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Pub Guide

Opening Times

Issue 137 Winter 2008

 Download a copy as a PDF file - 1.1 MB

'BOOZE ON THE OUSE' GOES LOCAL

CAMRA’s ‘Booze on the Ouse’ beer festival in St Ives in September was one of the best ever with a record number of East Anglian brewers and cider makers.

More than half of the real ales ordered for the event were from East Anglia and fourteen were from within 25 miles of the Huntingdonshire area. There were also real draught ciders from new cider makers in Huntingdonshire, Cromwell Cider and Ouse Valley Cider, and for the first time at a ‘Booze on the Ouse’ festival since the 1980’s, real ale brewed in the branch area, from the new Son of Sid brewery at the Chequers in Little Gransden.

The local theme obviously appealed to local real ale lovers. 1,440 people, the best attendance for four years, enjoyed 3,830 pints of real ale, 470 pints of cider, and 750 bottles of foreign beer over the course of the event, from Thursday to Saturday.

The favourite real ale at the festival, as voted by those attending, was Triple FFF Altons Pride - crowned Champion Beer of Britain 2008 at CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival at Earls Court in August. A close second and third were Phoenix Wobbly Bob and Tipples Ginger.

Festival charity Magpas raised £600. To quote one contributor "never has giving to charity been more entertaining".

Congratulations to the winner of the Hunts Post competition, Mrs J L Harmes, who won a copy of the 2009 Good Beer Guide which was launched at the beer festival and was so delighted that she joined CAMRA at the festival along with her partner, Alan.

Congratulations also to local CAMRA member Robin Walters, who also won a 2009 Good Beer Guide in a draw for all those who completed a feedback form. Robin decided to give the guide as a present for his son’s 18th birthday.

Don’t forget to pub a note in your diary for the St Neots ‘Booze on the Ouse’ Beer Festival - 19th-21st March, 2009, at the Priory Centre, St Neots.