So, the Reading Beer Festival.  What can I remember about an event where there were 550 real ales, of which I tried 29?

Well, I remembered my beer guide!  6 of us went, trying different beers and exchanging tasters, and I kept a record of how much I liked different beers.  There were some controversial beers, but in general they were very good indeed and enjoyed by all.  I personally had no regrets – not one beer scored below a 3, or “average”, and I gave several scores of 5, meaning “absolutely awesome”.  The highlights were:

Leeds, Ascension Ale (5): a golden ale with floral tones and the most perfect aftertaste you could ask for. My favourite.

Langham, Hip Hop (5): A classic blonde, sweet and fruity, loved by lager and ale drinkers alike.

Blackfriars, Spring Pride (4.5): A smooth blonde.

Wolf, Whistle (4.5): a deep red, smooth dark beer.

Severn Vale, Vale Ale (4.5): an smooth gentle amber ale.

Prescott, Hill Climb (4.5): A very thirst quenching blonde, scored 5 by some.

There was great discussion surrounding the Saltaire Ginger Spice (1.5), which tasted of “pine fresh washing up liquid”.  But Ben insists it grows on you and he wanted more by the end!

Was there any pattern in what was good and what was not?  I tried to find a pattern, and there is very little.

The Beer Figure shows the strongest pattern: we had a lot of Blonde “lager likes”, and they were good on average but occasionally awful.  The Darks were great but with only two, who really knows?  The “normal” coloured beer came out worst, by an amount that would happen by chance 1 time in ten. Region and alcohol content didn’t appear to matter a jot.

So does it mean anything?  I think it means I need to drink more beer!  Right, onto that then…

PS A list of all the beers we tried, just in case anyone needs the reference…

1. Badger Poachers Choice 5
2. Leeds Ascension Ale 5
3. Langham Hip Hop 5
4. Blackfriars Spring Tide 4.5
5. Wolf Whistle 4.5
6. Severn Vale Vale Ale 4.5
7. Prescott Hill Climb 4.5
8. Hardy & Hansons Old Frin 4.5
9. Rebellion Red 4.5
10. Rebellion Gold 4.5
11. Irving Illustrious 4
12. Hammerpot Martlet 4
13. Halfpenny Ha’penny Bitter 4
14. Leeds Leeds Pale 4
15. Chiltern Three Hundreds Old Ale 4
16. Badger Englands Gold 4
17. South Hams Devon Pride 4
18. Badger First gold 4
19. Great Western Bees Knees 4
20. Butts Jester 4
21. Olivers Dry 3.5
22. Yeovil Spring Forward 3.5
23. Great Heck Staggering Genius 3.5
24. Chiltern Nut Brown Mild 3.5
25. Blue Monkey Evolution 3
26. Farnham Bishop Sumner 3
27. Norfolk Square Pi 3
28. Kirkby Lonsdale Monumental 3
29. Saltaire Ginger Spice 1.5
30. Goffs White Knight 1