ALE Summer 2001 No. 303

28th Cambridge Beer Festival

In case you happened not to notice it, this year's Cambridge Beer Festival was held at the new site of Jesus Green. And unlike last year, it didn't rain once! Quite the opposite, in fact: the excellent weather, combined with greater prominence, really attracted the crowds. It was a record festival, with attendance - and sales - up 50% over last year. This did rather catch the organisers out, so we apologies for anyone who had to queue too long to get in or get a glass.

Even by Tuesday it was clear that the fine weather would lead to a record turn-out, so beer and cider reorders started. We had extra deliveries on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Our thanks go especially to City of Cambridge and Milton Breweries, Bacchanalia and Jim Cassels for resupplying so much so quickly! In all the Festival featured 171 different real ales from 65 breweries, as well as all the cider and foreign beer. (The full list of beers, including the extras)

Again, we thank our sponsors: Cambridge News, Plextek, Geneva Technology [now Convergys], the Cambridge Cheese Company, Bacchanalia and especially the City Council.

We also thank our dedicated team of volunteers, especially for the heroic efforts at set-up and clear-away. (We always need more, though!)

In spite of the high turnout, few people used the voting form in the programme this year, so there were a lot of ties for champion beers.

Congratulations to the joint Overall Champions, Rockingham - Dark Forest and Lidstone - Oat Stout.

Full results: 28th Cambridge Beer Festival - Champion Beers and Cider.

ALE Summer 2001 No. 303 : Next section
Cambridge & District CAMRA