Portsea Island Beer Festival (2012)

...an afternoon of unrestrained bucolic'ness on Saturday afternoon as yet again it was time to visit the annual Portsea Island Beer Festival [clicky]

...the brother in law and I decided we would cycle as this is a fantastic route with a sea voyage half way through - route is as follows, lovely sunny day, but previous rain had made the cycle path up the side of Hayling a little glutinous on places....

Cycle route..  15 miles each way - didn't even feel the second 15 miles.... 

..the festival was hosted yet again in the truly lovely Groundlings Theatre [clicky] (just opposite HMS Warrior and just across the way from HMS Victory) in their upstairs theatre room.... I love the ceiling in this room, but I especially like the ambience, and the architectural details....  this is an old, old, building - the walls are held in place by huge tie straps......  this is the room (I think) where Mrs Dickens allegedly went into labour with Charles while attending a Christmas Ball ...

I sat against the wall just over there on the left under the picture...

Superb choice of ales totally dominated for me by my (current) no. 1 beer of all time....  but in order of preference I tried and like the following.....

1. RCH "Pitchfork" [clicky]- 4.3% - hugely bitter finish, with a slightly floral taste (Goldings hops I think) - I could sit and drink this all day and not get bored.....  providing I had a ready supply of pork pies, peanuts, and good reading material...  oh, and an occasional cigar......
2. Dark Star "Hop Head" [clicky] - 3.8% - huge flavour and tastiness - bats way above it's strength
3. Dark Star "Revelation" [clicky] - 5.7% - the one and only strong beer of the afternoon - packed full of slightly sweet, resinous, bittery'loveliness...  nice beer but you couldn't drink much!
4. Liverpool Organic Brewery "Cascade" [clicky] - 3.8% - a very fresh, tasty, session beer - golden and hoppy..  A  very nice beer from a brewery I'd not come across before I had a chat with a fellow attendee in the garden outside, while having a cigar... that's what I like about beer festivals - total strangers will share their favourite beer with you....  (literally, in this case, as the fellow handed over his glass with an imprecation to "try that!" 😀)
5.  Liverpool Organic Brewery "Pale Ale" [clicky] - 4.1% - buoyed up by the success of no. 4 I also tried this one from the same brewery - also very nice - slightly more floral, but equally bitter - very nice..  I look forward to trying more beers from this brewery

A good trip back - I didn't even feel the second 15 miles - but with 30 minutes to spare before the ferry left we had time to stop off for a swift half at the Sirloin of Beef where the Titanic Brewery "Plum Porter" [clicky] was as exceptional as we remembered it from last time - result!

No accidents this time - bro in law or I usually fall off at some point in time on the return trip, but I think we're getting more mature as both of us have made it home unscathed the last two times...  no surprises that I slept well..!