The Frome Craft Beer Festival

Nestled within the Mendip area of Somerset is the market town of Frome. Highlighted as one of the ‘Best Places to Live in Britain’ and recently voted the UK’s most stylish town there certainly is a growing buzz around coming here. It is easy to see why, Frome has vibrant markets as well as 50 independent shops and boutiques tucked within the quaint cobbled streets. As it is not too far from me I often visit the Frome Independent Market, held on the first Sunday of every month, to browse through the best of the local produce. There also seems to be a growing beer scene within the town lead by Palmer Street Bottle and Brewed Boy both offering well stocked bottle shops as well as a good range of beers on tap. I have often visited Brewed Boy whilst looking around the market but I didn't know much about Palmer Street Bottle until more recently. This weekend saw these two go head to head in the battle of Palmer Street Bottle vs Brewed Boy at the Frome Craft Beer Festival. 

Held at the Silk Mill Studios, the Frome Craft Beer Festival showcased some great keg beers perfect for a sunny day. Many of the beers were quite sessionable, which was pleasantly surprising, but there were a few exceptions with some bigger beers. As there were only 10 beers on at one time, they were rotated during the sessions, and once it was gone it was gone! Palmer Street Bottle and Brewed Boy each had their own bars ready for battle and were supported by two street food stalls selling Cheese boards and Persian wraps. 

The Friday and Saturday evenings were both sold out but I went along to the Saturday afternoon session as the weather looked promising. It was a little quieter than I was expecting, especially as I had seen on Twitter that it was packed out the night before, but there were still a good number of people there and it did have a more relaxed feel. I had a couple of highlights from the session, the first one being Deya’s Just a Glimmer. Very true to Deya’s style this was a beautifully hazy American pale ale full of citrussy juiciness! Far too drinkable and one that I could have drank all day whilst sat out in the sunshine. My second highlight, and one that surprised me, was Woodland Creatures from Left Handed Giant. This was a big pistachio and honeycomb milk stout which I would normally associate with drinking in the autumn/winter or at the end of an evening. I was surprised with how sweet and milky this beer was that it actually could have been an ice cream! 

I don't know if a winner has been decided from the Brewed Boy vs Palmer Street Bottle battle but in my view I think that they both champion great beers within the town. I shall make a point to drop in on both next time I am at the market and look forward to the next Frome Craft Beer Festival next year!