A report on the Portsmouth Beer Festival, 2001
A very early start on Saturday, the 18th of August 2001, as the previous night I was at the controls of an electric bass and bellowing for all my might as frontman for Blue Fuses in front of an appreciative audience at the Newt & Ferret in Kingston.
After managing to miss meeting up with the chap I was supposed to travel with from Surbiton, an old drinking partner from the late, lamented Railway Tavern. I grabbed the first train I saw and made my way to Portsmouth alone. It was like travelling in a dustcart. The weather couldn't make up its mind and threatened rain, but the heat was oppressive. One young lass at Surbiton looked as though she'd just come away from a wet T-shirt competition. I shall say no more. Sandown Park racecourse spread out beside us while golfers headed towards their first tee of the day. Surrey towns sped past until Woking, then a change for Portsmouth and Southsea. Corn swayed in the breeze and farmers wheeled barrows of fodder to grazing cattle and horses. A glance at my ticket told me that the festival started at 11 a.m. and not 11.30, so I was a little later than I'd planned, but there was still plenty of time to enjoy the fun at this long-established and convivial do.
On approaching Fratton Park there were no signs of football fans even though Portsmouth were playing at home. A light drizzle was just starting as I arrived at Pompey, but that didn't worry me, I was going to get wet on the inside. At the Guildhall I was asked if I was attending the temperence society meeting; answering in the affirmative, I was given a beer festival programme. There has been talk of this being the last to be held at this venue, but I remember similar gloom spreading in 1999. It was very nice to find at least six familiar faces from CAMRA in our area once I'd ventured into the main hall.
A first on the entertainment scene at Pompey was local rock band Bad Dog who played soul and blues classics alongside covers of U2 and Jimi Hendrix. They played adequately until they got into their stride with a fine version of Pink Floyd's 'Comfortably Numb', followed by Led Zeppelin's 'Rock 'n' Roll', The Beatles' 'Come Together' and a final blast of AC/DC's 'Whole Lotta Rosie'. Pompey rocks, by the look of it.
The beer, ah the beer. One local grumbled that all the good stuff had been swallowed during the Friday evening session, but I couldn't agree with that. Starting with a Flagship's Futtock Ale (1050) from Chatham in Kent I found a fine fruity beer with an attractive ruby colouring; a pleasure from start to malty finish. From the same bar came Fallen Knight (1044) from Goff's of Gloucestershire. Again fruity and malty but with a bittter-sweet end. From Hampshire I found Oakleaf's aromatic and tasty Squirrel's Delight (4.4%) of nearby Gosport and Triple fff's gloriously hoppy After Glow (probably named after a song by Genesis, all their beers have a musical connotation, 4.0%) from Four Marks. Travelling North to Derbyshire I tasted Lloyds' curiously named Scratching Dog (1045), another ruby ale but this time quite sweet. My mate finally arrived having waited at Surbiton until 10.30, missing me completely. He made a beeline for Ventnor Oyster Stout, (gravity not specified as not in the programme) having recently tasted a Kentish version in Whitstable. How such small perfections can throw a man into ecstasies. I went for the Bristolian Three Blind Mice (4.2%) from the Nursery Brewing Co., which had an odd initial flavour but a very nice aftertaste. Cider and Perry were available in the main hall, but this day I decided to devote my taste buds to the pursuit of Real Ale alone.
Food provided was ample; good stomach lining items such as Cornish Pasties and vast helpings of chips, Chicken curries, Vegetable Chillis, pretty much anyone was catered for. As with the Great British Beer Festival plenty of bottled Continental beer was available in the small hall; here also were the pub games such as Shut the Box and Table Skittles. Thence to the other entertainment for the session. Chichester Brass were fine fun, though after many years of watching Fulham Brass Band here I found them a little lacking; this soon wore off. A couple of sets in and the occasion took over. Out came the Union flags and the beery singing. Drinkers swooped around the hall to the strains of the Dambusters' March and the flags fluttered at the sounds of Jerusalem & Land of Hope and Glory. This was, however, no outpouring of jingoistic bobbins; no Enoch Powell fan club rubbish. People of all colours joined in the singing and fun, for that's exactly what it was and long may it remain so. This was a group of Real Ale fans having a damn good time. As the dreaded 'Time' bell was about to ring, I hurtled back to the bar to finish off my tokens with a pint of Cain's Formidable (1048), a very nice drop to finish on.
Without hanging about and making my yearly foray to the Fifth Hants Volunteer Arms (nice pub) I got on the first train available and got back to Kingston via Surbiton in time to meet my girlfriend and to join other SPBW members at the Grey Horse in Kingston for a live session from the excellent Limehouse Lizzy. A great day: Long may the Portsmouth Beer Festival reign. I really do hope that all the tales of doom are just conjecture. Don't just think of Pompey as being a little regional jolly up, get down there and try it for yourself. It's well worth your while.