33rd Cambridge Beer Festival

We have again featured Cambridgeshire Beers by grouping them together on their own bar. We have included an East Anglian Bar again this year which also includes Hertfordshire.

Also this year we have a designated Irish Bar, featuring beers from the North and the South of Ireland. This bar also shows the diversity of beers brewed in the Island of Ireland - it's not just stout.

For the first time we feature three brewery bars featuring four beers. These bars will be staffed by people employed by the brewery, helped out by our own festival staff.

All the other beers are sited on the other two bars, North and South, roughly split on a line directly west of Cambridge.

Not every beer will be available during every session. If a cask end sign is on show (with a price showing), then the beer is on sale.

Descriptions of the beers are derived and adapted from various sources including the Good Beer Guide, Web sites, the breweries themselves and our cellar staff who ordered the beers.

The Good Beer Guide is on sale at our products stall (CAMRA members receive a discount) and is considered by many beer drinkers to be the Bible for British beer drinkers.

To help you select your beers we have included some points of interest including the brewery's location and the year it started production.

All Festival Specials are true brews and not mixes.

We would like to thank Charles Wells Brewery for sponsoring the beer list.

Last updated Mon 13-Mar-2006

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Brewery Bars

Charles Wells (Bedford, Bedfordshire) 1876

Eagle 3.6%

Summer Solstice 4.1%

Bombadier 4.3%

(Another beer)

Greene King (Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk) 1799

XX Mild 3.0%

IPA 3.6%

Ale Fresco 4.3%

Abbot 5.0%

Woodforde (Woodbastwick, Norfolk) 1981

Wherry 3.8%

Nelsons Revenge 4.0%

Great Eastern 4.3%

A golden, pale beer made with a blend of pale and lager malts, appealing to lager and bitter drinkers alike. First brewed to commemmorate 150 years of the Great Eastern Railway in Norfolk.

Norfolk Nog 4.6%

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Cambridgeshire Bar

Cambridge Moonshine (Cambridge) 2004

Red Watch 4.2%

Ruby coloured, rich fruity-tasting beer with malt undertones.

Nightwatch 4.8%

Black Hole Stout 5.0%

Its all Relative

Festival Special.

City of Cambridge (Chittering, Cambridgeshire) 1997

Jet Black 3.7%

A unique-style Black Beer, mild but full in flavour and body. 1998 Champion Beer at this festival. Chocolate roast mild and mellow taste with hints of nuts and roast barley.

Rutherfords IPA 3.8%

Hobsons Choice 4.1%

A light golden bitter with a refreshing bitter aftertaste. Winner of many awards, including Champion Beer at the 24th Cambridge Beer Festival in 1997.

Darwins Downfall 5.0%

Evolution ?%

Festival Special.

Elgood (Wisbech, Cambridgeshire) 1795

Black Dog 3.7%

Golden Newt 4.1%

Pageant 4.3%

Winter Warmer 7.3%

Festival Stout

Fenland (Chatteris) 1997

St Audreys 3.8%

Tumbledown Dick 4.0%

Smoke Stack Lightning 4.2%

Sparkling Wit 4.2%

Doctor's Orders 5.0%

Hereward (Ely, Cambridgeshire) 2003

Porta Porter 4.0%

Full-bodied full-flavoured malty beer with chocolate roast notes throughout. Named after the entrance to the old Ely monastery.

St Ethelreda's Golden Bitter 4.0%

Festival Special

Milton (Milton, Cambridgeshire) 1999

Minotaur 3.3%

A rich dark mild with bags of character from the lavish use of chocolate malt.

Neptune 3.8%

Electra 4.0%

Pegasus 4.2%

Festival IPA 5.5is%

Oakham (Peterborough, Cambridgeshire) 1993

(moved 1998)

JHB 3.8%

Delightful, thirst quenching, straw-coloured brew with a distinctive, fresh, floral and grassy hop character on the nose and palate. Multi-award-winning hoppy ale, with some fruitiness and a dry finish.

White Dwarf 4.3%

Bishops Farewell 4.6%

Harlequin 4.9%

Bitter with citrus fruit notes and a lingering bitter finish. Dangerously drinkable.

Mompessons Gold 5.0%

Ufford (The White Hart, Ufford, Cambridgeshire) 2005 *

Idle Hour 3.9%

Seasonal 4.4.0%

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East Anglian Bar

Adnams (Southwold, Suffolk) 1890

Explorer 4.3%

A hoppy bitter with a dry finish.

