Huddersfield October Fest

Oh dear - spendimg next weekend in H'field - is it that bad?

That is a difficult one. Bear in mind that a lot of people travel to beer festivals outside their own area, and that these people are more likely to be interested in the local beers. You are perfectly correct, though, that you need to keep the locals happy by stocking a diverse range from other parts of the country. In an ideal world, you also need some obscurities, something from new breweries, and festival specials, to keep the 'tickers' (amongst others) happy, but this is not always practical.

That's just my personal view, and I can't put these comments in the context of Huddersfield, as I've not been.

Thanks.

Martin.

----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris de Cordova" Newsgroups: uk.food+drink.real-ale Sent: Friday, October 03, 2008 9:24 PM Subject: Re: Huddersfield October Fest

On the contrary, choice in Huddersfield pubs is phenomenal, which I think is part of the problem from the O P's point of view. Within walking distance of the festival venue / town centre, you can probably sample 60 or more different ales, many of them local, making the town a kind of permanent beer festival. There are almost 20 to sample even before you have left the railway station!

However, festival-goers may not necessarily be familiar with all the local pubs whereas local CAMRA members undoubtedly are. Beer festivals should be aimed mostly at the general public rather than "tickers", in my opinion, and I like to see a mixture of local and other beers where the primary criteria for selection is quality.

Cheers!

Paul (off to Huddersfield tomorrow)

[Snip]

I think it is very important to remember that CAMRA is a campaign, not just a drinkers'/tickers' friendly society, and a beer festival is a massive campaigning tool.

Here, we try to get half the beers from Cumbrian brewers, but getting ones not easily or normally available in the town, often seasonals or specials brewed for us [1] this being to encourage local real ale drinkers to seek and ask for them in their own pubs.

The other half of the beers are chosen by tickers, who invariably deliver a super selection for those who enjoy tasting new beers.

And with only 40 or fewer beers, there is a great choice for everyone, throughout the festival, as few sell out.

It is a small and friendly festival, which is usually very finely balanced budget-wise, and falls close either side of breaking even, but is very much a campaigning festival.

Being so far, we don't get massive numbers of visitors, but there are regulars who come, and stay in the town for it, every year.

[1] It is hard to refuse free Jennings bitter when it is offered!! Or to be asked to take it as a condition for sponsoring glasses, but we have done - or persuaded them to make it something else!

But DO NOT miss the Rat and Ratchet.

Yes indeed. I know of no other town with such a varied choice of beer within such a small area.

Again, yes! And another 16 at the Grove, a mere 8 minutes away, another 8 / 10 at the Cherry Tree (one of the better Wetherspoons and very much in favour with the local CAMRA branch) 10 or so at the Rat.

8 at the Star. And then a whole host of pubs with maybe not the choice as above but with different beers.

Wonderful pub.

Perhaps the local CAMRA branch could devise an 'itinerant' beer festival in agreement with participating outlets. If they don't, then surely there's scope for some enterprising landlords to develop this idea.

Good job we couldn't get one night's accommodation in York then! I'm looking forward to this!

Can anyone who knows where all these places are, plan me a walking route? Staying at the George, and I know where the station, the Grove and the Spoons are.

You are right, of course. I think that the true measure of a beer festival's success is the number of keg-drinkers who try real ale, like it, but most importantly, stick to it after the festival.

How you achieve this is a difficult question. It is not easy to suggest any particular real ale as a like-for-like alternative to your average keg beer. I suppose you have to appeal to the drinker's sense of adventure instead.

Thanks.

Martin.

The problem is that many pubs serve anything but local beers. Look at the typical suspects available in may pubcos. It therefore makes eminent sense for a festival to stock beers that include a local element. That way customers are encouraged to look for good local products or maybe even ask for them in their local.

Locale is about promoting a local beer. It does not mean a pub (or beer festival for that matter) has to stock ONLY local beers.

As others have said, it is important to remember what the C in CAMRA stands for.

In terms of your comments, I trust you've made your thoughts known to the organisers? Even better, why not offer to help out and that way, you've have a chance to influence policy?

Yes, many do, but by the same yardstick, a lot don't. Many local Wetherspoons in this area (West Yorkshire) seem to have a policy of stocking local beers. The Richard Oastler in Brighouse invariably seems to have an Elland Beer on, The Cherry Tree in Huddersfield likewise. Leeds Station Wetherspoons always has a Roosters beer (Harrogate) on. And I could go on....

Of course it does ! Your word 'include' is key here. Sadly Huddersfield seemed to be weighted too far in favour of local beers. Everything bar Fullers, was from a very limited radius. I can't be more specific than that because I threw away my beerlist in disgust.

No, of course not., which is why I said "OK, that's fine in a limited sense particularly in encouraging pubs to have at least one beer from local sources" Note my use of the word 'one'.

Errm...Campaign? Slightly unfortunate word in many respects. not only does it have military connotations, but my dictionary defines it as "a systematic course of aggressive activities for some specific purpose". But you're going off at a tangent here.

Yes, at that very festival within 20 minutes of arriving. Usual excuse ('there's nowhere else') offered.

Oh heavens, I've probably served and assisted at more beer festivals over the last 35 plus years than you've had hot dinners! There's a limit to the amount of free time a fellow has, you know!

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In that case you should know that that is one of the best way to influence ordering policy at beer festival then!