Another week, another beer festival, well two actually. The first was the Trade Session at Peterborough CAMRA Beer Festival. This is a great day out, and I’m not the only one that thinks so as the cream of Norwich landlords and ladies were (also) in attendance. Two mahoosive marquees full of ale and foreign beer, some interesting food choices and a fun fair to really stir things up! I’m not going to review any beer for you, because I can’t really remember what I had and enough people do that already, but I CAN tell you all about Beef Curtains!
Being of a smutty disposition (yes really), I was instantly drawn to their stall, adorned with strips of said beef curtains (or biltong for those of you of not quite such a smutty disposition), chewy and flavoursome, and everso slightly awesome washed down with some of that smoky bacon flavoured Rauchbier stuff! A beer and food match made in heaven (or South Africa and Germany).
And you thought I was smutty!
The second festival we attended didn’t naturally lend itself to such smuttiness, although it was at a train station so things were getting STEAMY and there was a lot of GOING UP and DOWN involved (that’s the best I can do). It was the first Mid Norfolk Railway Beer Festival, and unlike the Peterborough one, they had the good sense to be selling Norwich Bear Brewing Co ales alongside other local beers. Sitting on one of those old train carriages with the springy yet scratchy seats drinking ale was actually quite lovely. Even the kids didn’t mind being unglued from the TV for the afternoon so that they could sit on the train that goes to Hogwarts (well it shut them up didn’t it, just a small fib…)
However, we did actually have to do some work too, and it was with great pleasure that we welcomed back the Norwich City fans for the first home game of the season. Both our pubs are popular before home matches, but particularly The Rose which is only a 5 minute stagger downhill to Carrow Rd. And when I say popular, I mean RAMMED! Footy days are legendary to Rose staff (especially those that try and get a day off on one) – all hands to the bar for two frenzied hours of pint pulling, listening to the banter, the opinions and the singing.
In the 12 years I have been a Landlady running footy pubs we have never, not once, had any trouble from any fan, a Canary or otherwise. However the club is doing (more going up and down, ooh er) the pub is always full of eager and excited faces before the game and after (though sometimes a little less excited afterwards).
The summer was fun, but I am happy to see it go and the footy season begin.