Broadside 4.7%

Tally Ho 7.0%

B&T (Shefford, Bedfordshire) 1981

Dragonslayer 4.0%

Straw coloured bitter; slight hop notes with malt undertones.

Edwin Taylor Stout 4.0%

Banfield (Royston, Hertfordshire) 2005

Festival Special 4.1%

Blackfriars (Great Yarmouth, Norfolk) 2005

Syngnus 4.0%

Brandon (Brandon, Suffolk) 2005

Royal Ginger 4.1%

Bull Box

(A Beer)

Chalk Hill (The Coach & Horses, Norwich) 1993 *

Flintknappers Mild 5.0%

A fruity aroma leads to a soft, malty flavour with some hints of roast; longish, bitter finish. Dark ruby-red in colour. A rich sweet-tasting mild.

Old Tackle 5.6%

Crouch Vale (South Woodham Ferrers, Essex) 1981

Brewers Gold 4.0%

Fat Cat (The Wherry, Norwich) 2005 *

Fat Cat Bitter 3.8%

Felstar (Felstead Vineyards, Crix Green, Felstead, Essex) 2001

Black Lager 5.0%

Fox (Fox & Hounds, Heacham, Hunstanton, Norfolk) 2002

Beagle

Festival Special.

Front Street (Binham, Fakenham, Norfolk) 2005

Norfolk Spring 4.2%

Green Tye (Much Hadham, Hertfordshire)

Union Jack 3.6%

Iceni (Ickburgh, Norfolk) 1995

Cranberry Wheat 4.0%

Festival Special 4.2%

Raspberry Wheat 5.0%

An American style ale, delicately flavoured with summer fruits; made with Harsbrucker hops and wheat and lager malt.

Maldon (Blue Boar Hotel, Maldon, Essex) 2002

Puck's Folly 5.0%

Mauldon (Sudbury, Suffolk) 1982

Oktoberfest 5.0%

McMullen

Pride of Lions 4.0%

Mersea Island (East Mersea, Colchester, Essex) 2005

Skippers Bitter 4.8%

Mighty Oak (Maldon, Essex) 1996

Oscar Wilde Mild 3.7%

A wonderfully mellow, moreish dark mild. Brewed using Maris Otter, Pale Crystal and Black malts and gently hopped with Challenger. Beer of the Festival at Ongar 1999.

Maldon Gold 3.8%

Nethergate (Pentlow, Essex) 1986

Priory Mild 3.5%

Distinctive, full-flavoured, very dark mild. Pronounced lingering roast and dry hop aftertaste.

Umbel Ale 3.8%

Old Chimneys (Market Weston, Diss, Norfolk) 1995

Golden Pheasant 4.5%

Strong pale summer bitter, dry hopped with English Goldings.

Old Stables (The Sir William Peel, Sandy, Bedfordshire) 2002

Palomino Pale Ale 4.2%

A crisp, refreshing beer with citrus flavours and a hint of peaches, leading to a long bitter finish.

Oulton (Lowestoft, Suffolk) 1993

Against the Grain 4.0%

Sunrise 4.8%

Oulton (Lowestoft, Suffolk) 1993

Black Cormorant Porter 5.2%

Potton (Potton, Bedfordshire) 1998

Dumb Blonde 4.1%

Village Bike 4.3%

Saffron Brewery

(A beer)

St Peters (South Elmham, Bungay, Suffolk) 1996

Mild 3.7%

Tring (Tring, Hertfordshire) 1992

Pelham Dragon 4.0%

Why Not

Cavalier Red 4.7%

Wolf (Attleborough, Norfolk) 1996

Straw Dog Weiss 4.0%

Granny Wouldn't Like It 4.8%

Yetmans

Green 4.6%

Black

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Irish Bay

College Green (Belfast)

Headless Dog 4.2%

Molly's Chocolate Stout 4.3%

Franciscan Well (Cork) 1998 *

Rebel Red 4.3%

Shandon Stout 4.3%

Hilden (Lisburn, County Antrim) 1981

Ale 4.0%

Molly Malone Ale 4.6%

Maguire

Plain Stout 4.0%

Haus 4.3%

Whitewater (Kilkeel, Newry, County Down) 1996

Crown & Glory 4.0%

Dappled Mare 4.3%

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North Bar

Bateman (Wainfleet, Lincolnshire) 1874

Valiant 4.3%

Beartown (Congleton, Cheshire)

