Blog Tracker
28-01-2024, 16:30
Visit the Paul Bailey's Beer Blog site (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/dark-and-delicious-winter-beer-festival.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09HtsWES97sye0ma9fdPKJfCzzDAWB7bvfX2P5jinB-KZHzpxhr62xpaOrmd4Mtljosc-1cy_-rcnz031zFkGwyL_PV3_DbhzgGyzrrKE3wfyW9MsUHp5jIDGOfo gbx6Dj8LpkFb7QoJZXwUqrFr9sN7xf3ZiIrfANNo1s1sXyBQnA G4mYY6rluIWuMw/w400-h225/Coopers%20Entrance.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09HtsWES97sye0ma9fdPKJfCzzDAWB7bvfX2P5jinB-KZHzpxhr62xpaOrmd4Mtljosc-1cy_-rcnz031zFkGwyL_PV3_DbhzgGyzrrKE3wfyW9MsUHp5jIDGOfo gbx6Dj8LpkFb7QoJZXwUqrFr9sN7xf3ZiIrfANNo1s1sXyBQnA G4mYY6rluIWuMw/s4000/Coopers%20Entrance.jpg)
The Dark andDelicious Winter Beer Festival, held at the Cooper’s Arms, Crowborough, is anannual event hosted by the pub at the end of each January, and normallyfeatures a dozen or so strong, “winter ales”, most of them on thedark side, although not exclusively so. This year’s festival was the first Ihave attended since before the pandemic, and it largely followed, the patternset by previous events.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGCzOk_wEYFOXLtkQv0ljFlmZPTTZ9CS6JiCJ1hi75t sLNv6bOhJeIq3DAGbI7vP8e-Teln_62BPz9QbQmET0TXYE-n7WZdOrwsrmVMGf_X9aJhUyVnz3SNHchRcgyqtqDvnDO3tf9AO OKdEpmlMfMAqXr3u5nOD1B0fa5GYG1o2FLiVX5QGY9IZAZxQ/w400-h225/Coopers%20Ext.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGCzOk_wEYFOXLtkQv0ljFlmZPTTZ9CS6JiCJ1hi75t sLNv6bOhJeIq3DAGbI7vP8e-Teln_62BPz9QbQmET0TXYE-n7WZdOrwsrmVMGf_X9aJhUyVnz3SNHchRcgyqtqDvnDO3tf9AO OKdEpmlMfMAqXr3u5nOD1B0fa5GYG1o2FLiVX5QGY9IZAZxQ/s4000/Coopers%20Ext.jpg)
The Cooper’s Armsis an attractive 19th Century pub perched on the side of ahill, in an affluent residential area to the west of Crowborough. It is constructed partially from brick and localstone, and is situated in a quiet side road, which falls away sharply as youturn into it. As the road starts to descend further, there are some quitespectacular views towards the edge of Ashdown Forest; a reminder, if onewas needed, that Crowborough, at 787 ft above sea level is the highesttown in South East England.
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The Cooper’s is aformer Charrington’s tied house, and back in the day, served a veryacceptable pint of Draught Bass. It also offered good food, as I discoveredwhen I was taken there for lunch by Brian, the owner of the printers my companyused at the time. After working closely with Brian, we both realised our mutualappreciation of good beer and good pubs, and because of this he was keen toshow off his local. Straight away I could see why he liked the Cooper’s, althoughafter 35 years, there has been quite a few changes.
