tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6398670700108906754.post7325748499183109151..comments2023-05-31T01:20:09.913-07:00Comments on Crema's Beer Odyssey: The Greatest British Beer FestivalEmmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761021858837635618noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6398670700108906754.post-80088447908858370732014-10-20T10:45:04.125-07:002014-10-20T10:45:04.125-07:00Firstly, I have to agree with John Clarke. Phil...Firstly, I have to agree with John Clarke. Phil's blog is just that: a personal blog by someone who happens to drink real ale. I don't see any sense in trying to rope CAMRA as an organisation into any discussion of his personal opinions. <br /><br />On the broader discussion, I have to say that I enjoyed both the GBBF and IndyMan and in terms of experience found then both different and similar at the same time. I had some great food at both festivals, for example. I've been to a lot of festivals and drank a lot of beers, but I still found plenty to drink at GBBF. Equally there were plenty of beers at IndyMan that I didn't want to try. <br /><br />I think there's plenty of room for both types of festival and plenty of room for approval/dissent of both as well. Sat In A Pubhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08123038980796000837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6398670700108906754.post-69073171187990607732014-10-19T10:00:37.801-07:002014-10-19T10:00:37.801-07:00OK....still not sure what you are getting at given...OK....still not sure what you are getting at given that Phil's comments were made in a blog post by an individual blogger. Surely these are his personal thoughts - no more, no less. Have I missed something?John Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00132845616834779091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6398670700108906754.post-44449238154706931862014-10-19T09:11:55.541-07:002014-10-19T09:11:55.541-07:00@John - sorry, you're quite right. in place of...@John - sorry, you're quite right. in place of "CAMRA", read "real ale fans and members of real ale preservation societies".JonRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10720656744519280983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6398670700108906754.post-1310196161912582772014-10-19T04:18:49.036-07:002014-10-19T04:18:49.036-07:00JonR - can't quite see how you factor CAMRA in...JonR - can't quite see how you factor CAMRA into that - the comments on Phil's blog are his own and nothing to do with CAMRA.<br /><br />As for the keg/cask thing - CAMRA's policy as far as I know is that it won't sell beers of they are available in both keg and cask form but there is no differentiation at the point of sale. Given that keg is usually sold via a font and cask via a handpump that shouldn't be a problem.John Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00132845616834779091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6398670700108906754.post-31395685364128252722014-10-18T08:22:43.795-07:002014-10-18T08:22:43.795-07:00is publicly taking the piss out of short people wh...is publicly taking the piss out of short people who attend rival beer festivals a part of CAMRAs recruitment strategy now? cos if so it's a shit one.<br /><br />if i were that guy who was described on a well-known beer blog as "looking like a gnome" i'd be pretty gutted. if he reads it, god only knows what he's going to think about the writer, CAMRA, and beer festivals in general. i know what i'd think though.JonRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10720656744519280983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6398670700108906754.post-81429127679728331952014-10-18T06:18:45.327-07:002014-10-18T06:18:45.327-07:00Phil: thanks for commenting. I linked to your blog...Phil: thanks for commenting. I linked to your blog post, assuming that would be sufficient for citation purposes (in case anyone who read my post wanted to see the source material). <br /><br />The reason I said 'some people' instead of using your name is because you were not the only person to express a negative opinion about IMBC without having attended it. You were simply the best example. Also, other bloggers this week had already covered the issue of IMBC being 'elitist' and so I didn't feel the need to tread the same ground, hence those parties were not named either.<br /><br />Perhaps I should have named ALL relevant parties for the sake of equality and transparency and that is something I will consider in future posts. I apologise if I caused offence by not naming you specifically, as I said, I thought the citation would be enough. <br /><br />Again, it was absolutely NOT just your blog post I am referring to when I say that some people are pulling things to pieces just because they do not care for them. It's many different people in different places, to different degrees. <br /><br />Fishter: yes, I have heard that is the case too. If some breweries produce <b>the same beer</b> in cask AND keg, why shouldn't they be able to have the cask version at GBBF? That just seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face. I find that a real shame because it's stopping people from experiencing something like Magic Rock's High Wire.<br /><br />EmmaEmmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06761021858837635618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6398670700108906754.post-87335026856526953552014-10-18T04:00:57.334-07:002014-10-18T04:00:57.334-07:00I seem to recall a further restriction on having c...I seem to recall a further restriction on having cask ales that are also available in keg. But as the CAMRA website is down I can't check the policy documents.<br />That night explain the odd choice of Magic Rock beers.Fishterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10196761190239992881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6398670700108906754.post-70350251054080550792014-10-18T02:06:47.503-07:002014-10-18T02:06:47.503-07:00No time to reply now, except to say that
