Whitehaven Beer Festival - a fantastic success - probably the best ever?
flyer ................. photo
Photo: John Story, Whitehaven News
 Well done to all those who worked, both at the festival and beforehand, and many thanks to all those who came, tried the beers and created such a great atmosphere!

The Beers list

ALL GATES - Wigan, Lancashire. All Black (OG 1039, ABV 3.6%) - Dark brown beer with a malty, fruity aroma. Creamy and malty in taste, with blackberry fruits and a satisfying aftertaste.

B&T - Shefford, Bedfordshire. Crooked Hooker (OG 1048, ABV 4.7%) - a brilliant balance of malt and hops.

BANK TOP - Bolton, Lancashire. Leprechaun Stout (OG 1060, ABV 6%) - Roasty yet hoppy nose with some berries. More of the same in the flavour with plenty of milk chocolate and ground coffee. Hoppy finish.

BARNGATES - Ambleside, Cumbria. Cat Nap (OG 1037, ABV 3.6%) - A straw coloured hoppy beer with a hint of grapefruit. Well balanced bitterness leads to a long dry finish. A fruity, zesty character.

BEARTOWN BREWERY - Congleton, Cheshire. Beartown Best Bitter (OG 1037, ABV 3.7%) - A copper coloured session beer with a full palate of malt and crisp hops.

BLACK HOLE - Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. Red Dwarf (OG 1045, ABV 4.4%) - Red as named with a sweetshop start of sugary sweet fruits with citrus centres. Malt is elbowed aside by the hops which dominate the tongue tickling bitter end.

BLACKBECK - Egremont, Cumbria. Trick Shot 4.2% An easy drinking light chestnut ale with a hoppy aroma and taste with a refreshing bitterness

BLUE MONKEY - Giltbrook, Nottinghamshire. 99 Red Baboons (OG 1042, ABV 4.2%) - Red in colour with a malty fruitiness. Not overly hoppy.

BRENTWOOD - South Weald, Essex. BBC2 (OG 1025, ABV 2.5%) - A true session Pale Ale a full body and malty flavours make this beer very deceptive. American hops give it a tropical fruit and citrus punch

BUSHY'S - Braddan, Isle of Man. Manannan's Cloak (OG 1040, ABV 4%) - A creamy headed, smooth amber ale, reflecting its 100% malt mash. A subtle bitterness from Manx grown hops giving a clean taste and aroma, with a slight fruit/spice after taste good all round session beer reflecting the beer purity laws under which it was produced.

CONISTON - Coniston, Cumbria. Blacksmiths Ale (OG 1047.5, ABV 5%) - A well-balanced strong bitter with hints of Xmas pudding.

CONISTON - Coniston, Cumbria. Bluebird Bitter (OG 1036, ABV 3.6%) - A yellow-gold, predominantly hoppy and fruity beer, well-balanced with some sweetness and a rising bitter finish.

CUMBRIAN LEGENDARY ALES - Hawkshead, Cumbria. Loweswater Gold (OG 1041, ABV 4.3%) - A dominant fruity body develops into a light bitter finish. A beer that belies its strength. (TP)

DARK STAR - Partridge Green, West Sussex. Black Coffee Pilsner (OG 1046, ABV 4.8%) - Inspired by a trip to the Czech Republic, this beer plays upon the intrinsic coffee flavour in the unfiltered dark Budvar. A dark lager, brewed with imported Czech malt, hops from the Zatec region and a traditional Czech yeast strain. The natural coffee flavours characteristic of these malts are enhanced by the addition of coffee beans after fermentation.

ELLAND - Elland, West Yorkshire. Kama Citra (OG 1045, ABV 4.5%) - pale in colour and is a full citrus flavoured bitter with a long lingering citrus aftertaste.

ENNERDALE - Croasdale, Ennerdale, Cumbria. Darkest (OG 1044, ABV 4.2%) - A rich, velvety texture, a definite chocolate flavour and a creamy head

FOXFIELD - Broughton in Furness, Cumbria. tbc

FOXFIELD - Broughton in Furness, Cumbria. tbc

GREAT GABLE - Egremont, Cumbria. Iron Awe (OG 1039.5, ABV 3.8%)

GREAT GABLE - Egremont, Cumbria. Yewbarrow (OG 1054, ABV 5.5%) -Robust roast flavours, rich and malty. Satisfying, with hints of spice and fruit. Smooth Chocolate and coffee aromas

HAWKSHEAD - Staveley, Cumbria. Bitter (OG 1037, ABV 3.7%) - Well-balanced, thirst-quenching beer with fruit and hops aroma, leading to a lasting bitter finish.

HAWKSHEAD - Staveley, Cumbria. Windermere Pale (OG 1036, ABV 3.5%) - Crisp and fruity yellow beer with hints of melon and grapefruit and a strong bitter aftertaste.

HIGHLAND - Birsay, Northern Isles. Orkney IPA (OG 1048, ABV 4.8%) - A traditional bitter, with light hop and fruit flavour throughout.

JENNINGS - Cockermouth, Cumbria. Cumberland Ale (OG 1039, ABV 4%) - A light, creamy, hoppy beer with a dry aftertaste.

JENNINGS - Cockermouth, Cumbria. Lakeland Stunner. A light golden, easy drinking ale with its delicate floral and citrus aroma.

