2012 Letchworth Beer & Cider Festival
September 20th, 21st, and 22nd.
Nearly festival time!
You can download the full final festival programme here [PDF].
Apptastic! Yes, we have an Android application for the festival. This application contains the full ale, cider, perry, and foreign beer list. Use it to scan, sort, and make notes on the beers. When beers run out at the festival this will be reflected in the app (you need to select “refresh” in the menu to update this). Hopefully it isn’t too buggy! All feedback welcome so we can improve it for next time!
- When: September 2012:
- Thursday 20th: 5pm-11pm
- Friday 21st: midday-11pm
- Saturday 22nd: midday-11pm
- Where: Letchworth Green House [map]
- In the middle of town, just 200 yards from Letchworth mainline station.
- As little as 25 minutes from London King’s Cross and Cambridge stations!
- In the middle of town, just 200 yards from Letchworth mainline station.
- How Much:
- CAMRA & EBCU members, & OAPs: FREE
- Others: £2.50 on the door (same-day re-entry permitted with wrist-band)
- Bring your own glass OR “rent” a festival glass for £2.50 (i.e. you return glass, we return £2.50)
- We do THIRD of a PINT measures
- What: BEER! CIDER! PERRY!
Beer & Cider/Perry Map
Cask Ale
Here’s the list of beers we have confirmed orders in for for the festival. We expect everything in this list to be at the festival, though there are shipping errors sometimes.
Download the Letchworth Beer Festival app for Android.
| Brewery | Beer | ABV | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addled | Edward’s Confession | 3.8 | A yellow gold best bitter malty and fruity, sweet with a bitter finish. Addled is a new local brewery in the North Hertfordshire branch area. LocAle |
| Addled | Fair Warning | 3.3 | A tawny bitter dry hopped with Challenger. LocAle |
| B&T | Edwin Taylor’s Extra Stout | 4.5 | A pleasant bitter beer with a strong roast malt flavour – brewed using pearl pale malt, crystal malt, roast barley and Hercules hops. [★Beer Monkey's Pick - unctuous stout, a local favourite!★] LocAle Sponsored by our friends at The Comet — Thanks! |
| Beer Geek | Geek Unique | 4.3 | This slightly dark bitter has sweet malty flavours creating a fruity bold aftertaste. |
| BlackBar | 7GX | 4.6 | Complex malt flavoured beer that probably won’t fit a particular style. LocAle |
| Blue Monkey | Guerrilla | 4.9 | A hearty 4.9% beer full of malty complexity balanced by a robust bitter bite. |
| Brancaster | Brancaster Best | 3.8 | A refreshing session pale ale with a touch of citrus on the finish. Sponsored by our friends at Hitchin Hackspace — Thanks! |
| Brentwood | BBC2 | 2.5 | Dry on the palate and full of body making it taste bigger than it’s ABV actually is, with tropical citrus hop flavours. Cambridge 2012 Beer of the Festival. |
| Brentwood | Marvellous Maple Mild | 3.7 | This delicate dark brown mild has just a hint of maple syrup coming through in the finish. |
| Brentwood | Strawberry Blonde | 4.4 | Brewed using fresh strawberries from Calcott Hall. Light and refreshing with aromas of strawberry, a slightly tart end and a delightful aftertaste of the fruit. |
| Buxton | Axe Edge | 6.8 | Complex flavours of mandarin, orange, schnapps, pineapple, and juicy tropical fruits. Warmingly alcoholic with a dry finish. Hopped with Amarillo, Citra and Nelson Sauvin. |
| Buxton | Imperial Black IPA | 7.5 | Full bodied jet-black ale with a pale-tan head. Abundant fresh hop aromas suggesting zesty citrus pulp and forest fruits. [★Beer Monkey's Pick — most anticipated!★] |
| CLA | Esthwaite | 3.9 | A golden bitter with the distinctive flavour and aroma of American Cascade hops. |
| Crouch Vale | Yakima Gold | 4.3 | Very pale with delicious Amarillo hops, therefore earthily aromatic and highly drinkable. |
| Devilfish | Blonde Bombshell | 4.5 | A heavenly-hopped ale, light in character yet strong in taste, and offering a devilish kick in the tail. |
| Devilfish | Stingray | 5.5 | Full of flavour, malty, fruity, strong aromas and a lovely deep finish. |
| Hardknott | Azimuth | 5.8 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. |
| Hardknott | Azimuth (KeyKeg) | 5.8 | The same as the above but in a new KeyKeg bag in a ball container, classified as real ale by the CAMRA technical advisory group. |
| Hardknott | Cool Fusion | 4.4 | Spiced lager. Very pale straw, grassy nose with a hint of sweet ginger. There is a refreshing but mild spicy flavour and a gentle thirst quenching finish. [★Beer Monkey's Pick — lovely refreshing gingery pint!★] |
| Hardknott | Dark Energy | 4.5 | Rich dark berries, bitter chocolate, espresso coffee. Snug nights besides a roaring log, fire coupled with defiance of the raging storm outside. |
| Hardknott | Thank Chinook It’s Friday | 4.3 | Probably some Chinook hops in this. |
| Hopback | Heracles | 2.8 | Silky, biscuity maltiness of Maris Otter malt, followed by the delicate spicy lemon of East Kent and Styrian Goldings. Underpinned by subtle orange flavours of coriander and the dry, clean bitterness of Challenger hops. |
| Jarrow | Rivet Catcher | 4 | A light, smooth, satisfying gold bitter. Subtle fruity hops give the taste profile on tongue and nose. |
