Alexander's Ale Festival, 2014

Autumn colour at Alexander's, the Pub at Castle Green

The 2014 Edition of the Alexander's Ale Festival, held in the Function Room of the Castle Green Hotel, got off to a flying start on Friday April 11th. with several of the Bowness Bay beers selling out on night One!  Thankfully, Saturday afternoon started in gently, giving time and space for quiet contemplation of the beers on offer.

 (How did John Smiths Smooth get in there? It's a bloody Beer Festival!)

Top performers, based on a straw-poll of those present, were: Swan Black, from Bowness Bay; Billonde, from Brewshine (apparently made by a man from Kendal in his garage); American Hop from Lancaster Brewery; and (definitely the winner) Angram IPA from Tigertops Brewery in Wakefield. Tigertops is owned by the same people who bring us Foxfield beers from the Prince of Wales pub at Foxfield, and the Angram IPA was a refreshing blast of citrus and hops right from the word go.

 The sun eventually came out, although it was too breezy to sit outside for any length of time. Alexander's, the Pub at the Castle Green Hotel, truly has the finest situation of any pub in Kendal. The Ale Festival, taking place as it does in the Function Room, enjoys much the same view, and when the sun shines, if it's warm enough, you really can't find a better place to enjoy a beer than the hotel lawn.

Live entertainment was supplied by The Mustard Cutters. By common consent, they really "Cut The Mustard" on the night, performing numbers that were clearly popular with the audience, and getting large numbers on the dance floor as the evening went along.

You can see an album of photos of the Ale festival, including lots of The Mustard Cutters, by clicking this link.