At the beginning of last month I attended the fourth annual
shed brewers beer festival. For those curious, the shed brewers are part of the
Anglian Craft Brewers and to quote them:
‘The term "Shed Beer"
was coined after a blind tasting session to choose between commercial beer and
our own brew. Rather than call it homebrew which seemed to imply beer made from
kits, "Shed Beer" was used to indicate micro brewing, probably made
in a garage, outbuilding or a shed.’
Having worked or attended every previous incarnation, I had
a fairly optimistic view on the way the day would go - most likely the
appreciation of good beer, further exclamation that the brewers should make
beer on a commercial level, and then the inevitable decline into alcohol
fueled blather on hop varieties to people too polite to remind me they don’t wish to discuss if they prefer Pacific Jade or Pacific Gem.
As seems to chase me whenever I am looking forward to
something involving being outside my house, an onslaught of rain transformed my
walk into a run to the venue. Once inside I realised I had forgotten to tell
the event organisers that, due to my inability to hold onto anything for an
extended time without losing it, I had left my ticket behind the bar in a box,
which had now been moved. It was in that moment of staring longingly at a
staircase that led to the festival, physically anxious that I could not enter
straight away, that it occurred to me perhaps there are times where I like beer
a bit too much.
Luckily fortune favours the beer nerd, for as I cut a forlorn
figure standing at the bar with empty eyes of what-could-be one of the brewers
noticed me and came up with a ground breaking ticket replacement until mine was
found.
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| The cunning ruse |
With access granted I edged my way through a thick crowd
towards the beer. It was still fairly early but it was already very busy. The
people were many and the group noise of numerous conversations was only
punctuated by repeated words, usually beer related, and thankfully from what I
heard all positive.
The shed brewers themselves were either serving or mingling
with the customers. It was great to be
able to chat to them about their different beers and where they got their
inspiration from whilst drinking the product itself. It also lay stage for what
I can assume is one of the most important things when it comes to homebrewing –
feedback on a wider scale.
Over the next few hours I tried all but two of the beers on
offer and was again very impressed with what I drank. Throughout the day
tasting sessions occurred on different styles and it was great to see people
getting involved, noses in glasses, talking about what they were getting from
the beer and why. I am a sucker for anything that educates and informs people
about beer!
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| The actual ticket |
The quality of beer on offer was even better
than last year with a nice range covering light to dark as well as some
good specialties (the smoked porter and the braggot were two personal
favourites of the day). There was not a single beer I tried that I wouldn’t
have been happy to have paid for over the bar at a pub. This is testament to
the skill, passion and devotion of those who worked so hard to craft the beer I
was enjoying.
I feel passion is an apt summary of the whole event. This
was a day made for the desire of good beer, whether that be consuming or
producing. It breathed a brilliantly unique atmosphere, more intimate and hands
on than that of your classic beer festival and one I hope continues for years
to come.
Who knows, maybe by that time some of the brewers today will have
their own commercial ventures.
I can only hope so.
If your are interested in homebrewing and would like to know more about the Anglian Craft Brewers, you can join their facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftshedbrewers/
