GBBF questions

Pints and halves are standard. Very strong beers might be sold in smaller measures, and bottled beers are sold by the bottle.

Prices vary considerably from beer to beer. All are clearly marked, and you pay cash.

You pay for a glass when you go in, and you keep that (it can be washed) for the duration of the session. At the end you can either hand it in and get your money back or keep it.

The Friday evening session is generally the most crowded, while earlier in the day it is less full.

BTN

In message , Sir Benjamin Nunn writes

Hardened punters always get the pint glass but mostly drink halves from it so as to try more different beers. The half-full glass is less trouble to carry around, as you needn't worry about spilling it.

As per other postings: pint, half and bottle. NB Imported beers may come in bottles larger than a pint, recommendation is to share with a friend.

Nip glasses have been considered.

Most of the bar is CAMRA run, staffed etc and is a mix of brewery products. Some bars are staffed by brewery employees (who are also CAMRA members) and are built and decorated in brewery house style.

Prices vary according to the beer just like any other pub (and for the duration of the event we are a pub)

Earlier in the week, and earlier in the day (all sessions run from morning opening to night time closing.)

You pay a deposit on a logo glass when you start, you are free to return it for a fresh glass as often as you like. Most of the glass washing facility is at the glasses stand near the entrance.

Start with weaker beers and work toward the stronger more flavourful that way you stand more chance of trying a fair number before the alcohol content kicks in. Each year the bar staff count the seconds until the first request for "the strongest you've got"

And if you can find a generous pourer, your half tends to be somewhat closer to a two-thirds... *hic!*

d.

In message , Steven Pampling writes

The logo will be "GBBF 2005" when the festival starts. Towards the end it may be the logo of any CAMRA festival that's failed to sell all its glasses in the last couple of years. You can still keep it; some people leave with several.

One year I worked the bar that had Sarah Hughes Original. For three days it wasn't ready. The rest of the festival was a sticky nightmare of half-pickled punters and frequent washdowns - Sarah's has lots of unfermented sugar despite its strength and seems to cover all nearby surfaces faster than other beers.

Give me Youngs Double Chocolate Stout any day - it's so black you can't tell if it's settled or not, it isn't very sticky and it sells like, well, chocolate.

That's why I always get a half with my pint glass when I attend beer festivals in England 8>).

I only get a full pint on last call (unless I find a beer I really love and stick with). Another reason for the larger glass!

I would like to see them add a 1/3 pint line so that the attendees could have that option as well. I was informed this is a legal British measure. There was a thread on the yahoo cask mailing list about this subject some time back. Some CAMRA people replied but none seemed to address this for some unknown reason.

Cheers,

Bruce CAMRA member from New Jersey

You are correct. It's very rarely used though. It must be said that

1/3 of a pint is a very small measure unless the beer is very strong, and the people drinking them would be constantly at the bar buying a refill.

Best regards, Paul

-- Paul Sherwin Consulting

The Thursday evening session is generally considered the best. Friday evening will be very busy and by Saturday there's a good chance that the interesting beers will have run out. Friday daytime is OK if you can make it.

You buy/rent your glass on admission. Most people don't bother rinsing the glass between beers unless the beers are of drastically different character. It all gets mixed up in your stomach anyway :-)

If your schedule allows you should consider visiting one of the big regional festivals as well as / instead of the GBBF. Many people would argue that these are more enjoyable events, both socially and from the point of view of the beer. You can only drink so much beer anyway, and big regional festivals like Reading or Peterborough have over 300.

HTH, Paul

-- Paul Sherwin Consulting

Which is one drawback for the customer (and the staff serving).

Another is the issue of cost. To have the line marked on the glass would require that it be examined and tested by an authorised Excise tester. Pint glasses are already double examined (pint and half)

NB. You are entitled to take back the glass at/near closing time and ask if they have any returned 2005 glasses. Everyone involved is aware that the supply of current year glasses runs short late on Saturday, never the less as you note from the use of previous years glasses there are always just a few that don't go home with a customer so they are available in a following year. (As it happens the left overs last year didn't even half fill a pallet)

I'm not sure whether Reading use cooling (I think so) but Peterborough don't. So if the weather is warm and you like your beer cool...

(ooops, think I just upset the P'boro bods)

I've heard talk recently of the third-pint measure being used to promote beer drinking to the laydeez, in third-pint measure glasses (with stems, natch), cos a pint is not veyr elegant and laydee-like

true, but a third of a pint as a tasting measure at beer festivals would be an excellent idea

d.

Thanks all for the great info. It's been extremely helpful. Fortunately I'm visiting the entire week so I'll be able to attend a couple of the earlier, less crowded sessions and spend some time vising greater London's finer pubs.

Cheers, Rick

It was me who started and ended the thread here and on cask-uk. Basically a third of a pint is a legal measure and is referred to as a nip or a stick, though there is some evidence that nip may be used in some parts of the UK to refer to a 1/4 of a pint. That is it really.

In message , Steven Pampling writes

Beer cooling isn't normally a problem at Reading as it's so early in the year - you need your anorak (and your walking boots) at Reading but the beer quality's usually excellent.

I don't know how we'd cope with a warm weekend now the show's got so large; I remember watering the casks at the third Reading, using a bucket for the far end of the stillage as we hadn't a hose long enough.

No great worries for you. All you need to do is do a bit of basic training in using the cooling systems and borrow some from the warehouses in St. Albans.