| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) 11:12 - Aug 22 with 1332 views | WeWereZombies |
I was in a foul mood last Thursday evening, the fibre glass poles that go through the plasticky sleeves in the tent are starting to split and they snag on the joints in the sleeves these days anyway. Tent may only be fifteen years old, modern rubbish. People were trying to help me and just getting in the way. So I went down the pub.
First off at The Hop Inn was a pint of the ever dependable Sir Roger's Porter, sadly the only porter on the card this year. Then I think I had a pint of Brandeston Gold, which must have worked because I was feeling much better by the end of it. Not sure if that was from The Cobbold Arms but I had moved on there by the time I bought a pint of Normal 4 Norfolk, this was at the bottom of the first column of the list of beers but I didn't see 'ciders' written above the final line so I wandered around commenting that it was a very strange pint and taking citrusy to new extremes. Graham, who runs the pub, came and had a long chat with me, we commiserated about his daughter having her excellent set at WOMAD cut short by the Sunday night amplification midnight curfew. Then the brewer of Normal 4 Norfolk came and had a chat with me but the penny still hadn't dropped that I was drinking cider.
I had already been back to the tent once to put it up again but when I returned after midnight it had collapsed and my sleeping bag and karrimat were no long in it. So I put the tent up again and made a valiant attempt to sleep in wet clothes but failed, maybe I should have had a fourth pint. Went round to her tent and had a dry sleeping bag, not as good as my one, and the karrimat thrown at me. Went back to my tent and laid them out, got out of the wet clothes and slept very well. Spent at least half an hour in the morning going round and apologising for my bad behaviour the previous evening.
At this point I might not get the order in which I drank the beers correct but I definitely started the day back at The Cobbold Arms for a talk by Martin from Tindall Brewery (based in Seething, Norfolk and I am sure we can all fill in a punchline based on our promotion) with tastings of a couple of their beers. Later in the weekend I had a pint of their excellent Ditchingham Dam and also a pint of Summer Loving (but that was only so I could tell anyone who enquired whether I was waiting to be served that I was waiting for some summer loving...no one did. Nevertheless I shared a couple of lines of Grease with the lady that served me, FolkEast is always full of surprises.) I think I had some Earl Soham Victoria bitter later on, another ever dependable.
Passed on the talk by Ampersand the next morning because I got involved in other stuff but I did have a pint of their bitter in the afternoon, it's the type of beer that on first tasting you think is nothing special but halfway through you realise that it is gently but firmly winning you over.
Final day and a not to be missed talk by Tim Dunsford of Greenjack. He started by telling us it was going to be short because Graham had kept him up until three in the morning talking and drinking. It was brief but then he had to spend three quarters of an hour answering our inane questions and that was entertaining. Oh, and we had a tasting of Baltic Trader...which is ten and a half percent. Take that Skullsplitter. At the end Tim was presented with not one, not two but six awards by CAMRA, including two golds. Somehow the only other one of his beers I drank over the weekend was Summer Dreams but I had a pint of Trawlerboys at The Locks Inn earlier in the week when I was camping not too far from Geldeston Basin.
Sunday properly drinking started later and with a sense of decorum, another relaible stalwart of the festival is Gannet Mild. I had a tastes of the pints I bought her over the weekend and I think the very interesting LGM1 and the Orange Wheat Beer were amongst them. Very happy and full of fond memories in the end, and the tent stayed up once I had put it right, I even got my sleeping bag back.
No firm word on where FolkEast is moving to yet but I heard rumours of a wooded estate near Beccles. They were confident enough to be selling the early early bird tickets last Sunday. Long may they run. |  |
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| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 11:16 - Aug 22 with 1294 views | Steve_M |
Has it taken you all week to sober up enough to write a report??
How was the Baltic Trader? |  |
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| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 11:24 - Aug 22 with 1266 views | WeWereZombies |
| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 11:16 - Aug 22 by Steve_M |
Has it taken you all week to sober up enough to write a report??
How was the Baltic Trader? |
I hope I was sober by Monday lunchtime, I drove six hundred and forty miles home over that afternoon and the next day. And my back numberplate fell off in Morrisons car park in Stirling, which I put down to the change from the dry and warm East Anglian weather of the last four weeks to the first taste of driech on the edge of the Highlands.
For Baltic Trader imagine a much stronger and better tasting Newcastle Brown Ale, but I don't think it is a brown ale. One for further investigation. | |
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| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 12:02 - Aug 22 with 1173 views | Freddies_Ears |
| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 11:24 - Aug 22 by WeWereZombies |
I hope I was sober by Monday lunchtime, I drove six hundred and forty miles home over that afternoon and the next day. And my back numberplate fell off in Morrisons car park in Stirling, which I put down to the change from the dry and warm East Anglian weather of the last four weeks to the first taste of driech on the edge of the Highlands.
For Baltic Trader imagine a much stronger and better tasting Newcastle Brown Ale, but I don't think it is a brown ale. One for further investigation. |
Great report. I tried each of the beers, and loved the Brandeston Gold, obvs the Sir Roger, and the Victoria. Your cider confusion was hilarious - opening up the 'craft beer or alcopop?' debate... You didn't mention the wonderfully dry Crone's cider...
