Cambridge Winter Ale Festival 2000 - Beers

This is the list of beers as arrived on 11th January.

Beer descriptions are mainly from the Good Beer Guide 2000 but there are relatively few of them this time as so many beers are one-offs.

Star ratings are from the 1998 East Anglian Beer Star Ratings of the region's regularly-brewed beers, so occasionals, one-offs and more recent beers have no rating.

To survive these breweries need outlets. In the current state of turmoil in the pubs industry, the big players are increasingly squeezing out interesting, high-quality beers in favour of a limited range of mass-produced, cheap-to-make and strongly-branded national brews.

CAMRA campaigns for all pubs to be allowed a guest beer - one freely chosen by the publican. This would allow smaller breweries a fair crack at the market and promote real consumer choice.

Bartrams, Thurston, 1999

Bees Knees 4.2%

Flavoured with honey and coriander; very popular at recent festivals.

Jester Quick One 4.4%

Millennium Monster Mash 6.5%

A graveyard smash?

Brettvale Brewery, Bildeston, 1997

Y2K 4.5%

Dark Vader 5.4%

Buffy's, Tivetshall St Mary, 1993

Hop Leaf 4.5%

Made with lager malt.

Hollybeery 5.9%

Winter seasonal.

City of Cambridge, 1997

Parker's Porter 5.3%

Rich, smooth and very drinkable.

Millennium Ale 6.0%

Cox & Holbrook, Gt. Finborough, 1998

East Anglia Pale Ale 4.8%

Prentice Exporter 6.8%

Earl Soham, 1984

Sir Roger's Porter 4.1%

Full-flavoured dark brown malty beer with bitter overtones and a fruity aftertaste.

Jolabrugg 5.0%

The Christmas seasonal.

Elgood, Wisbech, 1799

Black Dog Mild 3.6% *****

Well-balanced, black dry mild with roast malt and fruit in the mouth and a dry finish. It keeps winning prizes!

Bitter End 5.0%

Millennium special.

Wenceslas Winter Warmer 7.5%

The December seasonal.

Fenland, Chatteris, 1997

Straw Bear 2000 4.5%

Rudolph's Rocket Fuel 5.5%

Strong, pungent ginger spice dominates the aroma and taste of this warming winter brew. There is also fruit, cinnamon and a hint of roast malt in the mouth but a surprisingly restrained, bitter-sweet finish.

Humpty Dumpty, Reedham, 1999

Little Sharpie 3.8%

"10-25" 5.0%

Iceni, Ickburgh, 1995

Triple Zero 4.5%

Winter Lightning 5.0%

Lidstones, Wickhambrook, 1998

Prime Meridian 4.5%

Millennium special.

Old Ale 6.0%

Mauldon, Sudbury, 1982

Millennium Yawn 4.0%

A bitter.

Ten Percent 10.0%

Milton, 1999

Minotaur 3.3%

Rich from the chocolate malt, with loads of character.

Mammon 7.0%

Millennium special: rich and satisfying. It's been very popular as a guest beer in pubs.

Nethergate, Clare, 1986

Umbel Magna 5.0% *****

A coriander variant of Old Growler, made to a 1750s recipe and resulting in a distinctive, spicy dark beer.

Domesday Ale 4.5%

Millennium special.

Oakham, Peterborough, 1993

Raucous Reindeer 4.0%

Cold Turkey 6.3%

A tasty, complex beer.

Old Chimneys, Market Weston, 1995

Stuff the Millennium 4.0%

A light bitter Millennium special.

Winter Cloving 7.5%

Winter seasonal.

Potton, 1998

The Village Bike 4.3%

A complex, fruity taste featuring four hop varieties.

Milleni-ale 5.0%

Tindall, Ditchingham, 1998

Christmas Cheers 4.0%

(Tindall Ale Extra 4.5% - didn't arrive)

Tolly Cobbold, Ipswich, 1723

Cobbolds IPA 4.2% ***

A best bitter, full of citrus fruit flavours and flowery hoppiness.

Old Strong 5.0% ****

A dark winter ale with plenty of roast character throughout. Lingering and complex aftertaste.

Wolf, Attleborough, 1996

News Hound 2000 4.5%

Woild Moild 4.8%

Dark, rich & fruity. Runner up to Elgood's Black Dog Mild as Champion Beer of the 1998 Peterborough Beer Festival.

Woodfordes, Woodbastwick, 1980

Kett's Rebellion 3.6%

Norfolk Nog 4.6% *****

A full-bodied ale with an unusual blend of fruit, roast and malt flavours. Deep ruby red in colour with a dry bitter finish.