23rd - 27th May, 2006
To celebrate our 21st festival, we have over 100 real ales for you to sample. Every Essex brewer is represented, from the oldest – now Crouch Vale, since the sad demise of Ridleys – to the brand new Star Beermaking Company of Steeple, near Southminster.
We continue to support the increasing number of East Anglian brewers, especially those we are fortunate enough to visit, but also search further afield - for the first time, Northern Ireland has a presence. We even have a gluten-free beer for those with wheat allergies – “Against The Grain”, commissioned by the Fine Ale Club from the Oulton brewery.
Last year’s Young Members Bar was so popular, especially with our female customers, that it now seems to be a permanent feature. The beers have been selected by Jon Bennett and his youthful team to appeal to the younger palate – but even us old goats will be served there! This is the home of several of our more unusual ales – fruit and spice beers, and real lagers - but classic milds, bitters and stouts are also available.
We are delighted this year to host the Champion Mild of East Anglia Competition. This is particularly apt, as May sees CAMRA’s national “Wild About Mild” promotion. There are six finalists, indicated by (*M) in the beer list below and ALL our milds have been priced at only £2 a pint to encourage you to give them a go!
This year sees an experiment – instead of paying cash for your beer, you'll buy beer cards. Each time you buy beer or snacks from the bar, the appropriate amount is crossed off. If you are just a few credits short, our staff will accept a maximum of 50 pence per transaction – if you need more, then top-up cards are available from reception, the Cider or Belgian bars. We hope that this will speed up service.
Our products & membership stall will still accept cash, as will the food stall, which is run independently. When you leave, unused credits will be refunded in the same way as your glass refund. But you may prefer to leave your unused credits in the charity box provided – all proceeds will go to the Essex Air Ambulance Trust, which costs over £100,000 per month to run, and is totally funded by public donations.
The second major change this year is that the whole festival is a non-smoking area. All CAMRA Beer Festivals are now non-smoking, in preparation for the national pubs & clubs ban next year.
Finally, please bear a thought for our staff. This festival is organised and run on an entirely voluntary basis by branch members. No-one is being paid, and every member of staff is giving up their time to help out. Why not join CAMRA at the products & membership stand, and play a part in future festivals, branch meetings, brewery visits and socials?
CAMRA promotes responsible drinking
Soft drinks are free to drivers
PLEASE DO NOT DRINK & DRIVE
Beers
| Brewery | Location | Beer | abv | Description |
| 1648 | Lewes, E Sussex | 1648 Original | 3.9 | Light, hoppy and easy-drinking ale |
| 1648 | Signature | 4.4 | Award-winning light, hoppy and bitter | |
| B & T | Shefford, Bedfordshire | Shefford Dark Mild | 3.7 | Roast malt predominates, but good balance (*M) |
| B & T | Fruit Bat | 4.3 | Hoppy, raspberry flavoured fruit beer | |
| B & T | Gold Leaf | 4.4 | Thirst-quencher with pale malt and Cascade hops | |
| Bank Top | Bolton, Lancashire | Flat Cap Bitter | 4.0 | Well-balanced amber ale with citrus notes |
| Bank Top | Smokestack Lightnin' | 5.0 | Straw coloured bitter with surprisingly malty finish | |
| Bartrams | Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk | Catherine Bartrams IPA | 4.3 | Full-bodied and malty, with hoppy aftertaste |
| Bartrams | Cherry Stout | 4.8 | Award winning stout with a hint of real cherries | |
| Beartown | Congleton, Cheshire | Bear A** | 4.0 | Ruby red malty bitter |
