Mine's a Pint - Autumn 2019

present this year. I’m always impressed with the
ordering of the foreign beer. It’s no mean feat to
pick and curate a selection that can attract such
a diverse audience, but I think they nailed it this
year. There were some staple classics which are
crucial for beer lovers on their journey and tick
box exercise of trying those signature brews,
but it was fantastic to see the likes of Alvinne
Brewery be stocked with several lines this year.
from the beer woodwork. Some of these faces
I only ever see at the festival, and some of
those volunteers are like those good friends
you have but you seldom see. You find you can
pick your conversation straight back up from
where you left off, giggling along the way. I’m
grateful and thankful to every organiser and
CAMRA member and volunteer behind the
scenes making things happen, putting in their
own time to keep the wheel spinning. And,
I’m grateful for every member who pushes for
change: small changes that when stacked up
make a big change. ‘Continuous improvement
is better than delayed perfection’ - that was
Mark Twain, but I felt a sense of change this
year, for the better.
Onto cask, the backbone of CAMRA. I’m
always ready for a great recommendation, and
this year I was not disappointed. The standout
(and the one beer I keep thinking about, even
now) is Old Chimneys Brewery whose ‘Good
King Henry’, a Russian imperial stout, was
incredible. I’m not a stout person by nature
but perhaps my foray into coffee this past
twelve month served me well. I went back
several times for Good King Henry and it was
gone by midday Friday which says it all. The
‘Plymouth Plum Mild’ by Cullercoats Brewery
was a lovely tipple too, as was (another stout)
‘Flapjack Marmalade’ by Hop Kettle Brewing
Co. One of my finishers for the Friday evening
was the Turning Point Brewery’s ‘Trapped
Under A Cow’ - I had highlighted this one on
my list and it didn’t let me down.
A final note and piece of gratitude. The team
that pull the beer lists together: I know that this
is no small task and yet every year I absolutely
love going through those lists and deciding
what I’ll try. I’ve been known to export them
and print them out and colour code them with
an array of highlighter pens. Oh yes. However,
I didn’t need to do that this year because local
beer blogger Quaffable Reading took the pain
out of the excel spreadsheet and created a
mobile friendly version which he shared with
many of us online. It was great.
I’m always in awe at how smoothly the beer
festival runs when you recognise how many
people it must take to organise it. On a
personal note, it’s genuinely my Christmas
each year. I love it and I kind of live for it. I
love working behind the bar and never fail to
enjoy seeing so many familiar faces appearing
Mine’s A Pint
20
That was another piece of innovation which
made the user experience better than it was
before. I’m pretty sure that having a good
experience is what we all want, and what
CAMRA would aspire to. All of the above
made 2019 a stellar year. Bring on 2020.
Zoë Andrews