JD Wetherspoon Real Ale Festival

BeerNut

The Autumn 2023 festival officially begins tomorrow but The Silver Penny has started early. They have what's probably the premium tick of the list on at the moment: Hoptropolis, a 6% IPA co-brewed by Mitch Steele who is most famous for being head brewer at Stone back in the day. The Zululand collaboration and a very nice dark beer from Hogs Back are also on today.

Hodors Appletart

There was a decent selection in there on Saturday too, but they'd sold out of almost everything apart from the Brehon stuff, by about 3pm

hynesie08

Well, that's Thursday sorted......

BeerNut

Still no festival beers on at Camden Street: they were disastrous during the spring festival this year, only having a couple for the last few days. Festival beers are listed at Swords, Dún Laoghaire, Carlow and Waterford today, plus Abbey Street has added more since yesterday.

irish_goat

None showing on the app for Belfast yet, but they are hit and miss at updating it.

artanevilla

Forgive my ignorance but is this the proper stuff that's not carbonated and is hand pumped like in the UK?

irish_goat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121223788#Comment_121223788

Correct. The festival tends to have a lot more variety of styles than you'd normally see on the bar as well. They also fly brewers in from abroad to brew at a beer at a UK brewery.

artanevilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121223833#Comment_121223833

This is very exciting for me.

BeerNut

Three stouts, a porter and a mild: it's very exciting for me too 😀

Emblematic

I like beer.

donaghs

Does this also include

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121223788#Comment_121223788

Does this also include fizzy ales? :)

I don’t mind a pint of cask now and then, but overall not my thing.

(I get that the keg beer is artificially carbonated, but you can make your own fizzy bottle conditioned ales which taste great).

irish_goat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121224560#Comment_121224560

Can't speak for all breweries but Kinnegar kegs have natural carbonation using the German 'spunding' technique. CO2 is trapped in the fermenter, rather than being added to the beer/keg via a gas tank.

BeerNut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121224560#Comment_121224560

All the festival specials are served on cask.

BeerNut

A handful of festival beers have landed at Camden Street and Grand Canal Dock at last, and a couple have turned over since yesterday at Abbey Street. My picks so far have been Maxim Slovenian Pale Ale and Lancaster Harlequin.

hynesie08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121228634#Comment_121228634

You investigating on foot or just checking the app? The answer may effect my level of internet respect for you.....

BeerNut

Abbey Street in real life. There were a couple of app anomalies last night but what's listed now is actually there. The others I'm just looking at the app, so usual caveats apply.

irish_goat

Belfast Spoons is closed for renovations, so that might explain the lack of updates on the app. Enroute to Dublin now so might call to Abbey Street or the South Strand and see what's on offer there.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121224012#Comment_121224012

Titanic Cherry is one of the very few cask ales I would pay money for.

Salopian were always a popular one on the bar too so might be worth checking out.

BeerNut

I don't think I've ever had a bad beer from Salopian. I'm interested in the St Austell one too, so might try and get into Camden Street for that while it's (allegedly) there.

irish_goat

Abbey Street app appears to be accurate. Slovenian Pale Ale and Yazoo Dos Perros both quite nice.

Will try the Robinsons Fear of the Dark next. I normally avoid gimmick beers but I quite like Trooper, and Fear of the Dark is a tune.

Geuze

Are these all 2.50?

irish_goat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121233128#Comment_121233128

Yep. That's regardless of the ABV too. I remember maybe 10 years ago in the Derry Spoons they had Stone Black IPA at 8.7% on for £1.49 a pint.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121233158#Comment_121233158

Would that put it below MUP in these dark times?

BeerNut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121233158#Comment_121233158

I think you're mis-remembering. In Autumn 2013, the Stone/Adnams collaboration wasn't Sublimely Self-Righteous (8.7%), it was Supremely Self-Conscious (5%). It was also one of the most memorably delicious beers I've ever tasted.

Swords is currently €1.95 a pint btw, bargain hunters.

Speak Now

All €1.95 in Waterford as well.

irish_goat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121233478#Comment_121233478

Ah yes, it's this one I'm thinking of.

BeerNut

It's a stout bonanza at The South Strand today: both the Inveralmond Ossian Oatmeal and the Steel & Oak/Batemans Easy Stout are on (actually on). They also have the Brewsters Krafty Kiwi, Hook Norton Autumn Ways, King Goblin and Zulu Blonde. Somebody must have lost the password to the app updater 🙄

Geuze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121235904#Comment_121235904

Great value.

Strip out 23% VAT to 158.5 and deduct say 50c excise and you get 108.5.

About 1 euro and 9 cent between the brewer and pub - how do they do it?

BeerNut

The product is almost entirely water.

irish_goat

Belfast Spoons is reopened and they've even updated the app. Salopian's golden ale is fine, nothing too exciting but a refreshing number at least. Hoptroplis is excellent and at 6% is dangerously drinkable for lunchtime.

Also got undercharged and only paid £1.20 per half.

Geuze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121237059#Comment_121237059

108.5 cent for the brewer and pub.

This just shows the massive profits being made by other breweries and/or pubs.

artanevilla

Having visited for the "festival" I can say it is not worth it. Beer is good, joint is not.