Every year the Vibrant Forest Brewery holds a small festival showcasing it’s own beers and one or two guest beers...
I’d been before, about three years ago, with my three friends (collectively we’re call ourselves the 'Old Farts' - for reasons I will not go into here). On this occasion due to other commitments the Festival trip was being made by just two Old Farts...
...yes...they’re the ones...
The beer festival is held in Brockenhurst Village hall in the heart of the New Forest and as is usually the case was well attended by over 18s and a few craft loving dogs...
In addition to the main hall shown above, there were people outside enjoying the unusually good August weather and in a couple of other rooms. The stage housed the cask bar (and DJ) and there was a separate keg bar.
Outside a Mexican street food stall was doing good business, while at the bar the team of brewery and volunteer staff were kept busy...well most of the time....even busy staff need a telephone break...
Of course beer festivals are all about the beers, and Vibrant Forest beers are...well....vibrant...
There was a tremendous range, from the session beer Summerland, and the full of flavour but easy drinking Black Forest porter, to high powered pale ale Kaleidoscope and stout Kick-Start.
There were also a couple of experimental hop bombs, which were vibrant but murky...
...and so having started steadily and sampled the session beers, the ABV count inexorably climbed to the dizzying heights of the stronger beers.
We finished our very reasonable six (half pint) tokens for £10, with the Victorian Mild, a throwback early 1900s sort of mild at 7% ABV, brewed as a collaboration between London breweries, Kernel and Redemption.
It’s hard to think of a more pleasant way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon but all too soon the hours, like the contents of our beer glasses, slipped away....
Festival glasses in hand we wandered back to the agreed meeting point for our lift home, a little late but feeling very vibrant...
Beer Mat Moment...
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| Vibrant Forest - (A Side) |
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| Vibrant Forest - (B Side) |