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Friday 25th saw myself and a group of friends boardingthe No. 29 bus at Five Ways in Tunbridge Wells, alighting in the centre ofCrowborough at the Cross. As mentioned earlier, the town is the highest in the south-east, and it isalso one of the most spread out. Despite the welcome winter sunshine, there wasa rather keen wind blowing as we crossed the road, and I was certainly gladthat I’d donned an extra layer of clothing before leaving the house.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKA7xxu6Q-bIvnGsAEx2jpV5lJPUJA2vq0gxSz2M5pHqVQhS8Vs2lrOVvLVU ppn-EUaOnYz-hCp4Ot5XhaRAQtrmdt9LByxsNvS7Z1PZw6ddhFVQaB7gUKsfpr dacbptPJ88cAHAfuZHJOAuix8cmdk2N8Dmm08sOsns9fIueG7s xCrCPD04psgCIC_QE/w400-h225/Crowborough%20edge.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKA7xxu6Q-bIvnGsAEx2jpV5lJPUJA2vq0gxSz2M5pHqVQhS8Vs2lrOVvLVU ppn-EUaOnYz-hCp4Ot5XhaRAQtrmdt9LByxsNvS7Z1PZw6ddhFVQaB7gUKsfpr dacbptPJ88cAHAfuZHJOAuix8cmdk2N8Dmm08sOsns9fIueG7s xCrCPD04psgCIC_QE/s4000/Crowborough%20edge.jpg)
It’s quite a trekto the Cooper’s from the centre of Crowborough, and if you are on foot,it’s one of those walks where you keep thinking the pub is just around the nextcorner, or just over the brow of the next hill. It’s mainly downhill as well, passingthrough a mixed residential area of quite substantial modern houses, interspersedwith older, and rather posh looking Victorian dwellings. Around virtually everycorner there are splendid views out towards the flanks of Ashdown Forest, buteventually after about 20 minutes of brisk walking, a turning on the right(Cooper’s Lane), leads to the pub which the road is named after.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-dK3atRUnhQOQBAEshY5CjPwotQxEop1H_8y07xAKJHk_fNypnO DPdUm7RBfR47dAH_UID_SR29gJzWdkwgoyHAAGfhDotyRNDabg wublvE2UzfrFmPU5rwY9zgpdLk7u4YJQM3yBOBnzQIchAnAQZS db1vItw4384i2a_Y1_Czy1nZL-EjQF9a_13g/w400-h225/Coopers%20RH%20pumps.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-dK3atRUnhQOQBAEshY5CjPwotQxEop1H_8y07xAKJHk_fNypnO DPdUm7RBfR47dAH_UID_SR29gJzWdkwgoyHAAGfhDotyRNDabg wublvE2UzfrFmPU5rwY9zgpdLk7u4YJQM3yBOBnzQIchAnAQZS db1vItw4384i2a_Y1_Czy1nZL-EjQF9a_13g/s3881/Coopers%20RH%20pumps.jpg)
I stopped to take a few photos, beforeentering, and was pleasantly surprised that the place had been given a long overduemakeover. Internally there is one long and quite narrow bar, which opensup at both ends. Arriving on a Friday, meant there were plenty of unoccupied chairsand tables, so after laying claim to a spot close to the wood burner, we approachedthe bar to see what beers were on sale.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7b9t_xhASunnwpO4dp7Td1xOs9QZUbXEevvEfg0TvU jmb_F5KfkcnFJGWxsmSLtaTtfNxo3WL3WkXVkTIdhZI7mXzjn8 vg9lFByBk-LjzJM2f5r9MJt5f-xKkXAQn4IdI6uuhD7cPsd-LSOE64TNOq7rC_YtHFXMdhaitPbHeA_BmoFukrGH2tdSdWQ/w400-h288/Coopers%20LH%20pumps.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7b9t_xhASunnwpO4dp7Td1xOs9QZUbXEevvEfg0TvU jmb_F5KfkcnFJGWxsmSLtaTtfNxo3WL3WkXVkTIdhZI7mXzjn8 vg9lFByBk-LjzJM2f5r9MJt5f-xKkXAQn4IdI6uuhD7cPsd-LSOE64TNOq7rC_YtHFXMdhaitPbHeA_BmoFukrGH2tdSdWQ/s2802/Coopers%20LH%20pumps.jpg)
There was a dozen carefully selected beers, most of themdark in nature, such as porters, stouts, brown or old ales. Breweries that featuredprominently, included Burning Sky and Goacher’s, with contributions fromArkells, Kernel and Tonbridge. Tucked away, in a narrow alcove on the customers’side of the bar, was a bank of four hand pumps, dispensing the really strongstuff, with a couple of aged casks from Dark Star (Critical Mass) and Moor Beer(Old Freddy Walker).
