ERBY 4 Great DERBYSHIRE CAMRA Events
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ERBY FREE Issue 185 May/June D Cheers 2019 Covering Derby, Ashbourne, Amber Valley, Erewash, Matlock, Burton & South Derbyshire CAMRA Areas 4 Great DERBYSHIRE CAMRA Events Derby & Amber Valley Mild Trail Matlock & Dales Beer Festival 1-31st May 25-26th May Dronfield Beer Festival Belper Goes Green Beer Festival 30th May-1st June 31st May-2nd June Full details inside plus loads, loads more Derby CAMRA Branch The Sun Shines on the Glorious 15th nother winter has “My first one enjoyed it - Apassed and another SO MUCH CHOICE.” festival is over. The 15th At this year’s festival we Derby Winter Ale Festival sold 87% of our beer, that’s was billed as a new 37, 384 pints! Our World experience for visitors Key Keg bar completely from across the country sold out. We sold 3554 and it certainly didn’t pints of cider and perry. disappoint. 10,689 customers walked With 400+ cask ales, craft through our doors over 4 keg beers, ciders, perries, days and our membership bottled world beers and team did a great job meads, there was recruiting 241 new something for everyone. members. We even had gin and rum Our visitors also enjoyed a for the very first time great range of thanks to Blue Monkey entertainment. Along with Brewery. Along with our a fantastic line-up of live own CAMRA World Key music, we had book Keg Bar, we also had Beer signings, guided tasting Metropolis and Brass sessions, talks on pub Castle to thank for heritage & history and our bringing new keg beers, Young Members hosted an described as a “game East Midlands social. changer” for beer festivals in Derby. The amazing You might have noticed choice at DWAF19 that our social media was reflected the festival’s very active during the desire to be innovative, festival. If you didn’t get appeal to all drinkers and round to following us on we received great Facebook, Twitter and feedback from very happy Instagram (we’re still customers: working out Snapchat!) then find us online and “The additions that we have a look back at some made this year made a real of the great experiences difference, great feel to the we had at #DWAF19. atmosphere, more of a buzz than normal.” Last but never least – we couldn’t put on this “Beer choices brilliant as amazing festival without you catered for all tastes.” our incredible team of 2 DerbyDRINKER May/June 2019 Derby CAMRA Branch volunteers. From when the first keep us running in a variety of piece of kit arrives to when the roles, whether they are on the doors of the Roundhouse close, the organising committee or festival ladies and gents of Derby CAMRA staff. From the servers to cellar and beyond are working so hard to team or glasses to green room, our bring you the best festival yet. They volunteers are a dream team that make Derby Winter Ale Festival the incredible experience it has come to be. If you have a drink in your hand while reading this, please raise a toast to our team and their remarkable achievement this year. Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Roundhouse this year, we look forward to welcoming you again at DWAF20 – no promises about the weather! Heather Knibbs - Publicity Officer Derby Everyone is welcome at JULIAN HOUGH AWARD Derby CAMRA socials, meetings CAMRA and trips. Here is a list of very year volunteers of the Branch Diary forthcoming events: EDerby Winter Ale Festival place their nominations for the MAY Julian Hough Award. Their Thu 9th - Branch Meeting - Paper Mill, Darley Abbey - 8pm. nominees are volunteers who 24th - 27th - Norwich City of Ale trip. We will spend 3 days going have gone above and beyond around some of the best pubs in Norwich. to support the festival and made an outstanding JUNE contribution. Thu 13th - Branch Meeting - Alexandra Hotel, Derby - 8pm. Worthy past winners are Sian, Charlie and Satto who each have Contact the Social Secretary, by email - [email protected] made a mark on past Derby Andy's daughter, Heather (check the Facebook page for upcoming events) Winter Ale Festivals. Knibbs, herself a long-standing volunteer and deputy cider bar This year, very much like the manager, took on the role of festival itself, the result was Festival Publicity Officer this Website – www.derby.camra.org.uk rather unique... Derby Facebook – DerbyCAMRA year. She was responsible for Twitter – @DerbyCAMRA After counting all the nomination printed and online promotion slips the staffing team were prior to and during the festival CAMRA surprised to discover a tie. What and worked hard to show-off Contacts:- was even more surprising was the amazing work of