Tuesday 27 July 2010

Oh My Aching Feet


I note from Twitter and elsewhere that beer geeks are rightly looking forward to the Great British Beer Festival. And so they should. This extravaganza is, or at least ought to be, the culmination of any British beer buff's year. It is the icing on the cake and indeed a large chunk of the cake itself.

The statistics are no doubt elsewhere, so look them up if you want to, but its sheer size is amazingly impressive. One of the great things to do is walk amongst the place before it is filled with people, just taking it all in. It is simply gobsmacking. For the aficionado, the cask beer list alone should satisfy most tastes and the foreign beer list should have you drooling; the scratchings, curries, sausages, crisps and pies should keep you going and the chance to meet up with friends old and new and talk beery bollocks to each other, should have you beating a path to the door.

Among the 80,000 or so visitors will be the thousand or so CAMRA volunteers. Those that set it all up (look around you and have a think about how much effort that takes) keep you safe, look after beer, drive fork lifts, sell souvenirs, pick up litter, offer you a glass, a programme or directions and of course importantly, perhaps above all, serve you beer. All are giving their time freely and will be on their feet for days. It will hurt, but right now, young and old, they are really looking forward to it too. Without them you wouldn't have a festival to go to, so spare them a kind thought or two. I'll be one and I can tell you hearing about how great it all is, or what a good time you are having, getting a smile or a word of thanks, goes a long, long way towards making it all worthwhile.

See you there.

12 comments:

rabidbarfly said...

here here!

Tandleman said...

I'm hoping to be in the Rake on Monday night before GBBF. Are you likely to be there?

Jeff Pickthall said...

@tandy

The Guild of Beer Writers social is at Brew Wharf that night. We can sneak you in.

"Eddie Rowles" said...

I've decided to volunteer for some work this year - helping with set up on the Sat/Sun and then working trade day afternoon - will keep an eye out for you...

Tandleman said...

@jeffpickthall - a very kind offer. Can you email me on that one with details? tandleman@yahoo.com

Eddie - yes come and say hello on BSF - German

"Eddie Rowles" said...

Will do - I notice BSF is close to the main entrance this year so will no doubt pick up more passing trade.

Not sure what I'll be doing on Tues - I'd put down for cider stall or BSF so will see they can accomodate me...

rabidbarfly said...

I'll be there before the BGBW dinner

ChrisM said...

Assuming all goes to plan I hope to be working on BSF with you for at least some of the time.

Tandleman said...

Eddie - we are never short of trade really. This might be a bad place in some ways, but we'll see.

RBF - Hope to see you sometime there then.

Chris - See you there.

Alistair Reece said...

Just a random question, are the US beers there required to be cask conditioned as it is a CAMRA event?

Gazza Prescott said...

It's not the culmination of my year.

If I wanted to drink overpriced beer in an underground carpark I'd take some Brewdog 55% stuff into my local NCP, thanks very much.

Call me old fashioned but I'd rather drink my beer in a pub!

Tandleman said...

@Gazza - Well piss off then you miserable scrote.

I'll email you about another matter though. (-: