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London Drinker Beer & Cider Festival
Camden Centre, 16th to 18th March 2005
Once again March will see the London Drinker Beer & Cider Festival at the Camden Centre. Close to St Pancras and King's Cross Stations, the Festival is one of the easiest to get to in London.
This year the Festival is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar and what better way to honour the anniversary then with Britain‘s traditional drink, beer. During this battle Nelson lost his life but the British navy secured the supremacy of the seas for the rest of the century and ended any threat of invasion from France. So this year's London Drinker Beer and Cider Festival will be commemorating Nelson's victory with over 8000 pints of real ale, ciders, perries and imported beers, and will be inviting visitors to drink a pint or two to his memory and the 449 British sailors who lost their lives in the combat.
It is hoped to have a number of beers to suit the occasion including Nelson's Revenge by Woodforde's Brewery in Norfolk and Adnams Broadside from Suffolk alongside other East Anglian breweries such as Bedford's Charles Wells and beers from London breweries such as Fuller's, Grand Union, Battersea, Pitfield and Zero Degrees.
But like Nelson, the Festival is aware that victuals are important and so a range of food including two daily specials (one vegetarian) will be on sale every session. Although Nelson may recognise the sausages, one wonders what he would make of the onion bhajis! Nelson would also probably recognise the cider and perry but it is likely that he would be unaware of many of the good imported beers that are available to delight the taste buds. The Festival's imported beer bar will have the usual Belgian, Dutch and German regulars, such as Gueuze, Lambic, Witbier, honey, fruit, spiced and smoked beers. There will also be the black lager from Budweiser Budvar, which sold out early at the 2004 Great British Beer Festival. But drink is not the only entertainment. On Wednesday night there is the Breweriana Auction, starting around 7.30pm and there is a live band on Friday evening (Billy Chong's Blues Review). Thursday evening is the quiet night but at all times there is a Tombola and the Shut the Box; the latter is a sailor's game of skill where players can win a tee shirt. The balcony will be open in the evenings to provide extra seating for those who just want to sit and chat.
The 2005 Festival starts on Wednesday 16th March from noon until Friday 18th March and takes place at Camden Town Hall, Bidborough Street, WC1. Wheelchair users are particularly welcome at lunchtimes where accessibility around the hall is easier. See the web site for further details including the details on the beer range as they become available: www.camranorthlondon.org.uk
Reproduced from the Full Pint, Issue 29.
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