Yesterday was the 2nd day of May, and I had my first mild to celebrate Mild Month (see Camra’s Mild Month page). It was this lovely Bostin’ Mild from Windsor & Eton Brewery, served to perfection in the bustling and sunny Bree Louise near Euston Station.
Windsor and Eton – Bostin’ Mild
It’s time for a beer festival update. It’s now late February and a few of the previous lists have past but more importantly we’ve moved to London. This might move the main focus slightly south from Cambridge, though I’m sure anything that can be easily reached from here isn’t too far away from Cambridge either and vice versa. The Battersea Beer Festival is on as I’m writing and I’m planning a quick trip there tomorrow before going to Denmark for the weekend. I’ve been a bit cheeky and added the big Cambridge Beer Festival, even though it’s not on until May, but it’s always a great one, though this will be the first one for me where I don’t live in Cambridge, which will inevitably make it a bit less convenient. On the other hand is the Camden one, just by Kings Cross, going to be really easy with about 15 minutes walk home.
| Date | Location | Festival |
|---|---|---|
| 8-10 Feb | London | 22nd Battersea Beer Festival |
| 16-18 Feb | Luton | 29th Luton Beer & Cider Festival |
| 15-18 Feb | Derby | 11th Derby Winter Beer Festival |
| 17-18 Feb | Ely | 3rd Elysian Beer Festival |
| 24-25 Feb | Chappel | 3rd Chappel Winter Beer Festival |
| 7- 9 Mar | Camden | 28th London Drinker Beer & Cider Festival |
| 9-10 Mar | Hitchin | Hitchin Beer & Cider Festival |
| 15-17 Mar | St Neots | The 37th ‘Booze on the Ouse’ Beer & Cider Festival |
| 12-14 Apr | Sidcup, London | 7th Bexley Beer Festival |
| 25-28 Apr | Bury St Edmunds | East Anglia Beer Festival |
| 2- 6 May | Reading | 18th Reading Beer & Cider Festival |
| 21-26 May | Cambridge | 39th Cambridge Beer Festival |
A new year has begun, and I’ve started looking forward to what it will bring of ale enjoyment. However, it’s a slow start in the South East, and the list below is both a bit short and does include some events that are a bit further away, though they do sound like they would be worth a journey. Above all it includes the Cambridge Winter Ales Festival, which is always the place to be for me in the winter (even if this winter isn’t that wintry).
| Date | Location | Festival |
|---|---|---|
| 18-21 Jan | Manchester | National Winter Ales Festival |
| 19-21 Jan | Cambridge | 16th Cambridge Winter Ales Festival |
| 19-21 Jan | Colchester | 5th Colchester Winter Ales Festival |
| 3 – 4 Feb | Dover | 19th White Cliffs Festival of Winter Ales |
| 8 -10 Feb | London | 22nd Battersea Beer Festival |
| 15-18 Feb | Derby | 11th Derby Winter Beer Festival |
| 17-18 Feb | Ely | 3rd Elysian Beer Festival |
| 24-25 Feb | Chappel | 3rd Chappel Winter Beer Festival |
| 16-17 Mar | St Neots | The 37th ‘Booze on the Ouse’ Beer & Cider Festival |
| Date | Location | Festival |
|---|---|---|
| 22-24 Sep | Letchworth | 20th Letchworth Garden City Beer & Cider Festival |
| 28- 1 Oct | St Albans | St Albans Beer Festival |
| 5- 8 Oct | Bedford | 34th Bedford Beer & Cider Festival |
| 12-15 Oct | Milton Keynes | 18th Concrete Pint Beer Festival |
| 13-15 Oct | Wallington | 18th Croydon & Sutton Real Ale & Cider Festival |
| 14-15 Oct | Cambridge | Cambridge & District CAMRA 5th Cambridge Octoberfest |
| 21-22 Oct | Chester | Chester Real Ale Festival |
| 24-29 Oct | Norwich | 34th Norwich Beer Festival |
| 27-29 Oct | Twickenham | 11th Twickenham Beer & Cider Festival |
| 27-29 Oct | Sawbridgeworth | 5th Sawbridgeworth Beer Festival |
| 27-29 Oct | Birmingham | Birmingham Beer Festival |
| 22-26 Nov | Rochford | 33rd Rochford Beer & Cider Festival |
| 30- 3 Dec | Dovercourt | Harwich & Dovercourt Bay Winter Ales Festival |
| 6-10 Dec | Hackney | Pigs Ear Beer Festival |
| Date | Location | Festival |
|---|---|---|
| 28-30 Jul | Bishops Stortford | 3rd Bishops Stortford Beer Festival |
| 2- 6 Aug | Earls Court, London | Great British Beer Festival |
| 18-21 Aug | Ipswich | Ipswich Beer Festival |
| 23-27 Aug | Peterborough | 34th Peterborough Beer Festival |
| 6-10 Sep | Chappel | 25th Chappel Beer Festival |
| 9-10 Sep | St Ives, Cambs | St Ives Booze on the Ouse Beer Festival |
| 15-17 Sep | York | York Beer and Cider Festival |
| 16-17 Sep | Melton Mawbray | 9th Melton Mowbray Beer Festival |
| 22-24 Sep | Letchworth | 20th Letchworth Garden City Beer & Cider Festival |
| 28- 1 Oct | St Albans | St Albans Beer Festival |
| 5- 8 Oct | Bedford | 34th Bedford Beer & Cider Festival |
| 12-15 Oct | Milton Keynes | 18th Concrete Pint Beer Festival |
| 13-15 Oct | Wallington | 18th Croydon & Sutton Real Ale & Cider Festival |
| 27-29 Oct | Twickenham | 11th Twickenham Beer & Cider Festival |
| 27-29 Oct | Birmingham | Birmingham Beer Festival |