A message from your Beer Festival Organiser!

A big thank you from myself and all the committee members to everyone who attended this year's Colchester Beer Festival.

To the customers - thanks for your support, and we hope you enjoyed yourselves. To the staff - a brilliant effort, despite my attempt to confuse everyone with the new beer card system (feedback generally positive so far, but more welcome).

Everyone who helped deserves a medal. From the stalwarts who were there from 10am until after midnight every day, to those who gave a couple of hours behind the bar - the festival would not exist without you.

Just in case anyone wants to know, we threw away just 350 pints of real ale out of a total order of 10,000 - pretty much the same as last year. Cider & perry sales were up 13% at 800 pints.

And we raised £540 for the Essex Air Ambulance Charity.

Beer of the Festival was Crab & Winkle Mild from the Railway Tavern, Brightlingsea. Runner up, and Champion Strong Beer was Milton's Nero Stout. Dark Beers Rule, OK!
The cider award was shared between Biddenden Medium Blend (Kent) and Essex's own Delvin End Smiling Moose.
Top Perry was Gwatkins Malvern Hill Sweet.

As a further thank you, all branch members are cordially invited to our next branch meeting, at the Mersea Island Brewery on Friday 16th June.
We hope to start at around 8pm, get the usual business stuff out of the way as quickly as possible, and then PARTY.

Mark, Roger & Jacqui Barber have kindly offered us a couple of firkins of Mersea's fine ales for free.
They are also generously laying on a free barbeque for us. Obviously their own wines will be available, and we're even bringing in some Delvin End Smiling Moose cider for those so inclined. When all the freebies have gone, more beer will be available at subsidised prices.
At least we can guarantee they won't run out! Soft drinks will also be available.

A coach will be leaving the Gala bingo hall, Osbourne Street, at 7.30 prompt. It is important that anyone wishing to travel lets our Social Secretary, Mark Whybrow, know by Monday 12th June, so we can sort out which size of coach is needed.
The return cost will be maximum £5 per head for CAMRA members, payable on the night - but may well be less if we can get a good turnout. Non-members will be charged £6. Contact details below.

Unfortunately there is no public transport back from East Mersea - although the 67 bus leaves from West Mersea at 22.54.
There is plenty of parking available at the Brewery (see www.merseawine.com for directions) but PLEASE DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE.
We would love to see some new faces at this meeting, but especially everyone who worked at the beer festival. Obviously central Colchester is not the ideal pick-up/drop-off point for many, but if you live further afield and wish to attend using the coach, call me - I may be able to co-ordinate with others in your area to share a taxi back from the town centre when we return. And if you are driving to Mersea, and can offer anyone a lift, again, let me know and I'll try to sort things out.

Again, many thanks to you all.

Contact: Mark Whybrow, Social Sec: 01206 367471 (H) 07802 798596
Dave Nunn, Beerfest Organiser: 01206 769882 (H/W) 07985 662404 (M)

MORE GOOD NEWS!

Every time Jeff & Bev of the Fox & Fiddler (St John's St/Headgate, Colchester) go on holiday, they come back with a "cunning plan".

For a 3 month trial, ALL real ales will be on sale to CAMRA members at just £1.80 per pint, all day Monday and Tuesday (proof of membership needed).

For anyone that doesn't know this fine hostelry, it is a Free House, offering Mighty Oak IPA and English Oak as their regular beers, usually with two others from microbreweries - and often a dark beer. Lunchtime food (also Wednesday evenings) is pretty good, too - especially their home-made Steak & Ale Pie.
This is a great offer, and deserves our support - hopefully it will turn into a permanent feature.

And don't forget there are spaces still available on the trip to the Hogs Back Brewery, Surrey, Saturday 8th July, and the Mystery Trip, Fri 28th July.