Southampton Beer Festival 2017 - Highlights!

Drinking beer in football stadiums doesn’t happen that much these days with rules abut taking it into the stands but CAMRA proved that they can be good venues for a beer festival. My trips to Southampton usually involve me being dragged to the football by my partner (who is a Saints fanatic) so it makes a change to go to St. Mary’s for something I would enjoy too! The festival was held in the stadium’s concourse with ample seating and space to move about – so no overcrowding! The thick brick walls and open stairs up to the main ground helped keep the room temperature cool and the beers in good condition. I had already marked a few beers I wanted to try on the train journey over so I was eager to get started, here are a few of my festival highlights.

Wild Weather’s Sublime 3.8% sounded like a good place to start with its lower ABV. This blonde ale had a very clean and light mouthfeel balanced out with a hint of lime. This didn’t last me long but was a good way to ease myself into the festival. The next beer needed to be something a little bolder...

‘When in Rome’ as they say so my next beer needed to be more local. I was eager to try Dancing Man and Eight Arch’s collaborative beer – The Lime and The Coconut. This was very tropical and had a strong coconut flavour – which I don’t normally go for considering I don’t enjoy coconut! I wouldn't say that this beer is particularly sour but there was more of a lime hit than my first beer. If it wasn't for the fact I was at a festival I would have continued drinking this all afternoon!

I decided to try a beer that was named after the Southampton FC legend Matt Le Tissier, particularly as I was at their home ground. On Le Tiss by Brewhouse & Kitchen unfortunately did not live up to the expectation of it’s name. I was disappointed by the flavour as it wasn’t to my taste and in my opinion I felt that it lacked any real mouthfeel. I felt like this beer was a little gimmicky but looking at other reviews from the event I could see there was a mixed bag of people who liked it and those who didn’t. A marmite amongst beers I think.

My last highlight of the festival was Jakehead IPA from Wylam. After having a few ales already I was finding my palate was starting to feel numb. I needed something with a burst of flavour and the Jakehead was it. A hoppy IPA with some citrus and grapefruit notes - this beer was the perfect end to a great festival. 

All in all a great turn out to a fantastic venue. The space was used effectively and the beers were well conditioned which is crucial for a good traditional ale. Definitely one I recommend and would be more than happy to go again in the future!

Tr-ale-ing new things

"How do you know that you don't like it if you don't try it?" I used to hear this a lot as I was growing up when it came to food. I have always had problems with certain flavours and textures which made me feel 'weird', particularly when I went to other people's houses for dinner. As I grew up I tried to overcome these fears and began to start tasting new things. Now the list of foods I will eat is longer than that of foods I won't touch which feels like a personal feat for me. What I didn't anticipate was how much of a psychological problem this was for me. This also stretches into my choices of beers. 

When confronted with a large choice of beers on the bar I find at first it can be quite overwhelming. I feel a sense of panic as the bar tender looks at me waiting for my order. I find myself always choosing something I have had before, I know I like it and it means I won't be a cause of delay at the bar. When looking at a shelf of beers in a shop I will always look for my favourite styles: sours, fruity, pales. The problem with this is that some styles of beers I wouldn't usually choose may have qualities from the types I normally enjoy. One of the best examples of this is with IPAs. 

When I first started drinking beers I tried quite a few IPAs and the recurring problem I kept finding was that they all tasted to me like a bar of soap. This then gave me a fear of anything labelled as hoppy and so I avoided IPA beers as a result. My opinion changed as I was recently encouraged to try Hypnotist by Magic Rock and I was pleasantly surprised by how fruity and juicy it was, not even remotely soapy! Since then I have been more open to IPA styles and have even chosen them for myself over my usual favourites. 

This fear has also stopped me from drinking traditional real ales. I have always been a craft beer sort of person and so have never really found any cask beers that I've really enjoyed. On a trip to Cardiff my boyfriend said I needed to try a Brains SA. Admittedly a trip to Cardiff would not be complete without trying their famous beer but I had my reservations. "Can I have just a half?" I said, not knowing what to expect. "No, you have to have a pint, it's the only way to have this beer" he replies. Next thing I know I am looking at a pint of the amber coloured ale and I'm committed. After the first sip I was hit with the sweet malty caramel flavours associated with this beer. I found myself really enjoying it and before I knew it the pint was gone. Since then I have been more open to having a go at some traditional cask ales.

So it looks like my list of beer styles I will drink is longer than those I won't!