National Winter Ales Festival - anyone going?

[oldboots]

The National Winter Ales Festival is on at the Sheridan Suite, Oldham Rd, Manchester 19th -22nd January, the Thursday will be free entry all day to CAMRA members . Never one to turn down free entry I think I'll be taking advantage of this.

466

[ROBCamra]

The National Winter Ales Festival is on at the Sheridan Suite, Oldham Rd, Manchester 19th -22nd January, the Thursday will be free entry all day to CAMRA members . Never one to turn down free entry I think I'll be taking advantage of this.

466

I think I'll be at the trade session on Wednesday. :cheers:

[gillhalfpint]

We arrive in Bury on the Wednesday. Doubtful if we will make the trade session, but should be there all day Thursday.

[aleandhearty]

Never one to turn down free entry I think I'll be taking advantage of this.

Mmm. Would love to go to that. If it's a goer, I'll get back to you in the New Year.

[oldboots]

For anyone going there is cheap bus travel from Piccadilly station to the venue, this is from one of the organisers on the CAMRA web site,

"The £1 single offer is available on any First bus between Manchester Piccadilly and the junction of Oldham Road/Queens Road and vice versa.
Offer applies Sunday 16th January and Saturday 22nd January inclusive and
is open to all passengers...

24 Stand F every 30 mins | evening - no service

82/83 Stand A every 5 mins | evening every 10/20 mins

88 Stand B every 10 mins | evening every hour

180/184 Stand A every 10 mins | evening every 30 mins

181/2 Stand F every 15 mins | evening every 30 mins



....It is recommended that passengers from Manchester City Centre are directed
towards Stand A situated on Oldham Street just a few yards away from Piccadilly Gardens.... The last bus returning to Manchester is service 83 at 23:26 from Oldham which is due to pass Dean Lane at 23:44. It may best to go for an earlier bus in case this last bus is full."

It says more details from First Bus but there's nothing on their website yet.

[ROBCamra]

We arrive in Bury on the Wednesday. Doubtful if we will make the trade session, but should be there all day Thursday.

There is a public session from 5 p.m. on the Wednesday. Oldboots and I will be there, assuming we survive the Trade Session. :nishelypished:

[gillhalfpint]

Any comments on NWAF today like are all the bars open?

We will be there tomorrow.

[ROBCamra]

Any comments on NWAF today like are all the bars open?

We will be there tomorrow.

All the bars were open and very well staffed.

The only beers that weren't available were a few that hadn't dropped bright yet, but I would think that over 90% of the beers in the programme were available.

Champion Winter Ale is Hopback Entire Stout.

We tried quite a lot of the available beers (didn't we OB ;))

OB may well request a new :twigs: but for candles. :rolleyes:

[oldboots]

We tried quite a lot of the available beers (didn't we OB ;))


Just under 21 units of alcohol, not that much really for an afternoon. :whistle:




OB may well request a new :twigs: but for candles. :rolleyes:

Grrr, bloody candle powered tables, I hate them as you may have noticed, they belong in churches and restaurants not in pubs. :moremad:

[ROBCamra]

Just under 21 units of alcohol, not that much really for an afternoon. :whistle:

Grrr, bloody candle powered tables, I hate them as you may have noticed, they belong in churches and restaurants not in pubs. :moremad:

No missed connections or anything then?

After you and A&H left we went for a marguerita (I kid you not) at the Spanish bar across the road. :eek:

We then went back to The Baum for a pint.:cheers:

[aleandhearty]

We tried quite a lot of the available beers (didn't we OB ;))

OB may well request a new :twigs: but for candles. :rolleyes:


Grrr, bloody candle powered tables, I hate them as you may have noticed, they belong in churches and restaurants not in pubs. :moremad:

Good to see you guys yesterday. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it says it all about the quality of the beer when I didn't have a hangover this morning. However, I'm still picking the splattered wax off my jacket, from the candle I blew out in Odd bar. Nice of you to let me travel home with wax on my eyebrow and up my nostril.* I wondered why I was getting some strange looks. That's the last flamboyant gesture of solidarity I give you 'ob'! :D

* Having thought about it, you weren't in a fit state to notice anything.

[oldboots]

No missed connections or anything then?

I'm pleased to report the beer compass was in full working order, can't speak for A&H of course.

[aleandhearty]

No missed connections or anything then?
We then went back to The Baum for a pint.:cheers:


I'm pleased to report the beer compass was in full working order, can't speak for A&H of course.

