The Southport beer festival ended on Saturday night practically sold out. Contrary to the Southport Drinker’s predictions, it did not consist solely of lone males morosely sipping solitary pints. There were plenty of young women around for the (I thought happily married) SD to gaze upon. Selling out was a vast improvement on 2008 when some perfectly good beer had to be poured away, the result of a beer festival in the Fylde clashing with ours.The Southport Brewery’s Golden Sands was voted beer of the festival by the customers. This is yet another award for an excellent local beer.
Our local MP, John Pugh, who is himself a lover of real ale, came along on Thursday to present the CAMRA Branch awards.
Pubs of excellence: Guest House, Union Street; Baron’s Bar, Lord Street; Derby Arms, Aughton; Queens Head, Ormskirk; Sir Henry Segrave, Lord Street.
Best country pub: Ship, Haskayne.
Best community pub: Volunteer, Eastbank Street.
Most innovative licensee: Adrian Davies, Falstaff, King Street.
The big question now is where the next year’s festival will be held, seeing that the Arts Centre is going to be closed for a ridiculous two and a half years by our philistine local council, who are unable to see the damage that completely closing down our town’s cultural facilities for such a long period of time will cause. But the local CAMRA Branch is determined that the festival will go ahead.
Glad it was a success. Take what I say with a dash of lime
ReplyDeleteI know ~ inter-blog banter! Not sure about the lime, though!
ReplyDeleteOne suggestion, though I'm no Southport resident, nor local branch member, would be the Isherwood Suite at the Scarisbrick. Good big room, and maybe having the cider etc. in that small bar opp. The Barons. The hotel and the late Tony Cafferkey = long-term supporters of the cause. What think ye?
ReplyDeleteWorth considering, I'm sure. I'll pass on your suggestion to the committee. No decisions have been made yet.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking now that the Scarisbrick might get a tad precious about their own in-house Festival which has been running for many years. Whilst there's no doubting that they're in our corner, they might bristle about a CAMRA event that rightly or wrongly could be perceived as competition. The Prince Of Wales? - though when I was was seeking a new home for the Folk Club some years back, the level of rent they wanted was risible! The Royal Clifton perhaps?
ReplyDelete