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY69V9YGZu1mxFi405F2VUuiMPvxucbrC9Lp5R7DVDK0 duYU-NuzFUNhkDzUylnhM-Jxyic_ykYbC3_yZRP1OxijKgeo_h_wXKqqrppsIuwBGapyw3XK 29Ddaj9bf16a0uF6lWhBfj5sZEs9sSHvydErq5TJqADR0Aslup AqM7NvFxW7zjPPyH6OOVHqA/w400-h225/Coopers%20Bar.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY69V9YGZu1mxFi405F2VUuiMPvxucbrC9Lp5R7DVDK0 duYU-NuzFUNhkDzUylnhM-Jxyic_ykYbC3_yZRP1OxijKgeo_h_wXKqqrppsIuwBGapyw3XK 29Ddaj9bf16a0uF6lWhBfj5sZEs9sSHvydErq5TJqADR0Aslup AqM7NvFxW7zjPPyH6OOVHqA/s4000/Coopers%20Bar.jpg)
Our party of six, had grown to ten with the presence in thepub of another group of local CAMRA members, and after we’d all settled down,got stuck into the beers, and were deep in various interlinked conversations,that thoughts turned to food. According to the pub’s website, solid nourishment would beavailable between midday and 3pm. But with no signs of this, and not even a hint,I asked David the landlord about its availability. I was told whilst therewould not be any hot food, a selection of cheese and cheese and onion rollswould be available. However, with time wearing on, and still no sign of anyrolls, most of us had given up on having something to soak up the beer and makedo instead with the old fallback of crisps and peanuts.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjgxDwbWAOTWxxe5JiwbBA9JbqOReY1J1-hRnYUwdrJ01SHAhb3u6NYoXChX1P0dZZej9e7OqvCV4CgRdVPJ W_YgKEPaxO4ZvNN65MxPJPCGwIz4YJMCetYWBsCHGAZ_tekNsw azNyvx4-JhenKon9MdzkynDKD7VXR7PbgIKOBMb9kKoPvUTJmfg4qo/w249-h400/Dark%20Ale.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjgxDwbWAOTWxxe5JiwbBA9JbqOReY1J1-hRnYUwdrJ01SHAhb3u6NYoXChX1P0dZZej9e7OqvCV4CgRdVPJ W_YgKEPaxO4ZvNN65MxPJPCGwIz4YJMCetYWBsCHGAZ_tekNsw azNyvx4-JhenKon9MdzkynDKD7VXR7PbgIKOBMb9kKoPvUTJmfg4qo/s866/Dark%20Ale.jpg)
To say this was disappointing would be an understatement, asthe situation was in sharp contrast to that of 2016 when, as reported here (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-coopers-arms-7th-winter-ales.html),there were mountains of wrapped and pre-prepared cheese and onion rolls at eachend of the bar, and the kitchen staff were kept busy serving either pasties or sausageand chips. The other thing, which again was in sharp contrast to seven yearsago, was the request, especially for those drinking halves, to stick with the sameglass, as the dishwasher was struggling to keep up. Back in 2016, it was afresh glass each time.David was on his own, and whilst his wife/partner wasreportedly upstairs, there were no other staff members present to lend a hand.It’s unfair for me to comment further on the situation, or to speculate as to whatwas occurring, but the absence of even basic food, such as cheese rolls, couplewith the lack of bar staff, in my mind, compromised thefestival. I was not alone in thinking this, as other members of our group thought thesame.
On the plus side, there was an excellent selection of mainlydark beers, served in good condition and sold at reasonable prices. There was anice atmosphere within the pub, although the almost exclusively male customerswas noted and commented on. As far as I was concerned, Burning Sky deliveredthe outstanding beers of the festival, in the form of their Porter, plus their5.9% abv, Blended Export Stout. For the connoisseurs amongst you, the latterhad a touch of Brettanomyces (https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/sZ3rBkmAXZ/) - "Brett"which imparts a slight sour touch to the beer which, in small quantities, andset against the main background flavours of the finished beer, gives it arefreshing edge.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEu2x4yAIVpQUmIUIhVlEy1lh1vakEiTYfzX69idxBR mIKJE0QLRON6Qj6vpSopqk-zxVxeveX7gFHyQ1rvjwBjxEH98bPGrQYEZUIzMKNjkV5gCnvT1 F5O83sUPd8Y5qPz-tI6-wRcHlf7k4GBrgOaegR6mSZjEzF1YJaPJlf0VK3MiPGaiNnshMy 20/w225-h400/Export%20stout.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEu2x4yAIVpQUmIUIhVlEy1lh1vakEiTYfzX69idxBR mIKJE0QLRON6Qj6vpSopqk-zxVxeveX7gFHyQ1rvjwBjxEH98bPGrQYEZUIzMKNjkV5gCnvT1 F5O83sUPd8Y5qPz-tI6-wRcHlf7k4GBrgOaegR6mSZjEzF1YJaPJlf0VK3MiPGaiNnshMy 20/s4000/Export%20stout.jpg)
I’d never really got the "Brett" thing before, butI certainly did this time around, and for this reason this Blended Export Stoutwas “beer of the festival” for me. I didn’t get to try the Old Freddy Walker (http://moorbeer.co.uk/old-freddy-walker-2/)from Moor Brewery near Bristol, a full-bodied, rich, and dark, 7.3%abv strong ale. As at previous festivals, David had laid down a cask of thisbeer to age in the pub’s cellar, for a year. I didn’t try this year’s version,but the example sold in 2016 was a stunning beer, and I was not the only one tostate, back then, that it was the best beer of the day. Reports from a numberof CAMRA members who attended the festival on the following day (Saturday) reported the presenceof a food truck parked at the rear of the pub, did at least solve the lack ofsolid nourishment, although the problem of the blocked/slow-draining urinal in thegents, still persisted.
