Great British Beer Festival 2008

In August, some 35 beer enthusiasts from across the pubs visited Olympia for the Great British Beer Festival. 450 real ales and ciders were on show, so in the interests of maximum bang for our buck, we approached the task in the manner of a military exercise.

We split into teams of four, each with a leader who was tasked with keeping things on the straight and narrow, and collating and recording results from the tastings. We split the show into different groups of stands, and drew out of a hat which team was exploring which group of stands. We met up back at a briefing room some two hours later to post results onto a blackboard and swap notes. Later in the day our brave beer delegates were free to ramble at will and explore their own agendas.

Here are the results from the day, arranged alphabetically: different teams made their own notes, hence the varying content in terms of comment and scores.

Brewery	Beer name	ABV	Region	Description in guide	Comment	Score
Acorn	Summer Pale	4.1%	South Yorkshire	Dark amber beer with a very dry aroma and slightly malty finish.	Pale.	7 plus
Allendale	Black Grouse	4.0%	Northumberland	Dark porter style with hints of coffee and chocolate with an aged oak aroma.	Dark Porter.	7.5
Black Isle	Yellow Hammer	4.0%	Scotland	Fruity and hoppy summer ale; citrus fruit, hops with some caramel on nose; hoppy taste with bitter edge and underlying sweetness.
Cains	IPA	3.5%	Merseyside	Light full flavoured session beer with subtle hop aroma.	Excellent quaffer.	8
Cains	Finest Bitter	4.0%	Merseyside	Sweetish malty bitter, with hints of roast caramel, blackcurrant and malt aroma. The hops give a dry bitter after taste.	Chocolate and nuts.	7
Cains	2008 Culture Beer	5.0%	Merseyside	Pale coloured bitter with a citrus hop character and subtle hints of malt and fruit in the aroma and taste.	Excellent special for this year.	8
Dark Star	Hophead	3.8%	West Sussex	Clean-drinking pale gold coloured ale with strong floral aroma and elderflower notes. Full bodied, quaffable and dry.
Dark Star	Espresso	4.2%	West Sussex	Dark stout brewed with roasted barley malt and Challenger hops, with freshly ground espresso coffee beans added to the copper for a few minutes to provide a rich aroma.
Dunham Massey	Chocolate Cherry Mild	?	Gt Manchester	Dark mild with hint of dry cherry that cuts through aroma and taste.	Fruity beer - split the group.
Everards	Tiger Best	4.2%	Leicestershire	Mid-brown, well balanced best bitter made for broad appeal with a long bitter-sweet finish.
Fullers	Discovery	3.9%	London	Blonde beer bursting with rich biscuity flavours; a zesty character and fruity bite combine with gentle bitterness.		8
Fullers	Gales Festival Mild	4.8%	London	Almost black with slight red tinge. This classic mild has a fruity aroma, a sweet fruity and malty taste with a sweetish aftertaste.		8
Grain Store	Rutland Panther	3.4%	Rutland	Reddish black mild, punching above its weight with malt and roast flavours. A brew that can match a stout for its intensity.	Dark.	7 plus
Greene King	St Edmunds Ale	4.2%	Suffolk	Pale bronze with intensely fruity aroma, tasting of malt, fruit and gently bitter peppery hops with complex fruit and a hoppy finish.	Might tempt a few lager drinkers.	7
Greene King	Abbot Reserve	6.5%	Suffolk	Premium ale: mahogany, rich amber colour; roasted ripe berry fruits nose; mature bitter sweet taste.	Strong amber colour. Couple of pints at best. Wobbly Bob of Abbot world.
Harveys	Sussex Best	4.0%	East Sussex	Full-bodied brown bitter with a hoppy aroma, which leads to a good malt and hop balance and a dry aftertaste.	Top session ale.
Harviestoun	Bitter & Twisted	3.8%	Scotland	Golden session beer, refreshingly hoppy with fruit throughout, a bitter-sweet taste and long bitter finish.	Top 3 of this group.
Hebridean	Berserker Export Pale Ale	7.5%	Scotland	Brewed from traditional 19thC recipe. Matured to develop a smooth intricate flavour.		7.5
Hogs Back	TEA	4.2%	Surrey	Pale brown bitter with malt and hops prominent. Well rounded bitter flavour balanced by fruit and some sweetness.		8
Hogs Back	Hop Garden Gold	4.6%	Surrey	Pale gold best bitter with an aroma of malt, hops and fruit; citrus flavours are balanced by malt and fruit; hoppy bitterness in the aftertaste with a hint of sweetness.		7