KESWICK - Keswick, Cumbria. Thirst Session

LIVERPOOL ORGANIC - Liverpool, Merseyside. Kitty Wilkinson Chocolate & Vanilla Stout (OG 1047, ABV 4.5%) -a rich and full-bodied stout, with definite chocolate and vanilla overtones.

LIVERPOOL ORGANIC - Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool Pale Ale (OG 1039, ABV 4%) -Very hoppy, citrus grapefruit overtones

PROSPECT - Wigan, Lancashire. Silver Tally (OG 1037, ABV 3.7%) - A clean, pale golden bitter with citrus aromas and a full hop flavour with a dry bitter finish.

ROBINSON'S - Stockport, Cheshire. Old Tom (OG 1079, ABV 8.5%) - A full-bodied, dark beer with malt, fruit and chocolate on the aroma. A complex range of flavours includes dark chocolate, full maltiness, port and fruits and lead to a long, bittersweet aftertaste.

ROOSTER'S - Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. YPA (Yorkshire Pale Ale) (OG 1041, ABV 4.3%) - A pale-coloured beer with pronounced raspberry and flower aromas.

SKINNER'S - Truro, Cornwall. Keel Over (OG 1041, ABV 4.2%) - A classic Cornish bitter, amber in colour, beautifully balanced with a smooth finish.

ST AUSTELL - St Austell, Cornwall. Proper Job (OG 1046, ABV 4.5%) - Floral aromatic hops greet the nose and persist in the mouth but are mellowed by a sweet, well-rounded and full-bodied palate that disappears in a bittersweet aftertaste.

STEWART - Loanhead, Edinburgh and The Lothians. Coconut Porter (OG 1044, ABV 4.5%) - A full robust porter with big chocolate and coffee flavours, with a heavenly, silky smooth finish.

STRANDS - Nether Wasdale, Cumbria. Irresponsibly (OG 1051, ABV 5%) - A full bodied IPA , designed to complement Responsibly

WADWORTH - Devizes, Wiltshire. 6X (OG 1041, ABV 4.3%) - Copper-coloured ale with a malty and fruity nose, and some balancing hop character. The flavour is similar, with some bitterness and a lingering malty, but bitter finish.

WBC (NORFOLK) LTD T/A WOLF BREWERY - Attleborough, Norfolk. Moonlight (OG 1036, ABV 2.8%) - A malty aroma with fruity undertones introduce this reddish-hued mild. Malt, with a bitter background that remains throughout, is the dominant flavour of this clean-tasting beer.

YATES - Westnewton, Cumbria. Bitter (OG 1036, ABV 3.7%) - A well-balanced, full-bodied bitter, golden in colour with complex hop bitterness. Good aroma and distinctive flavour.



YATES - Westnewton, Cumbria. Pilsner- 4.5% ABV Straw coloured pilsner brewed using specially imported German Pilsner malt and hops from the Hallertau region. Full bodied and smooth with a slightly sweet finish.Good hop balance.

"The lists above may be subject to change"

Ciders and Perry

Gwynt Black Dragon Cider 7.2% Medium Cider. Matured in oak barrels to produce a cider rich in colour, body and flavour with a fresh fruity aroma.
Mr Whitehead's Heart of Hampshire Cider 6% Medium-Dry with a light aftertaste; the mainstay of Mr. Whitehead's Cider Company.
Mr Whitehead's Midnight Special Perry 5% Medium-Dry, CAMRA "Champion Perry of Britain 2006. Midnight Special Perry uses a unique blend of fresh dessert and perry pears, and contains no added sugar, perservatives or flavouring.

"The lists above may be subject to change"



CBOB

CBOB what is it? When is it? How is it done?


An exciting dimension to the West Cumbria CAMRA Beer Festival will be the hosting of CAMRA's Northwest Regional Champion Beer of Britain heats for the Bitters category. The eight beers were been chosen by the 15,000 CAMRA members across the Northwest when they had the opportunity to vote for the beers they thought were the best in the region. The names of the beers in the competition will be kept secret until after completion of the judging, which will be done by a panel comprising a cross section of people. Judging is scheduled for early in the Festival and the Deputy Mayor will be on the panel along with CAMRA and non CAMRA members.

"Judging in beer competitions is a fun but important job to do for CAMRA," said Regional Competitions Organiser, Chris de Cordova. "The regional award is great for the winning brewery and it means that beer will be at the Great British Beer Festival in August as a finalist, up against the winners of the other 8 regions in the country, and one of those will be awarded Champion Bitter of Britain 2012.

"A previous Cumbrian winner of the CBOB Bitters competition was Coniston - Bluebird in 1988, which was then voted overall Supreme Champion of the winners in all 11 categories. This is a huge coup for any brewery and Ian Bradley of Coniston brewery saw his business grow from being a tiny brewery behind the Black Bull pub to a massive and successful regional brewery on the back of this award. In 2008 the Milds winner and overall runner up was Beckstones - Black Gun Dog Freddy. There have been a number of occasions in recent years when Cumbrian beers were finalists and last year CLA's - Loweswater Gold won Gold medal for the Golden Ales category!

Come and taste the beers for yourself and see if you agree with the decision of the panel!
In case you didn't notice the details at the top, the festival is on March 16th and 17th, 2012,
at Whitehaven Civic Hall.

Opening hours and prices:
12am - 5pm ... £3.50
6pm - 11pm ...£4


Free for CAMRA members with card

Some info about accommodation in the town here Sorry - price info is out of date.

Some info about pubs, with location of festival marked with red pin. here