I’m not sure I shall attend the festival next year, and if Ido, I'm tempted to take my own sandwiches! The pub has limited opening times during week, openingat 5pm Thursday-Saturday, and 3pm on Sundays. The Cooper’s is closed altogether,from Monday through to Wednesday, although that may change, come the summer, but its current restricted opening does rule out a daytime visit, with the exception of Sunday afternoon.
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More... (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/dark-and-delicious-winter-beer-festival.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09HtsWES97sye0ma9fdPKJfCzzDAWB7bvfX2P5jinB-KZHzpxhr62xpaOrmd4Mtljosc-1cy_-rcnz031zFkGwyL_PV3_DbhzgGyzrrKE3wfyW9MsUHp5jIDGOfo gbx6Dj8LpkFb7QoJZXwUqrFr9sN7xf3ZiIrfANNo1s1sXyBQnA G4mYY6rluIWuMw/w400-h225/Coopers%20Entrance.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09HtsWES97sye0ma9fdPKJfCzzDAWB7bvfX2P5jinB-KZHzpxhr62xpaOrmd4Mtljosc-1cy_-rcnz031zFkGwyL_PV3_DbhzgGyzrrKE3wfyW9MsUHp5jIDGOfo gbx6Dj8LpkFb7QoJZXwUqrFr9sN7xf3ZiIrfANNo1s1sXyBQnA G4mYY6rluIWuMw/s4000/Coopers%20Entrance.jpg)
The Dark andDelicious Winter Beer Festival, held at the Cooper’s Arms, Crowborough, is anannual event hosted by the pub at the end of each January, and normallyfeatures a dozen or so strong, “winter ales”, most of them on thedark side, although not exclusively so. This year’s festival was the first Ihave attended since before the pandemic, and it largely followed, the patternset by previous events.
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The Cooper’s Armsis an attractive 19th Century pub perched on the side of ahill, in an affluent residential area to the west of Crowborough. It is constructed partially from brick and localstone, and is situated in a quiet side road, which falls away sharply as youturn into it. As the road starts to descend further, there are some quitespectacular views towards the edge of Ashdown Forest; a reminder, if onewas needed, that Crowborough, at 787 ft above sea level is the highesttown in South East England.
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The Cooper’s is aformer Charrington’s tied house, and back in the day, served a veryacceptable pint of Draught Bass. It also offered good food, as I discoveredwhen I was taken there for lunch by Brian, the owner of the printers my companyused at the time. After working closely with Brian, we both realised our mutualappreciation of good beer and good pubs, and because of this he was keen toshow off his local. Straight away I could see why he liked the Cooper’s, althoughafter 35 years, there has been quite a few changes.
