Six pack

Usually the Great British Beer Festival is the first weekend of August, but this year it was delayed a week perhaps due to the recent flooding and it provided the capstone highlight for our first week in London. Newly moved to Earl's Court from the smaller Kensington Olympia venue, we tasted brew across the land and around the globe.

We started with a third of Theakston's Grouse Beater. Good news that the Masham-based family has managed to rebuy their company from the multi-national Scottish & Newcastle they sold it to a decade ago.


Followed that on with a Welsh Double Stout, Bullmastiff Welsh Black, and then some Sierra Nevada Porter, which I've never had out of a tap before. Munched on a nice Chicken Tikka Masala, that Anglo-Indian dish which is to Indian food as Chop Suey in America is to Chinese.

The whole GBBF is nice, particularly now that they sell thirds instead of just halves or pints. Still it's a bit laddish. Notice anything slightly off in the picture below?



This is one of CAMRA's two big platforms this year, the other being shortshrift on pints AKA The Full Pints Petition.




And finally a few words on beer . . . hmm . . . real ale, that is. The British do not drink warm beer. If your beer is warm, you're at a shite pub. Move on man. They drink slightly chilled ale that is real if it is not carbonated and is poured into a pint glass using gravity and a hand pump. Best real ale pub in London: easy mate, the Market Porter free house, Southwark. Not much to look at, but superior cellarmanship and an ever changing list of guest beers. Plus Thursday to Saturday you can catch a nibble at the fantastic Borough Market next door, London's foodie heaven.