Leicester Beer Festival 2015 www.leicestercamra.org.uk Facebook/leicestercamra @LeicesterCAMRA 11 - 14 MARCH CHAROTAR PATIDAR SAMAJ, BAY STREET, LEICESTER LEICESTER BEER FESTIVAL 2015 1 TIGER BEST BITTER www.everards.co.uk @EverardsTiger facebook.com/everards LEICESTER BEER FESTIVAL 2015 2 Southwell Folk Fest A5 ad Portrait.indd 1 16/05/2014 16:25 Chairman’s Welcome At last, it’s that time of the year again and I would like to welcome you to the Leicester CAMRA Beer Festival 2015. This is the sixteenth since our re-launch in 1999 following a ten-year absence. We are delighted to be back at the Charotar Patidar Samaj for the fifteenth time. As always we are showcasing the brewing expertise of our Leicestershire and Rutland breweries on our LocAle bars, we also feature a selection of breweries within 25 miles as the crow flies from the festival site giving an amazing 40 breweries within the area to choose from. This year we have divided the servery up into six distinct bars and colour-coded them (see p 15 for details). We have numbered the beers to make it easier to remember what to order at the bar. Our festival is one of many that play a major role not just as fund raising, but also to keep people informed about CAMRA’s work and the vast range of beers that are now available to the consumer. This continuous background work nationwide has doubtless helped change attitudes towards real ale. Our theme this year is XV, a full explanation of which appears in the article on page 9. A number of breweries have produced one-off brews in connection with this. Our festival glass incorporates the logo and is available in half pint tankard, goblet and straight pint. They are lined, oversized glasses to ensure a FULL MEASURE. We hope you like it and take one home as a souvenir. Please use the half pint glasses (marked with the third line) if you wish to drink thirds. Our ever popular Cider Bar has a selection of over 35 ciders and perries; some are old favourites and some new to the festival. Most of what we sell comes from small producers and it’s all made from pressed and fermented fresh juice from British grown apples or pears. For those requiring something other than Real Ale or Cider we also have a stall selling bottled beer and wines. Also a firm favourite are our Indian curries, as well as locally produced cold English food, tea, coffee and soft drinks are also available. I would like to thank all the volunteers who work throughout the festival and whose support we depend on, Everards Brewery Limited for their continued generous help and support, AnchorPrint for design and printing and the the numerous others who have helped make this event happen . As in previous years, we are collecting for LOROS again this year; please give generously to this good cause using the collection buckets around the hall. We do, as always, sympathise with any nominated drivers attending, so our soft drinks will be free of charge. Enjoy our Festival but please remember DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE. Telephone numbers of local taxi companies are listed in the entrance to the Festival. Please note this Beer Festival is NON-SMOKING. If you wish to smoke please use the designated area outside. The use Leicester CAMRA wish to thank of e-cigarettes is also not permitted inside the building. Everards Brewery Ltd for all their help, assistance and sponsorship of Keith Williams (Branch Chairman) our beer festival. Website: www.leicestercamra.org.uk LEICESTER BEER FESTIVAL 2015 3 A big thank-you to Andy Sales Our usual festival organiser, beer and brewery co-ordinator for the last 15 years, has not been able to be involved this time around. In recognition of his past efforts, we in Leicester CAMRA would like offer Andy our sincere thanks and wish him well for the future. What is CAMRA? CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is an independent, UK and many of the branches run local beer festivals, voluntary, consumer organisation which campaigns for publish local newsletters and run social events to pubs real ale, real pubs and consumer rights. and breweries. Membership is open to all individuals although corporate Although we are a volunteer-led organisation there is entities such as breweries and pubs are not members; also a small professional staff of twenty-five responsible we currently have approx 159,000 individual members for central campaigning, research, membership services, nationally and our ‘Leicester Branch’ currently has over publishing, marketing and administration. CAMRA is 1,700 members. financed through membership subscriptions, sales of CAMRA is governed by a voluntary unpaid national products such as books and