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Friday 25th saw myself and a group of friends boardingthe No. 29 bus at Five Ways in Tunbridge Wells, alighting in the centre ofCrowborough at the Cross. As mentioned earlier, the town is the highest in the south-east, and it isalso one of the most spread out. Despite the welcome winter sunshine, there wasa rather keen wind blowing as we crossed the road, and I was certainly gladthat I’d donned an extra layer of clothing before leaving the house.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKA7xxu6Q-bIvnGsAEx2jpV5lJPUJA2vq0gxSz2M5pHqVQhS8Vs2lrOVvLVU ppn-EUaOnYz-hCp4Ot5XhaRAQtrmdt9LByxsNvS7Z1PZw6ddhFVQaB7gUKsfpr dacbptPJ88cAHAfuZHJOAuix8cmdk2N8Dmm08sOsns9fIueG7s xCrCPD04psgCIC_QE/w400-h225/Crowborough%20edge.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKA7xxu6Q-bIvnGsAEx2jpV5lJPUJA2vq0gxSz2M5pHqVQhS8Vs2lrOVvLVU ppn-EUaOnYz-hCp4Ot5XhaRAQtrmdt9LByxsNvS7Z1PZw6ddhFVQaB7gUKsfpr dacbptPJ88cAHAfuZHJOAuix8cmdk2N8Dmm08sOsns9fIueG7s xCrCPD04psgCIC_QE/s4000/Crowborough%20edge.jpg)
It’s quite a trekto the Cooper’s from the centre of Crowborough, and if you are on foot,it’s one of those walks where you keep thinking the pub is just around the nextcorner, or just over the brow of the next hill. It’s mainly downhill as well, passingthrough a mixed residential area of quite substantial modern houses, interspersedwith older, and rather posh looking Victorian dwellings. Around virtually everycorner there are splendid views out towards the flanks of Ashdown Forest, buteventually after about 20 minutes of brisk walking, a turning on the right(Cooper’s Lane), leads to the pub which the road is named after.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-dK3atRUnhQOQBAEshY5CjPwotQxEop1H_8y07xAKJHk_fNypnO DPdUm7RBfR47dAH_UID_SR29gJzWdkwgoyHAAGfhDotyRNDabg wublvE2UzfrFmPU5rwY9zgpdLk7u4YJQM3yBOBnzQIchAnAQZS db1vItw4384i2a_Y1_Czy1nZL-EjQF9a_13g/w400-h225/Coopers%20RH%20pumps.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-dK3atRUnhQOQBAEshY5CjPwotQxEop1H_8y07xAKJHk_fNypnO DPdUm7RBfR47dAH_UID_SR29gJzWdkwgoyHAAGfhDotyRNDabg wublvE2UzfrFmPU5rwY9zgpdLk7u4YJQM3yBOBnzQIchAnAQZS db1vItw4384i2a_Y1_Czy1nZL-EjQF9a_13g/s3881/Coopers%20RH%20pumps.jpg)
I stopped to take a few photos, beforeentering, and was pleasantly surprised that the place had been given a long overduemakeover. Internally there is one long and quite narrow bar, which opensup at both ends. Arriving on a Friday, meant there were plenty of unoccupied chairsand tables, so after laying claim to a spot close to the wood burner, we approachedthe bar to see what beers were on sale.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7b9t_xhASunnwpO4dp7Td1xOs9QZUbXEevvEfg0TvU jmb_F5KfkcnFJGWxsmSLtaTtfNxo3WL3WkXVkTIdhZI7mXzjn8 vg9lFByBk-LjzJM2f5r9MJt5f-xKkXAQn4IdI6uuhD7cPsd-LSOE64TNOq7rC_YtHFXMdhaitPbHeA_BmoFukrGH2tdSdWQ/w400-h288/Coopers%20LH%20pumps.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7b9t_xhASunnwpO4dp7Td1xOs9QZUbXEevvEfg0TvU jmb_F5KfkcnFJGWxsmSLtaTtfNxo3WL3WkXVkTIdhZI7mXzjn8 vg9lFByBk-LjzJM2f5r9MJt5f-xKkXAQn4IdI6uuhD7cPsd-LSOE64TNOq7rC_YtHFXMdhaitPbHeA_BmoFukrGH2tdSdWQ/s2802/Coopers%20LH%20pumps.jpg)
There was a dozen carefully selected beers, most of themdark in nature, such as porters, stouts, brown or old ales. Breweries that featuredprominently, included Burning Sky and Goacher’s, with contributions fromArkells, Kernel and Tonbridge. Tucked away, in a narrow alcove on the customers’side of the bar, was a bank of four hand pumps, dispensing the really strongstuff, with a couple of aged casks from Dark Star (Critical Mass) and Moor Beer(Old Freddy Walker).