For anyone ever in or around Ipswich, you can buy Baltic Trader at Hopsters. It won't be the cheapest beer you ever bought, at 10.5% and in a 75cl bottle, but it is utterly wonderful on a cold winter's night. I'd call it an Imperial Stout btw. . |  | | |
| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 12:36 - Aug 22 with 1112 views | WeWereZombies |
| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 12:02 - Aug 22 by Freddies_Ears |
Great report. I tried each of the beers, and loved the Brandeston Gold, obvs the Sir Roger, and the Victoria. Your cider confusion was hilarious - opening up the 'craft beer or alcopop?' debate... You didn't mention the wonderfully dry Crone's cider...
For anyone ever in or around Ipswich, you can buy Baltic Trader at Hopsters. It won't be the cheapest beer you ever bought, at 10.5% and in a 75cl bottle, but it is utterly wonderful on a cold winter's night. I'd call it an Imperial Stout btw. . |
Thanks for that stout clarification and the compliments on the report. Whilst on the Waveney I also took the opportunity to visit Bull Of The Woods and Grain, reports will follow but it was interesting to see Bull Of The Woods hosing down their casks when I arrived (Tim gave a good reason for why breweries use steel and not wooden casks, risk of rot. Presumably not such an issue with whisky...maybe Baltic Trader too.) Although the shed/shop had an open sign in the window they told me they only open on Thursday afternoon and all day Friday. And then they sold me two bottles of the six point four per cent IPA.
Grain is a bit more upmarket (despite the big chalk arrow on a blackboard being the only indication that there is a brewery up the lane off the A143 on the left after Bungay.) My tightfisted self did get irked when I realised that by buying three bottles I was paying more than I would have if I had bought the bottles individually (effectively paying fifty pee for a cardboard box with a carry handle) but I look forward to sharing the beer with a neighbour.
[Edit: sorry, should have said I didn't mention the Crone's cider because neither of us bought a pint. Will keep an eye out for it next time I am out east.] [Post edited 22 Aug 2024 12:54]
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| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 14:21 - Aug 22 with 1018 views | Freddies_Ears |
| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 12:36 - Aug 22 by WeWereZombies |
Thanks for that stout clarification and the compliments on the report. Whilst on the Waveney I also took the opportunity to visit Bull Of The Woods and Grain, reports will follow but it was interesting to see Bull Of The Woods hosing down their casks when I arrived (Tim gave a good reason for why breweries use steel and not wooden casks, risk of rot. Presumably not such an issue with whisky...maybe Baltic Trader too.) Although the shed/shop had an open sign in the window they told me they only open on Thursday afternoon and all day Friday. And then they sold me two bottles of the six point four per cent IPA.
Grain is a bit more upmarket (despite the big chalk arrow on a blackboard being the only indication that there is a brewery up the lane off the A143 on the left after Bungay.) My tightfisted self did get irked when I realised that by buying three bottles I was paying more than I would have if I had bought the bottles individually (effectively paying fifty pee for a cardboard box with a carry handle) but I look forward to sharing the beer with a neighbour.
[Edit: sorry, should have said I didn't mention the Crone's cider because neither of us bought a pint. Will keep an eye out for it next time I am out east.] [Post edited 22 Aug 2024 12:54]
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Mmmmm, Grain Slate, one of my faves.... | | | |
| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 15:16 - Aug 22 with 965 views | WeWereZombies |
| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 14:21 - Aug 22 by Freddies_Ears |
Mmmmm, Grain Slate, one of my faves.... |
The Slate didn't appear in the sales cabinet they had, and they have discontinued Redwood as far as I can tell. The three I bought were Oak, Best Bitter and Weizen. | |
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| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 18:55 - Aug 22 with 876 views | Freddies_Ears |
| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 15:16 - Aug 22 by WeWereZombies |
The Slate didn't appear in the sales cabinet they had, and they have discontinued Redwood as far as I can tell. The three I bought were Oak, Best Bitter and Weizen. |
FolkEast doesn't encourage strong ales; I think Trawlerboys & Brandeston Gold topped the list at 4.6%. The Crones cider was both decently dry and great value, 5.7%. | | | |
| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 14:15 - Aug 26 with 638 views | ford6600 |
Sounds like you had a great time, excluding the cider. Mentioned Locks Inn, l try and visit a few times a year, its isolated out there on Norfolk/Suffolk border by River Waveney and have waded to pub along that track when flooded in winter. A community pub now, l bought some shares, always fancied owning a pub! Always had Green Jack ales, then brief Grain brewery ownership, now Community owned with nice range of real ales. Grain, Slate is very nice! Folkeast in Beccles next year? | | | |
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| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 14:17 - Aug 26 with 626 views | Freddies_Ears |
| FolkEast beer report (warning, may include cider.) on 14:15 - Aug 26 by ford6600 |
Sounds like you had a great time, excluding the cider. Mentioned Locks Inn, l try and visit a few times a year, its isolated out there on Norfolk/Suffolk border by River Waveney and have waded to pub along that track when flooded in winter. A community pub now, l bought some shares, always fancied owning a pub! Always had Green Jack ales, then brief Grain brewery ownership, now Community owned with nice range of real ales. Grain, Slate is very nice! Folkeast in Beccles next year? |
You sell the pub well - I'll make a trip! I had also heard the Beccles rumour for FolkEast; it'd be a very different experience, but that is no criticism. | | | |
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