My Kind of Beer Festival

One of mine and S's first topics of conversation (a good few years ago, now) was about beer festivals and whether we really liked them or not.

I was, at the time, working on the Bristol Beer Festival for which I have an enormous soft spot and S remarked that beer festivals can be a bit too noisy, too much queuing at the bar and maybe a bit far from home.  His feeling was that a pub with a good number of pumps with a regularly changing set of beers was, perhaps, preferable.

At the time, I tended to stick to a few pubs I knew well, none of which really fit that mould. Then I came to Hitchin.

I have to say, I didn't like The Half Moon all that much the first time I visited.  The beer was great, but I had a feeling, when we walked in, that it felt like a locals pub and the folk clustered around the bar turned and gawped, as if challenging our right to be there.  That feeling has entirely evaporated and I can now say that it is, without doubt, my favourite pub in Hitchin.

Given that our time spent in Hitchin is likely to be dwindling over the next few months, we decided to make the most of the HM and made definite plans to make the most of their autumn beer festival.  Craig showed us the beer list with some excitement a few weeks ago and we genuinely got excited about it.  About 80 beers in a pub festival is no mean achievement.

I arrived in Hitchin yesterday afternoon and, after a swift "greeting" pint at the Nightingale, we walked around to the HM.  We no longer feel the urge to try as many beers as we can and the best bit of this festival at this pub is that we can return to it each day and not feel too pressured.
So, I started with beer No1 on the list "Anarchy Blonde Star" which was...let's not beat about the bush...a perfect golden session pint.  At the same time, S drank a pint of Vibrant Forest's Black Forest which was hoppy, coffee-y and chocolatey.  Absolutely lovely stuff - even if I probably wouldn't manage a whole pint.

Up for a second pint and I let S choose for me - he came back with (I think) Liverpool Craft Beer's Hop Beast .  It was certainly more floral than the Anarchy...and a little less subtle, but much better balanced than the word "Beast" would lay claim to.  Another really good drinkable beer.
I think (and looking at the beer list I'm possibly more confused) S had a Hop Studio Porter and this was, again, pretty hoppy but with lots of lovely flavours going on and a nice fruity twang to it.

And that was it.  After two (plus one at the Nightingale) we headed home, duly mellowed but not feeling like we'd overdone it.

What's even better is that I'm really looking forward to heading around there again today to take up where we left off.  We might even get a cosy table inside today...

Well done Howard, Craig and the team - you've managed something pretty special - the familiarity of a good pub with a stonking additional choice of beer -this is how it should be done.