Hawkshead Summer Beer Festival

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Just back from a mammoth two-day stint at Hawkshead Brewery‘s Summer Beer Fest. Time is extremely tight as we do a quick turnaround for tomorrows jaunt across the Channel, but I couldn’t let the moment pass and miss the opportunity to pass the praise this event deserves and to post a few photographs to give you a flavour of what you missed.

There was something here for everyone, a fantastic well thought out beer list set across three bars, with food and entertainment served up in the open central courtyard. The weather was kind to us too, with dry sunny weather being the order of the day making an afternoons drinking extremely pleasant in idyllic surroundings.

Top three beers for me were the Marble-Hawkshead collab Little Evelyn available on cask and keg, Hawkshead’s always awesome NZPA and the absolutely superb whisky barrel aged Brodies Prime making a triple podium finish for the boys from Staveley. That in itself is a measure of how good this festival was with the home brewery pulling out the stops to get something special on the bars.

Further top marks for the inclusion of a keg bar, YES you read that correctly a KEG BAR at a festival, with FREE entry too, how novel..

We had a thoroughly enjoyable couple of days in the company of some great people to numerous to mention, but you know who you are.

A little stunner

NON-NOM-NOM-NOM-NOM!!

Hmmm a keg bar and wait, doesn’t that bloke work..at..

Stupendous beer list, with directions on where to find it

A member of the Lymestone Brewery Fan Club

The emporium of NOM

Brodies Prime sausage with lashings of fried onions and chilli sauce, washed down with Hawkshead Damson and Vanilla Stout..

This should read Phils BAR. Mmmmmm KEG

Cheers guys!

UPDATE: See further reviews of this great festival from Nick at The Beer Prole here and Andy from Beer Reviews here.

18 thoughts on “Hawkshead Summer Beer Festival”

  1. Personally I thought the keg Magic Rock Clown Juice was one of the best beers there and also one of the best new wave keg beers I’ve had in a very long time. The cask range was superb and as you say the Brodie’s Prime Reserve was something of a triumph.

    Reply ↓

    • Clown Juice was gorgeous John, I wholeheartedly agree, there were so many great beers all were up there to be honest. Keg Jaipur was a turn up too, after a period in the cask doldrums.

      Just goes to show how cask and keg can sit in harmony and even enhance each other, some day all festivals will be set up this way. (fingers crossed)

      Cheers

      Reply ↓

  2. Nice write up/photos. Agree with you on two of your best three, but didnt try the Brodies Prime. I think the Kernel IPA would have been my third pick, so that’s two kegs out of three. How times change.

    Great event, excellent selection, plenty of space, and I would put a word in for the excellent More? the artisan bakery next door too!

    Reply ↓

    • Second that about More! I usually have a coffeee and sandwich there before the festival opens as well as buying a loaf to take home and a couple of small pies for the festival itself.

      Reply ↓

    • Both the Kernel beers were very good I’d agree and great to see them North of Watford Gap.

      I didn’t get to More although a few folks around me did, so good shout there as it all looked and smelled great. I kept going back for Brodies sausages 😉

      Reply ↓

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