| Beartown | Ginger Bear | 4.0 | Thirst quencher with added root ginger | |
| Beartown | Pandamonium | 5.0 | Tasty, fruity blackcurrant stout | |
| Beartown | Wheat Bear | 5.0 | Wheat beer with a dry, hoppy, floral finish | |
| Blanchfields | Rochford, Essex | Rising Star | 4.0 | Brand new, crisp & golden ale |
| Blanchfields | Raging Bull | 4.9 | Fruity premium bitter | |
| City Of Cambridge | Chittering, Cambridge | Boathouse Bitter | 3.5 | Classic mid-brown session beer |
| City Of Cambridge | New Model Ale | 4.6 | Dark red bitter, full of flavour | |
| Coach House | Warrington, Cheshire | Squires Gold | 4.2 | Golden spring beer with New Zealand hops |
| Coach House | Blueberry Fruit Beer | 5.0 | Pale and delicate with real fruit essence | |
| College Green | Belfast, Northern Ireland | Headless Dog | 4.2 | Made with Munich malt |
| College Green | Mollys Chocolate Stout | 4.3 | Malted oats, chocolate malt and real cocoa beans | |
| Cottage | Castle Cary, Somerset | Champflower | 4.2 | Bitter, fruity and hoppy amber brew |
| Cottage | Goldrush | 5.0 | Deep gold, with a sweetish fruit tang | |
| Cottage | Norman's Conquest | 5.0 | Award-winning strong dark ale (CBOB 1995) | |
| Crouch Vale | S Woodham Ferrers, Essex | Brewers Gold | 4.0 | Current Champion Beer of Britain - a classic! |
| Crouch Vale | Oregon | 4.2 | Light brown and aromatic using US Brewers Gold hops | |
| Crouch Vale | Amarillo | 5.0 | Aromatic, spicy and gorgeous | |
| Custom | Haywards Heath, W Sussex | Chinook Best | 4.2 | Hoppy, refreshing amber bitter with citric notes |
| Custom | Dark Roast Porter | 5.5 | Dryish porter with distinct coffee flavours | |
| Dark Star | Haywards Heath, W Sussex | American Pale Ale | 4.7 | Pale, dry, crisp and aromatic |
| Dark Star | Original | 5.0 | Strong, dark Old-stlye ale | |
| Farmers | Maldon, Essex | Sweet Farmers Ale | 4.0 | New beer with honey tang |
| Farmers | Pucks Folly | 4.2 | Light, floral award-winner | |
| Fat Cat | Norwich Norfolk | Fat Cat Bitter | 3.7 | Beautifully balanced session bitter |
| Fat Cat | Pu**y Galore | 4.3 | Real pilsner-style lager, imported specially from Norfolk | |
| Fat Cat | Top Cat | 4.7 | Stronger version of Fat Cat | |
| Felstar | Felsted, Essex | Chick Chat | 4.1 | Dark amber bitter |
| Felstar | Mild Knight | 4.6 | Strong dark mild, fresh roasted flavour with fruit notes | |
| Green Jack | Lowestoft, Suffolk | Canary | 3.8 | Dry with a refreshing astringency |
| Green Jack | Orange Wheat | 4.2 | Gold coloured wheat beer with orange notes | |
| Green Jack | Ripper | 8.5 | Golden barley wine - beware! | |
| Hilden | Lisburn, Northern Ireland | Hilden Ale | 4.0 | Clean, refreshing and hoppy |
| Hilden | Silver | 4.2 | Pale beer with aromatic Satz hops | |
| Hilden | Molly Malone | 4.6 | Dark red porter using chocolate malt | |
| Humpty Dumpty | Reedham, Norfolk | Lemon & Ginger | 4.0 | Light, with added lemon & ginger (obviously!) |
| Humpty Dumpty | Claud Hamilton Stout | 4.1 | Classic, soft, easy-drinking stout | |
| Iceni | Ickburgh, Norfolk | Honey Mild | 3.6 | Gentle-tasting mild with Norolk honey |
| Iceni | Raspberry Wheat Beer | 5.0 | Light and refreshing festival favourite | |
| Mauldons | Sudbury, Suffolk | Micawber Mild | 3.5 | Complex range of flavours, with hop notes (*M) |
| Mauldons | Octoberfest | 5.0 | Smooth, strong, and brewed in May! | |
| Mauldons | Black Adder | 5.3 | Award-winning dark stout (CBOB 1991) | |
| McMullens | Hertford, Herts | AK Mild | 3.6 | Good hop-malt balnce with pronounced aftertaste (*M) |
| McMullens | Country Best Bitter | 4.2 | Full bodied and fruity | |
| Mersea Island | Yo Boy | 3.7 | Easy-drinking session bitter | |
| Mersea Island | Festive Monkeys | 4.6 | Special festival edition of Mersea Monkeys | |
| Mersea Island | Mersea Monkeys | 5.1 | Porter with liquorice notes, brewed by CAMRA members | |
