We headed over to the Derby Roundhouse this week for the trade session of the Derby CAMRA Winter Ale #Festival. We were showcasing three Old Sawley #brews - our core #beer Tollbridge #Porter, along with a Bramble #Stout and Ferryman Stout.
The team got the train over to #Derby, meeting first the local #CAMRA pub of the year winner The Brunswick Inn, who also do a line in #brewing. After a cheeky half, it was time to cross over the railway bridge to join the queue for glasses and programmes and enter the fray in the Roundhouse.
While the Tollbridge Porter has received some excellent reviews on Untappd over the course of the weekend, we are also very pleased with the warm welcome that both the Bramble Stout and Ferryman have got. Many check-ins commented on the raspberry note that comes through on Ferryman after the initial coffee hit. We're glad you all tasted it!
One reviewer on #Untappd described the Bramble Porter as follows:
Lovely pint. Dark, thick and fruity. Like Guinness and black, but with attitude.
We like the sound of that! Although we like to think there is also a degree of additional complexity and creaminess that is a step up even from that most ubiquitous of Irish brews! Maybe we're looking into it too hard. We'll let you judge for yourself.
In a nutshell
The Roundhouse is really quite a stunning venue for a beer festival and the crowd at the trade session was a good humoured bunch, predominantly a mixture of trade professionals and CAMRA members. All enjoyed the early access to the hundreds of beers on offer, and there were also an impressive range of food stands available to soak up that last half.
With thanks to Derby CAMRA for their ongoing support, as well as to all the publicans and fellow brewers we had a chinwag with at the #beerfestival! Next up, look out for us at the beer festivals in Loughborough and Leicester.