Was hoping for a 'wind-down' pint at the Bull & Fairhouse, but unfortunately not to be. Tried jumping on a main line train, just as the doors were closing, only to be told by the guard that if I didn't get off she would call security. All because I held the door open for a second. Sod's Law dictated that the next train was late and diverted. Took me an hour and a half to get from Leeds to Wakefield. Aaaaargh. So the pint of 'Two tone' in Odd was my last one of the night.

[Conrad]

Was hoping for a 'wind-down' pint at the Bull & Fairhouse, but unfortunately not to be. Tried jumping on a main line train, just as the doors were closing, only to be told by the guard that if I didn't get off she would call security. All because I held the door open for a second. Sod's Law dictated that the next train was late and diverted. Took me an hour and a half to get from Leeds to Wakefield. Aaaaargh. So the pint of 'Two tone' in Odd was my last one of the night.
So let me get this straight, rather than miss the train, you held the doors so that you could get on.

Having been caught doing this the guard told you to get off presumably because that is against the rules (jobsworth).

So out of interest faced with the same circumstance again I am sure you wouldn't stop the doors :confused:.

Being honest I think I would have sat down and told the guard to call security then.

[gillhalfpint]

Apart from falling a couple of times on my way to the fest on the frosty cobbles in Bury, we had a good time today at NWAF, and will probably go back there tomorrow, or do Northern Quarter pubs. Will see how my bruised rear, grazed knee and elbow, and jarred shoulder cope after a night's rest.

[rpadam]

Grrr, bloody candle powered tables, I hate them as you may have noticed, they belong in churches and restaurants not in pubs. :moremad:
Candles - at least you can see the blighters, it's tea lights you really need to watch out for...

[trainman]

Champion Winter Ale is Hopback Entire Stout.


For London-centric residents, it's always available here (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/24693/).


Just under 21 units of alcohol, not that much really for an afternoon. :whistle:


I think each glass at the winter fest will average rather more than a standard unit count...




After you and A&H left we went for a marguerita (I kid you not)


!!! What else when you've been on the sauce all day? How on earth did you avoid the hangover? :notworthy:

[oldboots]

I think each glass at the winter fest will average rather more than a standard unit count...


The figure is based on quantity times abv not the one unit per half nonesense, errors may creep in because the measures at the festival were sometimes generous and because I was "taken bad" later on I may have not accurately recorded my evening drinks, it could be closer to 24 units but shouldn't be any more :eek:.

[ROBCamra]

The figure is based on quantity times abv not the one unit per half nonesense, errors may creep in because the measures at the festival were sometimes generous and because I was "taken bad" later on I may have not accurately recorded my evening drinks, it could be closer to 24 units but shouldn't be any more :eek:.

If a half was one unit I had 22. Plus however many units a Marguerita is, several I should think.

However almost all the beers I had at the festival were 4.5% plus. So probably quite a few more in reality. :nishelypished:

[oldboots]

If a half was one unit I had 22. Plus however many units a Marguerita is, several I should think.

However almost all the beers I had at the festival were 4.5% plus. So probably quite a few more in reality. :nishelypished:

A half of a 3.5% abv beer is just under 1 unit (0.994), a half of 4.5% is about 1.3 units, Thornbridge St Petersburg is 2.2 units a half :D.

[gillhalfpint]

Went round Bury today instead of NWAF and had a really good day out with some good beers.

Started at the Trackside with Naylors Bradford Lad 7.2, Brysons Patrick Porter 5.0 and Milton Icarus 4.5.
On to The Robert Peel where there was a Burns offer on with Haggis Neeps and Tatties and a pint of Scottish Ale. Harviestoun Haggis Hunter and Orkney Raven were on there. We passed on the Burns meal and had Wentworth Vanilla Stout and Black Hole Asteroid. Not a bad Spoons.
Next was Automatic (Malt). All set up for meals in both the main area and the Malt, but we were told we could just have a drink. Chose Penine Glen Top Bitter 4.0 and Outstanding Silver Fox 4.0. Also available were Daleside Old Leg Over and another micro - cannot remember where from.
Buss trip to the Lamb Inn, and chose 2 lovely clear beers from Mallinsons, Motueka 3.6 and Control Freak 4.1. Met an elderly chap who knows Baum in Rochdale as they have their CAMRA meetings there, and he has recently done a crawl in Birmingham and got a tour round the Bartons Arms including the cellar. He gave us a lift back down to Trackside where there were ever changing beers due to a steam weekend being on, so we had Tollgate Mellow Yellow 4.0 and Leyden Winter Warmer 3.8.

A good day to end our Manchester and Bury trip as we will probably just pop into the Brown Cow next to the caravan site tomorrow for lunch.