| Mighty Oak | English Oak | 4.8 | A glowing amber ale with full malt flavours balanced by a strong hop finish from First Gold and Willamette hops. |
| Mighty Oak | Oscar Wilde | 3.3 | Roasty dark mild with suggestions of forest fruits and dark chocolate. A sweet taste yields to a more bitter finish. |
| Milton | Abeona | 5.7 | A new ale from Milton that won silver in the Strong Ales category in this years Peterborough Beer Festival. LocAle |
| Milton | Minotaur | 3.3 | A rich dark mild with bags of character from the lavish use of chocolate malt. LocAle Sponsored by our friends at Fairhaven Wholefoods — Thanks! |
| Moor | Revival | 3.8 | Light in colour but not flavour thanks to a blend of Pale, Lager, Cara, Crystal and Wheat malts. The hops are a blend of American varieties, with American-style yeast providing a crisp finish. |
| Nottingham | Rock Bitter | 3.8 | A pale and bitter, thirst-quenching hoppy beer with a dry finish. |
| Nottingham | Rock Mild | 3.8 | The mirror image of Rock Bitter, this smooth, dark mild has a biscuity flavour. |
| Old Cross Tavern | Cascade | 4 | I’d take a chance that this beer has plenty of Cascade hops in it. LocAle |
| Potton | Shannon IPA | 3.6 | A well-balanced session bitter with good bitterness and fruity late-hop character. LocAle |
| Project Venus | Sugar & Spice | 4.6 | Brewed at Brentwood by the Project Venus brewsters, this beer is a light golden ale brewed with honey & ginger. |
| Redemption | Trinity | 3 | Light ale brewed with 3 malts and 3 hops. Generously late hopped giving Seville Orange aromas, and brewed with plenty of malt to produce a good body for a low strength beer. [★Beer Monkey's Pick — so good it just keeps winning awards!★] |
| Redemption | Urban Dusk | 4.6 | Chestnut coloured premium bitter with malts providing coffee aromas and some hazelnut and caramel on the palate while bramling cross hops offer some dark fruit flavours. |
| Revolutions | Cool for Cats | 4.5 | A coffee porter described as Yummy! That’s all we know other than that it is a collaboration brew with Brass Castle Brewery |
| Son of Sid | Muck Cart Mild | 3.6 | Black mild with a resounding roast malt presence and a caramel background in aroma and taste. Champion beer of Britain bronze medal winner in the mild category this year. LocAle |
| Spire | Coal Porter | 4.5 | A smooth dark beer combining coffee and bitter chocolate, becoming increasingly dry, leading to a bitter finish and aftertaste. |
| Stringers | Plan B | 3.7 | This gluten-free ale is an easy-drinking, zingy, pale thirst quencher. |
| Summer Wine | Diablo IPA | 6 | Huge tropical flavours & aromas punctuate; mango, lychee & papaya fruits abound; with notes of resinous pine leading to a lasting bitterness. Our Beer of the Festival in 2011. |
| Summer Wine | Resistance | 3.7 | Notes of caramel, cocoa and soft roast flavours combine with a light fruityness zipping throughout. |
| Tiny Rebel | Dirty Stop Out | 5 | Smoked oat stout that has all characteristics of a heavy night out – complex, dark, with hints of smokiness and perfume aromas. |
| Tollgate | Stand & Deliver | 3.9 | Traditional session bitter; medium malts with a smooth finish. |
| Unseen University | Bugarup Blonde | 4 | A light refreshing blonde ale with a delicate bitterness making this a truly quaffable beer. Brewed at Brentwood Brewery. [★Beer Monkey's Pick — I'm a massive discworld fan!★] |
| Verulam | Citra Hit | 4.6 | Pale ale with big US West Coast hop character throughout. Luton 2011 Beer of the Festival. LocAle |
| Whim | Flower Power | 5.3 | A flowery hop aroma, citrus with mild spice on the palate and a dry, bitter finish. |
| Whim | Hartington Bitter | 4 | A dry finish with a spicy, floral aroma. |
| White Horse | Bitter | 3.7 | Golden bitter, well-hopped with with locally grown Challenger hops leading to a clean, fruity finish. |
| Wibblers | Crafty Stoat | 5.3 | With six different types of malt and a huge amount of English Fuggles hops this is a dark and complex recreation of the stout brewed by Ushers Brewery back in 1885. |
| Windsor & Eton | Kohinoor | 4.5 | An Indies Pale Ale, using Imperial Malt, Chinook, Simcoe and Pacific Jade hops. Light, dry bitter taste with jaggery sugar, jasmine petals, cardamom and coriander balancing the lemony hop character. |
| XT | XT3 | 4.2 | An IPA style beer made with lots of Celeia, Columbus and Cluster Hops, on Vienna malts. |
| XT | XT5 (in oak) | 5.5 | Conditioned in and served from an oak cask. Big biscuity malt base with lots of dark fruit flavoured American hops on top and ‘to go’. [★Beer Monkey's Pick — OAK!★] |
| XT | XT8 | 4.5 | A smooth rich dark beer brewed with a careful blend of four malts along with a cocktail of hops to give a complex taste. Deep malty base with dark roasty chocolate flavours, very balanced beer. |
Cider & Perry
We have an interesting cider & perry list as usual. Our trained up committee “cider experts” > Gill & Kat have gone through the bulk suppliers lists and picked some stunners. We have 18 in total, half from local producers (Apple Cottage, Millwhites, Glebe Farm), 4 perries, and interestingly 3 rum cask aged ciders. [Beer Monkey: I'm really looking forward to the latter!]
