Democracy in Action! #ISBFX : Beer of the Festival
“Steal away at sundown, pick a place to hide
Check for signs of ambush, hunker down inside
Tired of running, tired of never standing still
Hear them riding up the hill
Men whose ribs are showing through their skin, bringing up the rear
It's high noon somewhere, it's dark in here…. “
“Dark In Here” - The Mountain Goats
ISBF. It's a little different. An amalgam of traditional and modern. An event that (in my opinion) is as much about the people and the feeling as it is about the beer.
I'm no longer shy about the exceptional beer list. That's now - kind of - accepted. But you can have the greatest beer list ever, but if the event feels wrong, people don't come back.
And we've had the same guests return year after year since 2014.
It's community. Family. And that's how we like it.
One of the more traditional things that we do is decide a “Beer of the Festival”. However, unlike some much larger events, this has always been a decision made by attendees (or guests).
This year is no different. Except, of course, it is. In that this year, I've not had to do a manual count.
That's on Daisy. She's clever. And suggested using a Google Forms document. So guests could choose.
Strangely, over the years, what started out as a little fun, has become quite a regarded thing.
As stated above, this is down to the excellence of the beer list.
And - this year - this is evidenced further by the number of beers that have received votes. Almost 60% of beers received at least one vote.
As I stated earlier. It's a decent list.
So. In short. There's no “prize”. No certificate. And this post is the only presentation (in so far as this is….)
And - for transparency - there were 82 beers to choose from. Each was listed individually. So, where we have the same beer on both Cask and Keg, they were counted individually.
So. In reverse order…… the Top 3 (as per the vote - which closed 2 minutes ago)
3. “First American Red” - Lark Hill Brewery (Salford)
2. “Marvoloso v14” - Commonwealth Brewing (Virginia Beach, Virginia, US)
“Double Yellow Lines” - Tom's Tap & Brewhouse (Crewe)
Congratulations to Sean Ayling (Now a TWICE WINNER!) & Jack Dixon at Lark Hill (just a few doors from Hemsley House)
So. That’s it for another year.
And - regarding next year - the first collab is coming SOON! #ISBFXI IS COMING!!!
Be kind to one another.
Jim x