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Our party of six, had grown to ten with the presence in thepub of another group of local CAMRA members, and after we’d all settled down,got stuck into the beers, and were deep in various interlinked conversations,that thoughts turned to food. According to the pub’s website, solid nourishment would beavailable between midday and 3pm. But with no signs of this, and not even a hint,I asked David the landlord about its availability. I was told whilst therewould not be any hot food, a selection of cheese and cheese and onion rollswould be available. However, with time wearing on, and still no sign of anyrolls, most of us had given up on having something to soak up the beer and makedo instead with the old fallback of crisps and peanuts.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjgxDwbWAOTWxxe5JiwbBA9JbqOReY1J1-hRnYUwdrJ01SHAhb3u6NYoXChX1P0dZZej9e7OqvCV4CgRdVPJ W_YgKEPaxO4ZvNN65MxPJPCGwIz4YJMCetYWBsCHGAZ_tekNsw azNyvx4-JhenKon9MdzkynDKD7VXR7PbgIKOBMb9kKoPvUTJmfg4qo/w249-h400/Dark%20Ale.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjgxDwbWAOTWxxe5JiwbBA9JbqOReY1J1-hRnYUwdrJ01SHAhb3u6NYoXChX1P0dZZej9e7OqvCV4CgRdVPJ W_YgKEPaxO4ZvNN65MxPJPCGwIz4YJMCetYWBsCHGAZ_tekNsw azNyvx4-JhenKon9MdzkynDKD7VXR7PbgIKOBMb9kKoPvUTJmfg4qo/s866/Dark%20Ale.jpg)
To say this was disappointing would be an understatement, asthe situation was in sharp contrast to that of 2016 when, as reported here (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-coopers-arms-7th-winter-ales.html),there were mountains of wrapped and pre-prepared cheese and onion rolls at eachend of the bar, and the kitchen staff were kept busy serving either pasties or sausageand chips. The other thing, which again was in sharp contrast to seven yearsago, was the request, especially for those drinking halves, to stick with the sameglass, as the dishwasher was struggling to keep up. Back in 2016, it was afresh glass each time.David was on his own, and whilst his wife/partner wasreportedly upstairs, there were no other staff members present to lend a hand.It’s unfair for me to comment further on the situation, or to speculate as to whatwas occurring, but the absence of even basic food, such as cheese rolls, couplewith the lack of bar staff, in my mind, compromised thefestival. I was not alone in thinking this, as other members of our group thought thesame.
On the plus side, there was an excellent selection of mainlydark beers, served in good condition and sold at reasonable prices. There was anice atmosphere within the pub, although the almost exclusively male customerswas noted and commented on. As far as I was concerned, Burning Sky deliveredthe outstanding beers of the festival, in the form of their Porter, plus their5.9% abv, Blended Export Stout. For the connoisseurs amongst you, the latterhad a touch of Brettanomyces (https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/sZ3rBkmAXZ/) - "Brett"which imparts a slight sour touch to the beer which, in small quantities, andset against the main background flavours of the finished beer, gives it arefreshing edge.
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I’d never really got the "Brett" thing before, butI certainly did this time around, and for this reason this Blended Export Stoutwas “beer of the festival” for me. I didn’t get to try the Old Freddy Walker (http://moorbeer.co.uk/old-freddy-walker-2/)from Moor Brewery near Bristol, a full-bodied, rich, and dark, 7.3%abv strong ale. As at previous festivals, David had laid down a cask of thisbeer to age in the pub’s cellar, for a year. I didn’t try this year’s version,but the example sold in 2016 was a stunning beer, and I was not the only one tostate, back then, that it was the best beer of the day. Reports from a numberof CAMRA members who attended the festival on the following day (Saturday) reported the presenceof a food truck parked at the rear of the pub, did at least solve the lack ofsolid nourishment, although the problem of the blocked/slow-draining urinal in thegents, still persisted.
I’m not sure I shall attend the festival next year, and if Ido, I'm tempted to take my own sandwiches! The pub has limited opening times during week, openingat 5pm Thursday-Saturday, and 3pm on Sundays. The Cooper’s is closed altogether,from Monday through to Wednesday, although that may change, come the summer, but its current restricted opening does rule out a daytime visit, with the exception of Sunday afternoon.
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