Kelburn	Goldihops	3.8%	Scotland	Well hopped session ale with a fruity taste and a bitter-sweet finish.	Top 3 of this group.
Marstons	Cumberland Jennings	4.0%	West Midlands	A creamy amber-gold malty ale with balancing hoppiness.
Marstons	Jennings Cockerhoop	4.6%	West Midlands	Rich, creamy, copper coloured beer with a developing bitterness towards the end.
Marstons	Old Empire IPA	5.7%	West Midlands	An old-style IPA - brewed stronger and hoppier than the modern IPAs we are used to.		7
Mighty Oak	Oscar Wilde Mild	3.7%	Essex	Roasty dark mild with suggestions of forest fruits and dark chocolate. The sweetness yields to a more bitter finish.
Oldershaw	High Dyke	3.9%	Lincolnshire	Golden and moderately bitter, a predominately hoppy session beer.	Pale.	7 plus
Orkney	Dark Island	4.6%	Orkney	Full-bodied and well balanced with roast malt, fruit and caramel.	Hints of wet ashtray.	8
Pictish	Alchemist	4.3%	Lancashire	Yellow beer with generous hop and fruit on the nose and palate followed by good bitter hop finish.
Pitfield	Eco Warrior	4.5%	Essex	Pale golden beer with a hoppy citrus aroma and flavour that is balanced by some sweetness and a developing bitterness.
Purity	Pure Gold	3.8%	Warwickshire	Refreshing golden ale made with two malts and four hops to create an easy drinking beer with a dry and bitter finish.
Purple Moose	Dark Side of The Moose	4.6%	Gwynedd - Wales	Dark ale with deep malt flavour and fruity bitterness.		7.5
Purple Moose	Tryfan	4.8%	Gwynedd - Wales	Strong but refreshing full-bodied golden beer with distinctive bitterness from NZ green bullet hops.	Top 3 of this group.	9
Robinsons	Dizzy Blonde	3.8%	Cheshire	Straw coloured with distinctly perfumed aroma; crisp, zesty and refreshing.
Sharps	Doom Bar	4.0%	Cornwall	Session bitter with faint flowery aroma and moderately fruity, malty taste with a long finish.	Say no more.
Sharps	Atlantic IPA	4.2%	Cornwall	Pale beer with citrusy hop charcter underpinned by typical Sharp's fruity character with refreshing crisp mouthfeel.	Nice session beer. Good for lager drinkers.
Slaters	Top Totty	4.0%	Staffordshire	Pale yellow bitter with hoppy and fruity aroma; the tangy dry lemon finish follows a balanced taste of hops and fruit.		7
Stonehouse	Cambrian Gold	4.2%	Shropshire	Deep golden fruity beer with a subtle dry finish just right for a warm sunny day.	A really great, must try beer.	8.5
The Fine Ale Club	Against The Grain	4.5%	Brewed by Wold Top - East Yorkshire	Gluten free beer - no nonsense, easy drinking session ale, smooth and creamy with a good head, lemony citrus flavour and dry aftertaste with hoppiness in the finish.
Theakston	Grouse Beater	4.2%	North Yorkshire	Golden, mid gravity bitter with initial sweetness balanced with moderate hoppiness. Dry hopped fuggles to give delicate aroma with subtle hint of moorland berry.	Unusual blackcurrant beer.	8
Theakston	Old Peculiar	5.6%	North Yorkshire	Full-bodied dark brown strong ale, slightly malty but with hints of roast coffee and liquorice.	Classic winter ale - still great.	8
Tring	Side Pocket for a Toad	3.6%	Hertfordshire	Citrus nose balanced with a floral aroma and crisp, dry finish in a straw-coloured ale.
Ulverston	Bad Medicine	6.3%	Cumbria	Dark winter warmer, which is surprisingly light and easy to drink.	Description is spot on.	7
Wells & Youngs	Eagle IPA	3.6%	Bedfordshire	Pale brown bitter with aromas of orange peel and hops, bitter hop and biscuity malt taste with a long dry aftertaste.	Cracking Blonde.
Wells & Youngs	Youngs Waggle Dance	5.0%	London	Brewed with honey, this golden ale has hops to balance the sweetness.	Sweetish classic that should sell well. Cracking beer, shame about the pump clip.
Whittingden	Cats Whiskers	4.2%	Gloucestershire	Medium-bodied bright tawny-coloured beer with a gentle sparkle and a rich hop flavour.		8
Wickwar	Station Porter	6.1%	Gloucestershire	Dark chocolate colour; strawberry chocolate nose; smokey liquorice and port taste.		9
Wolf	Straw Dog	4.5%	Norfolk	A wheat beer with slightly floral hints and refreshing citrus nose.	Pale.	7 plus
Woodfordes	Nelsons Revenge	4.5%	Norfolk	Amber; rich, floral and fruity nose; citrus and dried fruit taste.		8
Woods	Wonderful Bitter	4.8%	Shropshire	Mid-brown fruity beer with a roast malt taste.		8.5

Making Beer