Pub Column: The annual Liverpool Beer Festival

Jan 10 2009 by Mike Chapple, Liverpool Daily Post

THE hottest ticket in town is one of the most over used and abused phrases in any hack’s notebook.

But the annual Liverpool Beer Festival, held in the crypt beneath Paddy’s Wigwam, is the genuine article. It’s never an issue about whether it will sell out but just how long it takes to do so. This year it broke all records – the 3,000 tickets on general sale on December 6 went in an hour.

“We opened the doors to the cathedral box office at 10am and by 11.10am they’d all gone,” said Geoff Edwards, chairman of festival organisers, the Liverpool and Districts Branch of the charity, Campaign for Real Ale.

It’s now recognised as one of the most popular on the British circuit and this year has secured sponsorship from the Caledonian brewing company, one of this country’s foremost producers of real ales, including the award-winning Deuchars IPA. Its managing director, Steve Crawley, just happens to be a local lad who regularly returns to his old drinking grounds on the Wirral from his new base in Edinburgh.

“In my opinion, Liverpool Beer Festival is one of the best in Britain, and in my job I go to quite a few,” said Old Birkonian Steve, who added, “We’re working in partnership with Camra to take forward the legacy of the European Capital of Culture year and Liverpool’s reputation as a great city for real ale and great pubs.”

Big banner waving stuff, like, but why shouldn’t we celebrate a triumph of Merseyside initiative and resourcefulness. The organisation for this year’s festival began way back in September with a meeting of the branch committee.

One of the last things to be put in place was one of the most important: the ordering of the beers. There should be around a whopping 200 different casks available from Thursday, February 19, to the Saturday, the wish list having been drawn up by Geoff with two other Camra stalwarts, John Bowen and Frank Kennedy. Lest we forget, all the work carried out is voluntary and throughout the three days up to 200 local members will be manning the pumps to dispense pints and traditional pub grub such as pies, sausages and cheeses.

Money raised from the tickets will have paid for the hire of the crypt, which incidentally makes it the only beer festival in the country to be held in a cathedral. The Caledonian sponsorship deal, however, will cover the production of the souvenir half pint glasses and the programme detailing all the ales available.

One of the most notable aspects of the Liverpool festival is the wide breadth of drinkers who come along. The large number of students and women especially bucks the stereotype of the traditional real ale supper all looking like Uncle Albert from Only Fools And Horses. Indeed, last year the Ladies’ Tasting Evening was a spectacular success, the Okells Eastern Spice being voted tops by the girlies although the Pub Column’s faithful companion, Lady Penelope of Pensby, preferred the more robust Skullsplitter.

Hopefully she’ll be joining Yours Truly again this year along with readers lucky enough to have a ticket.

I can hardly wait.