FULL PINTS By Mick Lee
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hose of you who know me will have heard me say that I don't really like beer festivals (our own wonderful festival excepted of course), but I do get tempted to try one every once in a while. So when a friend suggested a visit to the Carlisle beer festival in November I decided to give it a go. Three of us met at Glasgow Central and boarded a Virgin Pendolino which travelled non-stop to Carlisle. We decided to visit a few pubs first, we had spotted one in the Good Beer Guide: Linton Holme, about a mile from the station. Despite the pouring rain we decided to walk there. Unfortunately we hadn’t spotted the opening hours and we discovered it didn't open until 4pm. There was nothing for it but to walk back to the city centre and get even more soaked. Our refuge there was the Howard Arms, which is not in the GBG, although we thought it probably should be. It is an unspoilt former Carlisle State Management Scheme pub divided into several rooms. On tap were Theakston's Best Bitter and Thwaites Wainwright, both in good nick, and the very good value lunches were good too. We also called in at the GBG listed King's Head for a pint of Yates Bitter. At last it was time to visit the festival, which was held in the ballroom of the Hallmark Hotel, which is right next to the station. A smaller venue than Troon Concert Hall, it had a bar along one end wall and tables and chairs throughout. The first surprise, on offering the £1 entry fee quoted for CAMRA members in What's Brewing, was to be asked for £3. The extra £2 was a deposit for a glass, and the second surprise was that there weren't
dedicated festival glasses, just a mixture of old glasses. On asking why I was asked in return “Do you know the price of glasses?”, which I do, but apparently a lack of sponsorship was the main problem. Fortunately the type of glass doesn't affect the taste, and we got stuck in. There were 50 real ales available, mostly from Cumbria, but a few from further afield, including Scotland. Tokens at £1.40 per half pint were used. I tasted a variety, and amongst my favourites were Hawkshead Cumbrian 5 Hop, Watermill Windermere Blonde and Yorkshire Dales Pikedaw. I also managed a third of a pint of the Champion Beer of Britain, Coniston No. 9. I still won't attend many beer festivals, but I did enjoy the visit.
Getting Around Buses: Stagecoach West Scotland Customer Services 01292 613500 Disability Helpdesk 07736 892253
Trains: Scotrail Customer Services 0845 601 5929
Ferries: Caledonian MacBrayne Enquiries 0800 066 5000
All: Traveline Scotland www.travelinescotland.com
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