Wheat Bear 5.0%

Boggart Hole Clough (Moston, Manchester) 2001

Festival Special 4.3%

Bragdy Bryn Cyf

Cwrw Bryn 4.0%

Brains (Cardiff) 1882

Dark 4.0%

Breconshire (Brecon, Powys) 2002

Red Dragon 4.7%

Bullmastiff (Cardiff, Glamorgan) 1987

Son of a Bitch 6.0%

Bushy

Old Piston Brew 4.0%

Cairngorm (Aviemore, Scottish Highlands) 1997

Black Gold 4.4%

Caledonian (Edinburgh) 1869

Deuchers IPA 3.8%

Porter 4.1%

Cerigadridion

Spirit of the Forest 3.8%

Red Kite 4.3%

Everards (Narborough, Leicestershire) 1849

Beacon 4.0%

Svengal Tiger 4.0%

Fuglestou

Bohemian Pilsner 5.0%

George Wright

Roman Black Winter Beer 4.8%

Grainstore (Oakham, Rutland) 1995

Rutland Panther 3.4%

Hop Star

Smokey Joe's Black Beer 4.0%

WHAC (We've had a Convoy) 4.0%

Festival Special.

Isle of Mull

Isle of tobermorie 4.8%

Lees

G B Mild 3.5%

Little Valley

Hebdens Wheat 4.0%

Marble

Ginger 4.0%

Mayflower

Dandelion & Burdock 4.0%

Moor (Bridgwater, Somerset) 1996

Black Cat 3.4%

Pride of Pendle 4.3%

Newby Wyke (Little Bytham, Lincolnshire) 1998

Kingston Topaz 4.2%

Black Funnel Mild 5.0%

Plassey (Eyton, Wrexham) 1985

Cwrw Hughes 20,000 4.0%

Prestonpans

Heavy 3.7%

Brewed for festival; a genuine Heavy.

Robinsons (Stockport, Cheshire) 1838

Old Tom 8.50%

Sarah Hughes (Sedgley, West Midlands) 1987

Dark Ruby Mild 6.0%

William Bros

Grozet 4.0%

Heather 4.1%

Willy's (Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire) 1989

Weiss Buoy 5.0%

Woodlands

Midnight Stout 5.0%

Wye Valley (Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire) 1985

Dorothy Goodbody's Wholesome Stout 4.6%

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South Bar

1648 Brewery

Honey Beer 4.0%

Archers (Swindon, Wiltshire) 1979

Lager 4.0%

Strong Mild 5.0%

Arkells

3B 4.0%

Ballards (Petersfield, Hampshire) 1980

Midhurst Mild 4.0%

Butts (Great Shefford, Berkshire) 1994

Blackguard Porter 4.0%

Chiltern

Three Hundred Old Ale 4.9%

Custom

Festival Mild 4.8%

Dark Star (Haywards Heath, Sussex) 1995

Landlords Wit 4.1%

Freeminer (Whimsey, Gloucestershire) 1992

Slaughter Porter 5.0%

Frog Island (Northampton) 1994

Fire Bellied Toad 5.0%

Fullers (Chiswick, London) 1845

Discovery 4.0%

Golden Pride 8.5%

Goffs (Winchcombe, Gloucestershire) 1994

Jouster 4-0%

Grand Union (Hayes, Middlesex) 2002

Honey Porter 4.9%

Great Oakley (Great Oakley, Corby, Northamptonshire) 2005

Festival Special

Hobdens

Merry Mink 4.2%

Hogs Back (Tongham, Surrey) 1992

New beer 3.5%

Loddon (Dunsten, Oxfordshire) 2003

Finns Premium Stout 4.2%

Malvern Hills

Priessnitz Plzen 4.3%

Moor (Bridgwater, Somerset) 1996

Merlins Magic 4.3%

North Cotswold

Pigbrook 3.9%

Mayfair 4.1%

Organic

Hazlenphron Gold 3.6%

Pilgrim

Saracen Stout 5.0%

Randall (St Peters Port, Guernsey) 1868

Cynful 3.5%

Wicked 4.0%

Rockingham (Blatherwyke, Northamptonshire) 1997

Terrific Pacific 4.1%

Golden Dragon 4.3%

Sharp's

Own 4.0%

Skinners (Truro, Cornwall) 1997

Betty Stogs 4.0%

Stonehenge (Netheravon, Wiltshire) 1984

Pigswill 4.0%

Summerskills

Whistle Belly 4.7%

Triple FFF (Alton, Hampshire) 1997

Pressed Rat & Warthog 3.8%

Wadworth

Summersault 4.0%

Whitstable

Raspberry Wheat 5.2%

Zero Degrees

Black Lager 4.0%

Raspberry 4.0%

175 beers