Download the Letchworth Beer Festival app for Android.
| Producer | Name | ABV | Cider/Perry | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naish's | Chant Cider – 'Badger's Spit' | 6 | cider | Soft, unpretentious, great cider |
| East Stour | Cider | 6 | cider | Beautifully-crafted, crisp apple flavour |
| Polgoon Vineyard | Cider | 5 | cider | Smooooth – drinking does not get easier than this |
| Apple Cottage | Discovery | 6.2 | cider | Single apple variety cider |
| Apple Cottage | FTJ | 6.7 | cider | This cider is made from local orchards around Baldock using a variety of apples, there are no chemical additives in our products. Slow fermentation keeps all the natural flavours to this fruity cider, smooth, sweet with plenty of flavour, a popular favourite with many of our local customers. It has also had a trip to the Great British Beer Festival 2011. Also won this year's Cambridge Cider of the Festival! |
| Millwhites | Hedge Layer | 4.8 | cider | |
| Millwhites | Mixed Scrumpy | 6.5 | cider | |
| Apple Cottage | Old Albanian | 6.8 | cider | |
| Millwhites | Rioja Cask | 6.7 | cider | Aged in rjoja casks |
| Apple Cottage | Rum Cask | 6.8 | cider | Aged in rum casks |
| Glebe Farm | SIDE-R | 6.5 | cider | A "real" still Cider produced from fully fermented apple juice. Made from only Cambridgeshire grown apples. Golden straw coloured it is very pure, crisp and dry, but watch out – it's stronger than it tastes! |
| Glebe Farm | SIDE-R | cider | Using fully fermented apple juice and then sweetening with nothing but apple juice. No other sweeteners are used. The Cider and the juice comes only from Cambridgeshire grown apples. A cloudy, "Scrumpy" style Cider with very pure flavours that do not hint of its strength! | |
| Wiscombe | Suicider Cider | 8 | cider | A rum-casked offering; "It's bin the ruin of many a young man…" |
| Hecks | Varietal Cider – Port Wine | 6.5 | cider | Port Wine of Glastonbury cider apples in oak. Using a vintage apple variety – fruity, flavourful cider |
| Double Vision | Impeared Vision | 7.4 | perry | Seriously quaffable, silky smooth |
| Troggi | Perry | 6.4 | perry | Beautifully dry with a crisp, appealing sourness – from Wales |
| Oakwood Farm | Perry | 5 | perry | A beautiful sourness softened by the rum. |
| Severn Cider | Perry | 6.4 | perry | Must be a favourite as it's quite difficult to get hold of- it always sells out. |
Foreign Beer (Bottled & Keg)
We always try to have a great foreign beer lists – as variety is the spice of life. Malcolm, our “foreign muck” man has done another excellent job sourcing the beers on this list. For the first time we have beers all the way from the USA – two Rogues.
Download the Letchworth Beer Festival app for Android.
Bottles
TBC
Keg
Not all will be on at once as we have just 10 keg fonts!
- Belgium: Duvel Moortgat, Duvel Single (6.8%)
- Belgium: Brasserie D’Ecaussinnes, Ultramour – Fruits of the Forest (5.0%)
- Belgium: Brasserie Dupont, Moinette Blonde (8.5%)
- Belgium: Brasserie Dupont, Saison Dupont (6.5%)
- Belgium: Brouwerij De Koninck (Duvel-Moortgat), De Koninck Amber (5.0%)
- Belgium: Brouwerij Het Anker, Gouden Carolus Classic (8.5%)
- Belgium: Brouwerij Het Anker, Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor (8.0%)
- Belgium: Liefmans, Cuvée Brut (Kriekbier) (6%)
- Belgium: Timmermans, Kriek (4%)
- Germany: Küppers Kölsch Brauerei, Küppers Kölsch (4.8%)
- USA: Rogue, Chatoe Rogue OREgasmic Ale (7.0%)
- USA: Rogue, Chocolate Stout (6.5%)
Food
Food will be available on-site provided by our hosts the Letchworth Green House. Options will include:
- Selection of Caribbean and Indian finger food.
- Cold food/sandwiches etc.
- Burgers, sausages, etc.
- Fish & Chips to order [sharply delivered from around the corner!]
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