The Drill Hall was packed to the rafters last night for the opening of the annual Lincoln Beer Festival, although I didn’t spot any togas despite the alleged Roman theme to the event.
The beer festival has become a regular favourite for thousands of Lincoln beer lovers and as usual it was good to see last night’s crowd dispelling the old stereotypes of the typical real ale drinker; on a warm night there were no chunky sweaters, only one or two ill-advised beards and generally a youngish look to the clientele.
As with all beer festivals you have to choose your beers carefully – avoid the 8% strength Oldershaw’s Dambuster’s Goner unless you’re sure you can handle it – and I recommend you navigate the bar by halves to allow you to sample a broad range.
I started with a Kirkby Lonsdale Monumental and remained steadfastly in the north thereafter. Looking at my crumpled beer list it seems I prefer my northern beers: I tried Copper Dragon Golden Pippin from Skipton, Saltaire Cascade from near Shipley and York Brewery’s Centurion Ghost – dark ruby in colour, fruity and malty on the palate.
But my favourite of the night was – would you believe it? – a lager. Actually a cask-conditioned ‘real’ lager from Hawkshead in Cumbria, a light, refreshing beer that showed fans of Fosters what good lager should taste like.
The beer festival continues until Saturday evening when some beers run out and other beers are sold off at bargain prices. Be nice to the bar staff – they’re all volunteers!
