CAMRA Great British Beer Festival@Earls Court, August 7-11 2007

The biggest pub in the world descended on Earls Court last week, bringing more than 450 real ales to the beer lovers of the UK, as The Campaign for Real Ale hosted the 30th run of its iconic British Beer Festival.

As an unseasoned beer drinker, I did think that I would be a little out of my depth, expecting everyone there to be experts in the field of real ale.  But I was pleasantly surprised to find that the festival has been designed to cater for amateurs as well as the more experienced beer aficionados.  On entering the massive Earls Court venue, I was given the usual security checks, presumably to make sure I hadn’t brought any sacrilegious spirits into the hops haven.  I then continued onto the first stop of the day: Glass Distribution.  Here we were presented with a shiny new pint glass for three of our good British pounds and it becomes your ultimate friend for the experience.  Each glass has markers to show a third, half and full pint so you can pick and choose how much you want to taste – very handy for those who don’t know what they’re doing.

My next step was the compulsory human act of standing in everyone’s way, while I decided where to start.  A quick look at the festival programme reveals that there isn’t an exact science when it comes to tasting beers and that it’s all down to personal taste and starting at the very beginning.  With so many beers, it’s useful (for some) that the programme lists all the varieties available - perfect for those who want to make the most of their precious drinking time and squeeze in as many delicious beers as possible.  For the rest of us, the never-ending list was slightly overwhelming, but did give us an idea of exactly how vast the choice is.

Huge bars bear the names of different areas of the UK so I knew where my beer came from.  Additions this year included Wales, now boasting its own bar with 21 different ales to choose from.  Another new face at the festival is Bar VISCOUNT, which has a selection of beers to cater for those with special dietary requirements, perfect for the ladies who are watching their carb intake.

However, it’s not all about the beer.  A line-up of different musical bands was present to entertain the ale troops and there other diversions such as the biggest pub quiz I’m ever likely to see.  A Games Zone has been given a permanent place in the festival and a family room can be used for those who have any under 18s with them.

As with any festival, there were plenty of opportunities for punters to part with their hard earned cash, from t-shirt stands that favour images of the late Oliver Reed - hailed almost as the hero of the drinking world - to ridiculous hats (one of which was purchased by me. What can I say? I really got into the spirit of things!).  One interesting way to spend some money was in the shops packed with pub memorabilia, including gems such as used bar trays…and if you ever wondered where all the unwanted ashtrays went since the smoking ban came in, this is where they’re hiding.

Although the clientele was varied, there was a harmonious drinking atmosphere, not common when booze is involved.  With some stands being modelled on thatched cottages and fake grass laid out pretending to be beer gardens, there was a distinct whiff of country fair.  That ambience continued every time someone broke a glass, which at a beer festival is quite often, each smash generated an almighty cheer, which rippled round the hall with a Mexican wave type of momentum…a tribal roar emanating from thousands of drunken beer lovers – not even slightly scary!

Overall, an experience to remember and one I’ll never forget thanks to all the beer nick-nacks I now have peppered around my flat.

Leigh Morrison, MyVillage: , 21st August