By Andy
Continuing
our tour of the Three Valleys Beer Festival, our next stop was The
Castle Inn in Bradway.
The
festival organisers had clearly lucked out with the day's weather –
it was a scorcher. This suited The Castle Inn as it has a huge
outside area – the sort of space that could be described as drab in
winter; it was a veritable suntrap today. Having sat inside at the Coach & Horses, we took advantage of the opportunity to top up our
tans.
The
Castle had clearly made an effort for the festival coming to town.
Picnic tables adorned the car park and a barbecue was smoking away in
the corner. There was even an outside bar for those of us too lazy to
venture indoors.
Despite
having already eaten at the Coach & Horses, we were determined to
sample all the festival had to offer. Besides, the scent of the
barbecue was becoming impossible to resist.
Burgers
and hot dogs were the fare of the day. I plumped for a chilli burger,
with a cheese sauce so gooey they had to use a ladle. It was the sort
of burger that ends up all over your face – needless to say I
approved. Rob assures me the hot dogs were just as spectacular.
The choice of beers was also
terrific. We picked Stainless by Stancill Brewery, an ideal golden
ale for an ideal summer's day.
With
a beer in my hand and cheese sauce on my chin, it dawned on me that
everyone was a winner at beer festivals.
Punters
get an array of extras to entice the crowds – barbecues, outside
bars etc – and landlords are rewarded with sales far exceeding the
norm.
For
seasoned pub-tourers such as ourselves, it was a no-brainer to take
in as much of the festival as possible.
With
that in mind, we trundled back to the car in pursuit of our next
destination.
Pub:
The Castle Inn (1 Twentywell Road, S17 4PT)
Rating:
9/10
Pint:
Stainless
No comments:
Post a Comment