our Chairman – Greg Maskalick [email protected] that the two nominees were from volunteers across our social Secretary – Ian Forman [email protected] the same family! media platforms. Treasurer – Keith Jones [email protected] Andy Mottram, a long-standing The staffing team decided there Membership – Karen Cooper [email protected] festival bar manager who works could be only one result - Andy Pubs Officer– Mark Fletcher [email protected] from the very start of set-up to Press & Publicity – Kevin Hepworth [email protected] and Heather were declared joint Derby Drinker – Gareth Stead [email protected] the last minute of take-down, winners! Socials – Richard Gorham [email protected] was recognised for the This is the first time the Julian LocAle – Atholl Beattie [email protected] tremendous effort he always Hough Award has had joint Pub Preservation – Mark Fletcher [email protected] puts in, never without a smile on winners and the first time it has Social Media – Gillian Hough [email protected] his face and always supporting had two winners from the same Young Members Officer - Heather Knibbs [email protected] his fellow volunteers. family. What are the chances? 3 www.derby.camra.org.uk wondered how last year’s hot, dry summer produce a fantastic range of single apple variety from apple concentrate rather than by traditional Iwould work out for the apple crop, but ciders, this time we will have their Port Wine of methods using fruit which has been picked in the fortunately we had some rain in August and Glastonbury. Those of you who have explored autumn, pressed and then fermented. Concentrate September. The fruit was a bit on the small side Somerset can’t but help being drawn to Wilkins Cider has the huge advantage that you can make cider all but very sweet and all the signs are that 2018 will Farm; sweet or dry, mix to your own taste, and you year round, thus drastically reducing the amount of be a vintage year. We should be starting to drink don’t pay for what for consume while you are there! storage required. Now apple concentrate is still the cider made last autumn any time now, so I We will have Wilkins Medium Sweet. Herefordshire is apple, you may say, I leave it up to you whether it think that all you cider drinkers will be in for a the home of perry (frequently marketed as “pear treat this summer. cider” these days, but I much prefer the original term matters or not. Another serious problem is that “perry”). Newton Court, just outside Leominster, have boxes cannot be vented. Real cider contains live The next local CAMRA cider bar will be at the Belper their own orchards and we will have their Panting yeast which will continue to work, especially in the Goes Green Festival, held at Belper Rugby Club from Partridge Perry. Those of you who like fruit ciders are summer, so the vast majority of cider in boxes is Friday 31st May to Sunday 2nd June. As well as the not being ignored; we will have Snailsbank Rhubarb, pasteurised and therefore not technically “Real”. cider / perry there will be 50+ Real Ales, continuous also their Raspberry Ripple. (but unobtrusive) music and a wide variety of stalls. Most cider is sweetened to a greater or lesser Admission is free so put it in your diary. We will have You may have noticed that there days cider almost all extent, and if it is going into boxes it is much safer ciders from various parts of the country. There will cider is being sold in twenty litre boxes rather than to use artificial sweeteners rather than sugar, and I be a trio of Local Cider Makers; Three Cats from the old five gallon tubs. This is now pretty universal in think that you can generally taste the difference. Morley (Dry and Sweet, currently second in pubs; the boxes can be stacked, saving space, and Finally the bags in bag in box are single use plastic; CAMRA’s East Midlands cider competition), Sisson & because no air comes into contact with the cider tubs are also made of plastic but are re-used many Smith from Eastwood (a previous East Midlands they have a much longer shelf life. The latter point is times. winner) and Monkey Bridge from Ironville (a new very important, as with beer oxidisation is a problem kid on the block but very promising). when keeping cider; nobody wants to be sold a glass In most places you have no choice but to drink cider of cider “on the turn”. dispensed from boxes. For festivals I try to get tubs There will be some classics from further afield. Gwynt where possible. At least you now know that there y Ddraig from Pontypridd has grown into a major Despite this there are a number of problems with are arguments to be made either way.