Aimee Howarth brings you an interview with The Yorker directors on the final day of the advent articles
Aimee Howarth speaks to YUSU's sabbatical officers about their Christmas Day routine for day 17 of the advent calendar
For the final time this term, Vicky Morris updates you on this weeks film news
50 years after the publication of 'James and the Giant Peach', the works of Roald Dahl continue to celebrate success.
With over 100,000 CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) members nationally and an average attendance of 3,500 over the past ten years, the 2010 Leeds CAMRA Beer, Cider and Perry Festival was bound to be a triumph. An evening of merriment was guaranteed with over 150 real ales from Yorkshire and beyond plus an assortment of traditional cider and perry, as well as hot snacks to soak up the alcohol (who needs Viking Kitchen?) and live music from local musicians.
Held in Pudsey Civic Hall (some six miles from the centre of Leeds), the festival was spread over two floors with a total of five bars. Armed with a handy guide to all the drinks on offer we collected our vouchers (a total of seven, each of which entitles you to half a pint) and our ultra-special festival glass. All that was left to do was to sample the many delights.
A huge range of breweries were represented including the likes of York, BrewDog and Dark Star. Slightly bewildered by the seemingly boundless choice, I decided that the best thing to do was to choose a drink based on the name. So, once I had established that Bullmastiff's ‘Son of a Bitch’ had run out, (I wonder why) I finally ended up with a half of ‘Dark Side of the Moose’ from the Purple Moose brewery in Wales. I quickly understood why this dark, fruity ale had been awarded a spate of awards, including Beer of the Festival at two CAMRA festivals in 2007.
Another highlight of the evening was a half of Burton Bridge's ‘Thomas Sykes’ which had a hoppy finish reminiscent of BrewDog's ‘Punk IPA’. With an ABV of 10%, this barley wine certainly provided a kick and the guides’ advice to 'handle with caution' was spot on.
For the exotic among us, there were plenty of speciality beers available such as Chilli Beer from Hopstar brewery, which is infused with one of the hottest chillis on Earth. While the heat was not overpowering, I think it's safe to say you wouldn't be washing down a vindaloo with one of those!
With great British beer in abundance, one could be forgiven for forgetting about the rest of the beer producing world. But where would a beer festival be without the collective brewing genius of Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic?
The global beer bar provided over sixty beers from six countries, ranging from Kölsch to Trappist. Favourites such as Duvel and Erdinger were of course present, while more obscure beers (for example, De Troch Exotic – a pineapple beer) were equally impressive.
England also got in on the act with three fruit beers on draught from Tiger Tops brewery. There was also a range of high calibre cider and perry available, mostly from the southern regions of England such as Kent, Hertfordshire and Somerset. Most were medium dry ciders such as Dewchurch and Clives, but there was also a handful of dry/sweet ciders and perry.
Overall the drinks list was truly impressive for a relatively small beer festival in comparison with the main CAMRA event held in Earls Court in August.
Despite the abundance of alcohol available, it was more than mere beer that made the evening enjoyable. The live music from local musicians provided a real party atmosphere, while the sheer diversity of equally enthusiastic clientèle was a joy to behold: from the cultured 60-somethings who had been to more beer festivals than they would care to remember to naïve newcomers such as myself.
I got the feeling that the general attitude of people at the festival was to proudly celebrate a great British tradition (highlighted by CAMRA's willingness to include Tetley Bitter in the festival – a national brand which you would expect to find in any old pub – in an attempt to save the brewery in Leeds from closure), while at the same time appreciating and learning from what the rest of the world has to offer.
The selfless volunteers were also always keen to make suggestions and engage in friendly conversation, giving the festival an intimate feel which is no mean feat in a three story civic hall. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening which was made even more unforgettable when I saw Pudsey Bear with a pint of Leeds Pale in his paw...... or perhaps that was just the alcohol talking....
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