| Mersea Island | Skippers Bitter | 4.7 | Mid-brown premium bitter | |
| Mersea Island | IPA | 6.0 | Strong, pale and bitter, like IPA used to be | |
| Mighty Oak | Maldon, Essex | Oscar Wilde Mild | 3.7 | dark-red mild with fruit and caramel flavours (*M) |
| Mighty Oak | Burntwood Bitter | 4.0 | Classic award-winning bitter | |
| Mighty Oak | East Coast Ale | 4.0 | Brand new rich chestnut ale | |
| Mighty Oak | Hornpipe | 4.1 | Traditional copper coloured bitter | |
| Mighty Oak | Saxon Strong | 6.5 | Strong, fruity and sweetish, barley wine style | |
| Milton | Milton, Cambridgeshire | Minotaur | 3.3 | Full bodied mild, flavour belies its strength (*M) |
| Milton | Pegasus | 4.1 | Clean-tasting copper-coloured bitter | |
| Milton | Nero | 5.0 | Oatmeal stout, jet-black with bags of flavour | |
| Mordue | North Shields, Tyne & Wear | Al' Wheat Pet | 4.1 | Classic wheat beer with fruit flavours and floral hops |
| Mordue | Geordie Pride | 4.2 | Well-balanced and hoppy amber bitter | |
| Mordue | Workie Ticket | 4.5 | Complex premium bitter, bags of taste (CBOB 1997) | |
| Nethergate | Pentlow, Essex | Old Chap | 4.2 | Pale gold, with a distictive floral nose |
| Nethergate | Wise Monkeys | Premium ale brewed by CAMRA members returns! | ||
| Nethergate | Stour Valley Strong | New, powerful, strong dark ale | ||
| Nethergate | Swift | 4.1 | Refreshing golden seasonal special | |
| Oakham | Peterborough, Cambridgeshire | JHB | 3.8 | Award-winning straw-coloured refresher (CBOB 2001) |
| Oakham | Harlequin | 4.9 | Spicy orange flavours predominate | |
| Oakham | Black Hole Porter | 5.5 | Jet-black and dangerously drinkable | |
| Ossett | Ossett, West Yorkshire | Silver King | 4.3 | Crisp, lager-style beer with citrus notes |
| Ossett | Dazzler | 4.5 | Bright golden beer with a delicate aroma | |
| Ossett | Excelsior | 5.2 | Mellow but full flavour with floral characteristics | |
| Oulton | Lowestoft, Suffolk | Sunrise | 4.0 | Light session bitter with elderflowers |
| Oulton | Against The Grain | 4.5 | Gluten-free - but can you tell the difference? | |
| Phoenix | Heywood, Lancashire | West Coast Special | 7.2 | Specially brewed variant of their traditional IPA - very, very rare! |
| Railway Tavern | Brightlingsea, Essex | Crab & Winkle Mild | 3.7 | Vegan-friendly festival favourite |
| Railway Tavern | Crab Special | 4.4 | One-off version of Crab & Winkle Mild with added coffee | |
| Railway Tavern | Heritage Nettle Ale | 5.0 | Reappearance of this ancient recipe | |
| Skinners | Truro, Cornwall | Betty Stoggs Bitter | 4.0 | Pale amber with hoppy overtones |
| Skinners | Heligan Honey | 4.0 | Bitter-sweet amber ale with Cornish honey | |
| Spectrum | Wymondham, Norfolk | Beckham's Bezants | 4.5 | World Cup special - bezants are "golden balls" in heraldry |
| Spectrum | Black Buffle | 4.5 | Smooth classic stout, vegan-friendly | |
| Star Beermaking | Steeple, Essex | Gold Star | 3.6 | Golden, hoppy quaffing brew from Essex's newest brewer |
| Star Beermaking | Star Player | 4.0 | Mild in character, easy drinking dark beer | |
| Stonehenge | Salisbury, Wiltshire | Pigswill | 4.0 | Full-bodied amber beer, less bitter than some |
| Stonehenge | Sign Of Spring | 4.3 | The green one is back! Novelty, but tastes good. | |
| Thwaites | Blackburn, Lancashire | Dark Mild | 3.3 | Tasty, traditional northern classic |
| Thwaites | Original | 3.6 | Another classic mid-brown session bitter | |
| Tindalls | Seething, Norfolk | Black Lobster Mild | 4.0 | Brand new, brewed for CAMRA's Mild Month promotion |
| Tindalls | Norfolk N' Good | 4.6 | Complex golden ale with hoppy bitterness | |
| Tring | Tring, Hertfordshire | Side Pocket For A Toad | 3.6 | Straw-coloured quaffing ale with floral notes |
| Tring | Whitwell Woodman | 4.3 | Pale brown best bitter | |
| Westerham | Edenbridge, Kent | Finchcocks Original | 3.5 | Amazing flavour for its strength |
