With a little under 2 weeks to go before festival organisers open the doors at the Beverley Rugby Club The festival is set to be another sell out – putting Beverley’s Real Ale festivals firmly on the map as one of the best ale festival towns in Yorkshire.
With the spotlight firmly on Yorkshire at the moment helped by the recent city of culture announcement, the Grand Depart and Yorkshire named as one of the top ten places to visit in the world… Festival organisers are hoping to keep to this award winning theme by securing two of the very best UK/Yorkshire beers in production today..
Great Newsome Brewery has fast become one of the regions favorite breweries and now boast an impressive array of well crafted ales served in many of our local pubs. This rise to brewing fame hit new heights back in October when Frothingam Best won ‘Worlds Best Bitter’ at the World Beer Awards. Frothingham Best, which takes its name from the small hamlet in which the brewery is based beat off strong competition from all over the world to take the title.
A dark amber best bitter Frothingham Best has been brewed since 2008 and is available in both a bottle and as a cask beer. The beer has won awards previously gaining a Silver in its category in the 2009 SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers) North Awards, was Highly Commended in the Yorkshire’s Finest Taste in 2011 and was shortlisted in the inaugural MTT Yorkshire Beer Awards 2013.
Paul East (festival organiser) said: we just had to have Frothingham on this time! It’s a fantastic beer and will go down a treat at the Christmas ale festival.
Matthew Hodgson (Director at Great Newsome Brewery) said: Its been a pretty good year for Frothingham Best. So to end the year with it being one of beers at the Beverley Christmas Ale Festival is great. We still cant believe that we won the award and to think a small brewery in the depths of East Yorkshire can beat off competition from all over the world is unbelievable. We are all looking forward to the Christmas Ale Festival and it will be nice to have a few more celebratory beers to finish off what’s been a rather successful year for us!
In addition to the worlds best bitter festival organisers have secured a cask of Daleside Brewery’s Morrocco Ale, a spicy and mysterious beer, whose recipe, dating back to the 16th century, is believed to be the oldest beer recipe still in production in the UK today
Morrocco has also had some rather good publicity as well and has recently featured as beer of the week as part of the Let There Be Beer Campaign
Believed to have originated in Tudor times, the Morocco Ale’s recipe was safely guarded for hundreds of years by the Bagot family at Levens Hall in the Lake District. According to legend, its jealous custodians once buried it in their gardens to keep it out of the hands of Parliamentarian troops during the English Civil War.
In the 1660s, the recipe was ‘updated’ and spices, imported through the developing spice trade, were added to provide the ale’s distinctive flavour.
Colonel James Grahame of Levens, a courtier to King Charles II, then added the final exotic touch, naming the dark brew Morocco Ale, in honour of his monarch’s ‘Moorish’ wife, Catherine of Braganza.
Morocco Ale was last brewed in at Levens Hall in 1877. The recipe remained unused until 1995 when Daleside Brewery, itself a company founded on centuries-old brewing traditions, was asked to revive it.
Its ancient pedigree has not stood in the way of contemporary popularity. In 2003, Morocco Ale, which is now available in bottles as well as casks, won a Silver Medal CAMRA award – one of many accolades the beer has garnered over the years. The beer has also featured on the BBC Good Food programme.
Eric Lucas, Managing Director at Daleside Brewery, said: “We are delighted that Morocco Ale, a classic dinner beer has been chosen as one of the beers to be showcased at the Beverley Christmas Ale Festival.
“Thanks to Daleside’s commitment to maintaining the heritage and distinctive flavour of this fine old beer, Morocco Ale, now has admirers around the world and hopefully after the festival a few more in Beverley!
James Harper, festival organiser said: We are all looking forward to this one! Its timed perfectly with last day of work for post people on the Friday and then a kick start to the festive celebrations with 2 great nights of beer and cider drinking. Hundreds of tickets have already sold and if its going to be as popoular as we think we have a back up Marquee which will become the cider tent!
Having Frothingham and Morocco is great! Many people wont of tried these beers and they are in for a real treat and I would strongly advise to come along on the Friday if you want to be assured of trying them. Having said that all the beers and ciders we have are really top quality and people attending are in for a great night!
The last remaining tickets are still available from the Beverley ale festival website, from Beverley Tourist information
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