Following the success of last year’s event, the Black-a-Moor at Troway held a second Spring Bank Holiday Beer Festival between 23rd –26th May.

The Black-a-Moor has been transformed over the last couple of years and is now a proper real ale venue, which features a no smoking room. Quite an innovation in this part of the world. Sadly the pub is not well served by public transport and has to survive on its reputation.

Following the theme of last year’s event, the beer festival was based in a Marquee in the beer garden. It ran from 12 noon to Midnight each day with a barbecue providing sustenance. There was also live music, but most importantly 28 real ales were available, many from our local breweries. Mat (the landlord) did a remarkable job of keeping the beer cool in the sunny conditions by constant dampening of sacks over the barrels. They were still in good order on the third evening.

There were several local beers that I had not come across before; Abbeydale Resurrection, Crown Berry’s IPA, and Leadmill B52. All were superb and welcome additions to our local selection. There were also many old favourites such as Rampant Gryphon, Staveley Cross and Pale Rider.

The festival closed with a jam session on Monday evening. The event had something for everyone who attended. But don’t worry if you missed it… they are holding another one on August Bank Holiday. 22nd-25th.

Nick Lister

There is no shortage of beer festivals around these days. Many of our local pubs host them, and some even host two. But enjoyable as these events are, they do not compare with the set piece events held in venues other than the pubs themselves. One of the more unusual venues for this type of event is Barrow Hill Roundhouse, where the Rail Ale Festival took place on 11-13th April.  The Roundhouse is a preserved working railway engine shed, and the festival shared the venue with several leviathans of the steam and diesel era. During the day some of these were used to provide short trips along the branch line.

This event is in only its second year, and built on the success of last year, with more than 40 real ales and ciders available. Live music was provided on both Friday and Saturday nights and was well received by the large number of enthusiasts who attended to sample the beers.  At times it was bedlam getting served because of the sheer numbers around the bar and the bar staff having to cross different monetary values off a “train ticket”, which required a degree of mental dexterity that isn't easy when you’re rushed off your feet!

It is worth pointing out that the event was entirely run by volunteers who gave their time freely, and perhaps deserve more recognition than they received. I attend many festivals and can’t help noticing that the same faces seem to appear behind the bar year after year.  Having worked as a barman in my student days I volunteered my services for a couple of short sessions. It was a real eye opener. Once behind the bar you soon realise what you are up against. This is no pub with a couple of handpumps. Being so close to the barrels, it is very difficult to pick out the names of the various brews. Many customers arrive at the bar only to pick a beer from the barrels at the far end. All too often you squeeze past the other bar staff only to find that beer has sold out. When you return you have no idea who was next in the queue.

Having said all that, most customers took it all in good spirit. They enjoyed the beer. They certainly enjoyed the atmosphere, the food and the music. Most were unconcerned that at times it took a little while to get served. The Rail Ale Festival is a unique event, and I for one will be back next year. No doubt I will see the same faces struggling to cope behind the pumps. These set piece events are a major effort to set up and run properly.

Perhaps if a few more were to offer their services they would be even better still.

From the Derbyshire Times - 24-4-2003

Beer lovers have raised £200 for charity as part of their annual festival.

CAMRA - the Campaign for Real Ale - organises the Chesterfield Beer Festival and this year chose to support Fairplay - a scheme which helps disabled children.  Visitors donated unused beer tokens at the end of each drinking session to the charity.

Pictured are Chesterfield CAMRA chairman Mary Keast presenting a cheque for £200 to MP Paul Holmes on behalf of Fairplay.

Anybody that attended the Beer Festival this year should be able to tell you that there were a lot of northern beers and with that in mind we were looking forward to a jaunt maybe as far as Scotland to present a certificate for beer of the festival. No such luck! After the festival the votes were gathered together and counted, was it going to be Kletswater from Anglo Dutch? Could it be Yellowhammer from the Black Isle Brewery? No they were all pipped at the post by a local beer from Townes of Staveley - White Riot.  Alan Wood the brewer from Townes created this wheat beer as an occasional special. Will we see it again? We hope so. The beer not only collected the most votes, but it was also the first to sell out, so those people attending the beer festival on the Saturday evening didn’t even get a taste never mind a chance to vote for it.

Peter Hayes Landlord of the Derby Tup who also had some of this brew commented “Alan has brewed a winner, It sold faster than any other beer on the bar at the time”.

Pictured are some of the Beer Festival Team presenting the certificate to Alan Wood.  The winner of the voting slip draw was Andy Allsopp of Halifax (voting, incidentally, for Top Hat “how bitter should taste”) who will be receiving a complimentary beer festival t-shirt.