| Westerham | Summer Perle | 3.8 | Smooth, slightly spicy golden ale | |
| White Star | Southampton. Hampshire | Crafty S**g Lager | 4.1 | Thirst quencher, with Saaz hops and lager yeast |
| Battleaxe | 4.6 | Dark, strong and full-bodied premium bitter | ||
| Winters | Norwich, Norfolk | Storm Force | 5.3 | Complex, slightly sweet strong ale |
| Winters | Tempest | 6.2 | Powerful dark mild - Norfolk's answer to Newcastle Brown (*M) | |
| Woodfordes | Woodbastwick, Norfolk | Wherry | 3.8 | Hoppy, dry, festival quaffing favourite (CBOB 1996) |
| York | York, North Yorkshire | Guzzler | 3.6 | Crisp, refreshing and well-named! |
| York | Decade | 4.1 | Light and hoppy 10th anniversary special | |
| Notes: CBOB = CAMRA's Champion Beer of Britain; *M = Finalist for 2006 Champion Mild of East Anglia | ||||
Ciders & Perry
| Producer | Location | Beer | abv | Description |
| Biddenden | Kent | Medium Cider | 8.4 | Smooth and ever-popular blend |
| Crossmans | Somerset | Medium Cider | 6.0 | Perennially popular blended cider |
| Delvin End | Essex | Cyclone Dry Cider | 7.0 | Gin clear, very dry, made from local Cox apples |
| Delvin End | Smiling Moose Dry Cider | 7.0 | Blended cider from local orchards | |
| Double Vision | Kent | Medium Perry | 7.4 | Smooth, easy drinking |
| Double Vision | Dry Cider | 7.4 | Clean, crisp and quaffable blended cider | |
| Grays | Devon | Sweet Cider | 6.5 | Top selling blend |
| Gwatkins | Herefordshire | Sweet Perry | 7.5 | Made from Malvern Hill pears - aka "Stinking Bishop" |
| Gwatkins | Sweet Cider | 7.5 | Single varietal Stoke Red apples | |
| Hancocks | Devon | Medium Blend | 6.0 | Highly recommended by the National Cider Centre |
| Hecks | Somerset | Medium Dry Cider | 7.0 | Classic oak-fermented cider using Kingston Black apples |
| Hecks | Dry Perry | 6.5 | Hendre Huffcap pears | |
| Little Red Rooster | East Sussex | Medium Cider Perry | 8.4 | Unusual blend of dessert pears and cider apples |
| Naish | Somerset | Dry Blend | 7.5 | Traditional oak-fermented blend |
| Pookhill | East Sussex | Vintage Dry Cider | 6.0 | Fermented for 3 years |
| Ross-on-Wye | Herefordshire | Medium Dry Perry | 6.0 | Turner's Barn and Bartestree Squash pears |
| Rumpy Pumpy | Isle of Wight | Medium Scrumpy | 6.0 | Silly name, serious cider! |
Opening Times
Camra Members Preview Evening : Monday 22nd May 7.30 - 10pm Limited Beer Range but all at £1 a pint!
Tuesday 23rd May : 6pm - 11pm
Wednesday 24th May - Saturday 27th May : 12 Noon - 11pm
Finding Us
The Beer Festival will be held at the Colchester Arts Centre, just off Colchester High Street. The best way to find us is to look for 'Jumbo' the water tower!
For those who don't know, the Arts Centre is a beautiful deconsecrated church situated just off Head Street in the heart of the town centre. Apart from its historic connections (it played a major part in the Siege of Colchester, 1648, allegedly the source of the "Humpty Dumpty" nursery rhyme), it is in my view one of the best beer festival venues in the UK - and I've visited a few!
Entry Fees
Camra members free at all times on production on a valid membership card.
Tuesday 23rd May : £2
Wednesday 24th May - Saturday 27th May : £1 until 6.30pm, £2 after 6.30pm
Free admission on Saturday on production of a current Student Union Card (Over 18's only)
Why not join Camra at the festival, entry fees will be refunded & you might get some free beer!
Food
Music
Tuesday 23rd May : Scorchio
Saturday 27th May : Smokin' Hogs Blues Band
An Appeal to all Members
Festivals do not run themselves. Months of planning and admin are needed, and we rely on volunteers to staff the festival. If you can help, even for a couple of hours, and especially during the quieter weekday afternoon/early evening sessions, please complete this Staffing Form and return it to Dave Nunn.