Aletalk at the Great British Beer Festival 2009

It was hat day on Thursday when we left Aletalk Towers for a trip to the capital and the Great British Beer Festival.

After a good lunch washed down with a pint of Summer Lightning at The Punch Tavern in Fleet Street we ventured forth to Earls Court, which we found to have been converted into the tap-room of a dinghy back street boozer (albeit a large one). At least we felt a home.

CAMRA membership meant a free festival programme which at least allowed us to look like a ‘beer ticker’ as we religiously marked off the beers we liked the names of, the beers we wanted to try and eventually, the beers we tasted.

GBBF may have had record attendances this year – 64,000 by all accounts - but the place is so vast that, although busy, we never had but a moment to wait at any bar we found ourselves at before one of the attentive volunteers – which this year numbered about 1,000 – re-filled our glass.

When peckish there was food a-plenty, burgers, sausages, fish and chips, Thai, Indian and for the more adventurous, Crocodile Burgers. Unfortunately there wasn’t a Donner Kebab to be found anywhere (unless my less than focussed eyes deceived me).

A great event, male dominated as you would expect but it was good to see a smattering of ladies around the place, more power to their elbow is what I say.

The GBBF was in Leeds the last time I went, so that’s too many years ago to remember but this years event was certainly worth the effort attending.

Would I trek half the length of the country to go next year?... We’ll have to wait and see… I suppose it would be too much to ask CAMRA to move their ‘GREAT BRITISH’ Beer Festival from the capital to another part of the country? Maybe we should just rename it the Great London Beer Festival?

Try a Ladies View of GBBF09