wtgZ po9WQOkZHdn5EWUX9IG9YvI41k67T3dSuEzxEh_YsOD0HQ39gg 3t4PEDjrGAE6p6U7p8wPr8-QqEDOz4B4hVE77Uzu2uaLtpvu7y_WkRdM_g1rl-hzeQYINCa7TiG57Y1pTt8SI/s2592/IMAG0664.jpg)
Annafest (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-personal-view-of-annafest.html) is an outdoor event that takes place on a woodedhill overlooking the small Franconian town of Forchheim, situated roughlyhalfway between Nuremberg and Bamberg, and Frankenfest is also an outdoorfestival. The latter event is held in the spacious moat of the massive castlethat dominates the skyline of the old city of Nuremberg. There are many more beerson sale than at the other two festivals, with 25 -30 or possibly even more. Thehalf litre measures are also far more sensible too.
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Oktoberfest of course, needs little in the way ofintroduction. Not only is the event world famous, it is also very commercial,and is over 200 years old. The festival is held in massive “tents” at the Theresienwiese meadow (know colloquially as the "Wiesn") ,close to central Munich, but the tents are really temporary beerhalls - semi-permanent structures, which are disassembled after the event, andthen erected again the following summer, ready for that year’s Oktoberfest.
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TheBailey family enjoyed our time at Oktoberfest 2017, (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/three-go-to-oktoberfest-part-two.html) and with only a smallwindow to experience the festival, (we were en route to our main holiday destination), we arrived at the Wiesn not long after the 11 am opening.We found a very family friendly atmosphere, with lots of quite scary fairgroundrides and other attractions, such as shooting galleries, but we still had timeto enjoy a Maβ each of Fest Bier, along some equally hearty, Bavarian fare.Things change, and as the day wears on into night time, theparty is in full swing, and the tents are bursting at seams. If you haven't gota reservation, then you might as well pack up and go home.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJD7WU5wlUprbJgg0XLU_i4rMkSJYyNC1Bl3kwTgKX35 Pz1QHG4txVWjVEhCND6PvJW_DsN106wZbJNsN17Nc8Lth1n6lu sNJOT7tcUpyqJkUAz6tlT4yvp7AbaegxI7rDXMz9SnDvVK5Xu0 0wQI9Oihtf1A_aRziEwVPrIAJ2TNOaxbFe9635gikAolE/w400-h275/Pschorr%20Dray.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJD7WU5wlUprbJgg0XLU_i4rMkSJYyNC1Bl3kwTgKX35 Pz1QHG4txVWjVEhCND6PvJW_DsN106wZbJNsN17Nc8Lth1n6lu sNJOT7tcUpyqJkUAz6tlT4yvp7AbaegxI7rDXMz9SnDvVK5Xu0 0wQI9Oihtf1A_aRziEwVPrIAJ2TNOaxbFe9635gikAolE/s4079/Pschorr%20Dray.jpg)
Back in 2017, we had long departedby then, as we had a train to Regensburg to catch, but footage I've seen andpeoples experiences I have read about, all point to an enthusiastic, raucousbut good-natured atmosphere which looks and sounds like tremendous fun, especiallyif you are part of a large crowd.
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These German beer festivals are all free to enter, but sotoo are the majority of British events. Home grown beer festivals are staffedlargely by unpaid volunteers, but this is not the case in Germany, where pricesare necessarily inflated to cover staffing costs, plus the overheads andsubstantial running costs associated with these events. This is particularlytrue in the case of Oktoberfest, and whilst self-service is the norm at Nuremberg’sFrankenfest, table service from strong-armed and busty, Dirndl-clad, Bavarian maidens, isthe norm at the other two events.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfb0fdBxe411R2zFT3NZdDRatUemcQUMb4jCWNk2FcwI nkkGm7cECEir-9AlS2trl_3zyG1QlA0y2MhMesmwgyDmYbvcbFbJvn3vFuW-FIJnSlKAQ8HUDGX4cqluTqjpCYOb1Vlzgoc2iBnCsJMdy73RBZ XSmvZ0Vq91d5yBLJOWqHsC50SSggIvhdNZ4/w400-h240/IMAG0673.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfb0fdBxe411R2zFT3NZdDRatUemcQUMb4jCWNk2FcwI nkkGm7cECEir-9AlS2trl_3zyG1QlA0y2MhMesmwgyDmYbvcbFbJvn3vFuW-FIJnSlKAQ8HUDGX4cqluTqjpCYOb1Vlzgoc2iBnCsJMdy73RBZ XSmvZ0Vq91d5yBLJOWqHsC50SSggIvhdNZ4/s2592/IMAG0673.jpg)
Frankenfest is the event that is most similar to a British beerfestival, because it offers the opportunity of sampling a wide range of beersfrom different producers. Contrast this with Annafest and Oktoberfest wherethere are beers from just half a dozen or so brewers on sale. Both are definitelymore of a hugging, glugging, and chugging event, where having a good time isthe main objective, rather than obsessing over which beer is the best, which hasthe most malt or the best hop aroma.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BYH4biyrIkiEh2192-rwdcti-sh-Xs40P9TPKb2_pZBBbXVYJLB3VEUSSwjLgRQfOTOvf4MhZ81FYO 4K6A7m45pNc5w7N1brHvTIyLI9pqzYffZ2eZSYaGgHAjbnv0PS H0Ch5iWnja3vKB_lMCuj_mrcLDeg8P4AWHirkqqWAOU4qcvbeE vr3jsmUH8/w400-h240/Nederkeller.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BYH4biyrIkiEh2192-rwdcti-sh-Xs40P9TPKb2_pZBBbXVYJLB3VEUSSwjLgRQfOTOvf4MhZ81FYO 4K6A7m45pNc5w7N1brHvTIyLI9pqzYffZ2eZSYaGgHAjbnv0PS H0Ch5iWnja3vKB_lMCuj_mrcLDeg8P4AWHirkqqWAOU4qcvbeE vr3jsmUH8/s2491/Nederkeller.jpg)
I love them all, but I think I've had the chance to only goback to just one, it would have to be Annafest, purely for the simplicity of theevent, its rustic, outdoor setting, and the fact it remains a local event,albeit one where visitors from afar are both welcomed and encouraged. Follow Blog via EmailClick to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
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