sweatshirts, and from executive, elected by the membership. We have a the proceeds of beer festivals. We are a not-for-profit branch structure which means that all members can company, limited by guarantee and our accounts are join a local CAMRA branch and campaign and socialise lodged annually with Companies House. locally. There are around 200 branches covering the CAMRA’s Success Story CAMRA is the most successful single issue consumer – Introduction of reduced excise duty for small campaign group in Britain and is in its 42nd year of brewers which means that small brewers are able campaigning. If CAMRA had not been formed to save to compete on a more level playing field with the real ale then this classic, great-tasting British drink large brewers would have become extinct. Since its formation in 1971 – Abolition of the Beer Duty Escalator in 2013. CAMRA has achieved the following: • CAMRA has run literally thousands of initiatives to • In the 1970s CAMRA successfully fought the efforts promote and safeguard real ale and pubs including of the big brewers to replace traditional ales with staging beer festivals, publishing books and guides, tasteless keg beers. running Community Pubs Week and the Saving Your • In the 1980s CAMRA lobbied against the lack of Local Pub which was launched by Prince Charles, choice in Britain’s pubs. In 1989 the Government producing a generic beer campaign, holding regular responded with wide reaching reforms called the promotions for endangered beer styles and cider, Beer Orders. The Beer Orders forced the big six producing national and regional inventories for brewers to sell or free from the tie over 11,000 as pubs with interiors of historical significance and well as introducing the Guest Beer provision. much more. • In the 1990s CAMRA actively encouraged and Why not join us? See one of our volunteers on the supported real ale resurgence. During the decade membership stall; they will be pleased to give you further CAMRA thwarted efforts by the EU Commission to information on how you can join our 1,600 Leicester abolish Britain’s Guest Beer provision. Branch members. See also the benefits of joining CAMRA. • Since 2000 CAMRA has succeeded in campaigning We have regular branch meetings and an active for the: social calendar; ranging from presentation of ‘Pub of the – Extension of mandatory rate relief to public Month’ awards to deserving houses licensees, to ‘days out’ pub and brewery trips by coach/ – Reform of the outdated licensing laws in train. See our publication ‘The Leicester Drinker’ in any England and Wales leading to a more flexible of the local real ale pubs and get a handle on the local licensing system beer scene! LEICESTER BEER FESTIVAL 2015 4 LEICESTER BEER FESTIVAL 2015 5 Link to our website - scan the QR code Award Winning Brewery Tap. Award Winning Ales. ...Find out the rest for yourself Guided tours now available every Sunday (11am & 2.30pm) Book Online or call the Brewery to arrange. www.grainstorebrewery.com T: 01572 770 065 BREWERY, BREWERY TAP & EVENT BARS BreakfastBreakfast & Lunch Menu now available The Grainstore Brewery Ltd The Grainstore OPENING TIMES: Station Approach Mon-Thu • 11am until 11pm Oakham, Rutland Fri-Sat • 11am until 12am LEICESTER BEER FESTIVAL 2015 LE156 6RE Sunday • 11am until 11pm WELCOME TO LEICESTER BEER FESTIVAL 2015 WHAT SHOULD I DRINK? First time at a beer festival? Once you have paid your entrance fee you will need to collect your glass. Don’t worry if you don’t want to keep the glass, we will take the glass back when you have finished and refund the cost as long as you haven’t damaged it (although they do make great souvenirs to take home!). You will find the beers numbered and in alphabetical order by brewery name. It is worth starting on the lower ABV (Alcohol by Volume) beers. Why not start with a Mild Beer? You can then sit down and decide what takes your fancy by reading the tasting notes in the programme. Work your way up through the bitters and best bitters at a steady pace before going for something stronger. Don’t go for a strong 5.0 ABV straight away. Please remember that it is unusual for some of the beers to last through four days of the festival. If a particular beer is not available it is most likely someone has beaten you to it! Make sure you have something to eat during the session, there is nothing worse than drinking on an empty stomach and getting that fresh air attack when you leave. Fancy something different? Why not try one of our real ciders or perries? This is not the fizzy cider you get in most pubs this is produced by traditional independent farmhouse producers. They are 100% pure and natural but beware – they are normally very strong.