It’s done! Independent Salford Beer Festival 10 is officially over! Until next year, please, Jim!
And I’m home! The van clutch master cylinder made it back to Cheadle Hulme for one last time. I’ve one on order which should be here in a few days and I’ll have a dabble at replacing it.
Having arrived back to the car park at around 9pm, I packed away the shopping into cupboards and the fridge and began writing yesterday’s blog. Them my phone ran out of battery, so I put it on charge whilst I had a rest.
The rest turned into sleep and the phone charged overnight, until I woke up almost 12 hours later! That has not happened in a very long time. Even the Doppler sirens didn’t wake me!
What did though was the alarm for Hemsley House. Someone official had entered and propped the back door open for too long, which tripped the alarm. Eventually someone figured it out and turned it off.
During this time, I washed, dressed and converted the camper back into the van, with bed becoming seat and front seat swivelling 180 degrees to face forwards. It’s always a good look when camping after consuming alcohol – making it very clear you are not in charge of an operative motor vehicle!
Once converted, I couldn’t be arsed to make my breakfast so sacked that idea off and went back to the Old Firestation Bakery for a take out bacon butty and a large black Americano.
I then headed in to Hemsley to help set up for the first of two sessions that I’ll be volunteering at today. This combined with driving home means it’ll be water and ‘little taster sips at most for me. No biggie though, as I love being behind the bars and serving folk.
The doors opened for the morning session and we readied ourselves behind the leg bar for the initial rush.
Serving beer well is a skill and takes practice. The beers will be carbonated to different levels based on style (e.g. stouts low, lagers high). But on top of that, the pour will change as to how far through the keg you are and also the ambient temperature of the room, and therefore the last section of beer line.
I won’t pretend to be any expert but I’m definitely getting better at pouring some of the ‘tricky beers’.
During the session, I’d got to meet and chat with loads of great people, one of whom has the monicker of being “The Nicest Man In Brewing”. Andy Parker was a bloody good homebrewer who now operates seriously good brewery in Reading called Elusive. He & Elusive make one of my all time favourite beers – Oregon Trail.
It’s a beer I had a go at replicating as a homebrew last October. I gave Jim a bottle to try when I was volunteering at ISBF9 and Jim, being Jim stitched me up like a kipper.
I was serving, and then I saw Jim approaching with my homebrew and two glasses. He has Andy at his side! The pair then opened and drank my homebrew homage to Andy’s beer. I was star-struck and he was incredibly generous with his critique of my beer. It will remain a highlight of mine, for sure!
The session was a whirlwind and seemed to be over very quickly even though it was 4:30pm!
A quick change around, tidy up and cleandown before the next session and then a brief respite and a sit down.
And then we go again!
At 6pm the doors opened to the final session. In a slight change-around I was asked to work with Chris on the Cask Bar.
Unlike on the keg bar, when beer is forced from the keg using direct or indirect pressure, on Cask, it’s either gravity (open a tap and it runs out) or using a hand pull (sometimes know as a beer engine), where you pull beer from the cask and push it into the glass.
Somehow, at 55 years old, I have never pulled a pint! A quick but thorough demo from Chris of do’s & dont’s and I gave it a go.
From my limited experience, as with pouring keg, there’s a bit of art involved in the perfect cask pour, for me at this basic level, it’s primarily gap between beer and outlet on the initial pull and then backing the glass away as you then increase the pressure on the pump handle until to correct volume has been served.
It was good fun and another life experience ‘tick’!
For the last half of the session I moved back onto the keg bar to give yet another wonderful chap some support. ‘Doctor Rob’ was manning the keg fort along with Tim, and it gets busy, hence me switching.
Finally time was called and we breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone seemed happy, no one was being lairy & so we began the tidy up. Drip trays, bins, ‘slop buckets’ etc
Once done, and with all the punters gone, I said my fairwells and headed home. Even with a pain in the arse clutch pedal, I found it hard to wipe the grin from my face. Tired, yes, but it’s such a privilege to have worked at “My Best Beer Festival In The World” for another year!
I’ve been very lucky to have been on this journey and met all these great people. I hope I get the opportunity to do it all again next year.
But for now, I’ll sign off knowing everyone that came raised a good chunk of change for the START Inspiring Minds Charity!
Brilliant work, folks!