1. I did...No time to reply now, except to say that<br /><br />1. I did not review IMBC. Obviously - how could I review it if I didn't even go? All I did was write about why I'd decided not to go - some good reasons (perhaps), some less so (certainly), but just one person's reasons.<br /><br />2. Yes, the post was meant humorously. What you seem to have missed is that most of the humour was <b>at my own expense</b> - see my reply to hopzine.<br /><br />3. Another time a name check would be nice. All this "some people feel the need" stuff is a bit passive-aggressive. Apart from anything else actually naming the post you're quoting might have helped you keep things in proportion - not "some people" pulling events to pieces, just this one guy writing a quick self-mocking post about why he didn't go to this particular event.Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07009879034507926661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6398670700108906754.post-51789952179004103132014-10-17T05:48:43.757-07:002014-10-17T05:48:43.757-07:00Indy Man comes at the wrong time of year for me to...Indy Man comes at the wrong time of year for me to attend, but I have always enjoyed the commentary. It really seems to be the place where all the breweries bring their A Game. <br /><br />By contrast, London Craft Beer Festival in August was a bit down (in beer quality) from its excellent previous year. Good event, great beers, but 2013 was excellent with lots of festival specific beers, and the overseas breweries were really kicking it. There was better organisation this year, but there are only so many A games you can bring, and I think the UK breweries are reserving it for IMBC.<br /><br />GBBF beer selection I think is an artefact of the federated selection process. It results in a breweries best known beers being pushed through for selection. I really noticed the glut of golden ales. I think there are moves afoot in CAMRA to address this, but yeah it was a real struggle to find anything different or unusual.The Sum of All Beershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04929061497075905611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6398670700108906754.post-30789948927941925352014-10-17T04:50:24.452-07:002014-10-17T04:50:24.452-07:00I think the blog you had in mind was extrapolating...I think the blog you had in mind was extrapolating a previous experience onto why he wasn't doing it again. Not so unreasonable in that light surely?<br /><br />I know thee were others who you may feel differently about.<br /><br />Going back to choice at GBBF,I have to agree with you, though the requirement to supply beer in 18s (miniumum 3 I think and all from the same gyle, can be an inhibiting factor for some brewers.Tandlemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06804499573827044693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6398670700108906754.post-48379877781342003122014-10-17T03:36:01.962-07:002014-10-17T03:36:01.962-07:00Tandleman, thanks for commenting.
I refrained fr...Tandleman, thanks for commenting. <br /><br />I refrained from writing what would have been pretty much an exclusively negative post straight after GBBF. That didn't seem a fair thing to do - even though I've been going for years and would be entitled to write about my experience of it. <br /><br />What motivated me finally to talk about GBBF was people who didn't even go to Indyman rubbishing it. I just don't understand the need to do that. It baffles me. If you go and you hated it, well ok, I'm interested in your opinion on it. But if you didn't go, then you're not really in a position to tell other people what is wrong with it. That's unfair and nonsensical. And I am just sick of the needless negativity too.<br /><br />But, yes of course there is an element of old-skool vs new-skool tension about it. That is understandable. If that is all it was...Emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06761021858837635618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6398670700108906754.post-11228940869553958952014-10-17T03:22:32.259-07:002014-10-17T03:22:32.259-07:00I think in terms of remarks and criticisms, you ou...I think in terms of remarks and criticisms, you ought to read what Ray Bailey says in Boak and Bailey <br />"I Suspect there’s a bit ‘see how you like it’ in the criticism of IndyMan by CAMRA loyalists who have had to put up with complaints (some fair, some not) about their festivals. That’s understandable, and the comments have mostly been pretty measured.<br /><br />And, funnily enough, the defensive responses from some IndyManners (here, elsewhere, and on Twitter) reminds me of comments we’ve had from CAMRA loyalists on blog posts we’ve written about GBBF.<br /><br />Just another front in the ongoing old-skool vs. new-skool tensions, I guess."<br /><br />Probably about right.Tandlemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06804499573827044693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6398670700108906754.post-26169019877605746282014-10-17T02:34:21.254-07:002014-10-17T02:34:21.254-07:00Great post with some spot on observations about bo...Great post with some spot on observations about both festivals. I was an IMBC rookie this year and was blown away by everthing - the venue, atmosphere, people and of course beers. There was just so much on offer and I can personally relate to what you were saying about the GBBF. I too will be giving it a miss next year as compared to IMBC there's just no life in it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04611846685425655298noreply@blogger.com