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.