Biggleswade Beer Festival – 2023 Tasting Notes

This page contains the tasting notes for this year’s festival. For more information about the festival see our event page.

Real Ale

NumberBreweryLocationNameABVContainerStyleNotes
13 Brewers of St Albans St Albans Classic English Ale 4.0%CaskBitter Deep amber colour, a light hoppy aroma and a rich and rounded malty taste balanced by subtle hoppiness to give a supremely clean, smooth and refreshing ale.
23 Brewers of St Albans St Albans Special English Ale 4.8%CaskBitter A robust and full bodied Premium Ale.  Selected darker malts give it a deep copper colour and the finest English hops give the ale a hint of berries.
3Banks & Taylor St Albans Dragon Slayer 4.5%CaskGolden Well balanced, light and refreshing beer brewed with UK hops giving the beer a well rounded fruity hoppiness.
4Brewhouse and Kitchen Bedford Bankers Draft4.0%CaskBitter Caramel, Toffee, Chocolate, Smooth
5Brewpoint Bedford DNA4.3%CaskAmber Ale An English amber ale showcasing malty, caramel, and subtle dark fruit flavours, complemented by balanced English hopping with firm yet smooth bitterness to finish.
6Brewhouse and Kitchen Bedford Intrepid5.0%CaskGolden Hoppy, Grapefruit, Resinous
7Brewpoint Bedford Hometown4.0%CaskPale Ale A light, crisp base of pale malt and wheat, allows the best of hop expression to shine through. English bittering hops and American dry-hopping combine to give complementary piney and fruity notes. 
8Brewpoint Bedford Legacy Golden Ale4.1%CaskGolden Our refreshing golden ale features two new English hop varieties, Olicana & Harlequin, to bring hoppy notes of fresh orange, passionfruit and peach. Specialty grains add biscuity flavours and pleasant bitterness rounds out this easy-drinking ale.
9Buntingford RoystonCORON-ALE-TION4.6%Cask Golden A Bright golden ale using the wonderful Maris Otter malt, hopped with a heavy dose of citrus hops.
10Buntingford  RoystonOat Meal Stout4.4%CaskStout Rich dark full bodied ale with a smooth creaminess formed from the oats. Hints of treacle and coffee.
11Buntingford RoystonPolar Star 4.4%CaskBlonde Brewed using lager malt and summit hop, giving a crisp citrus finish
12Farr WheathampsteadEnd The Curfew3.6%CaskPale Ale A fresh, crisp & hoppy session ale. Perfect to for quaffing and quenching a proper thirst. Unfined, therefore vegan friendly.
13Garden City BreweryLetchworthMolly’s Mild4.2%CaskMild Dark and nutty
14FarrWheathampsteadFarr Apart4.8%CaskPale Ale Dry hopped with large quantities of Mosaic hops this soft, juicy and fruity IPA has a delicate haze and beautiful aroma.
15Garden City BreweryLetchworthNew Organic Sovereign4.4%CaskGoldenBrewed with organic UK Sovereign hops and New England yeast brewed to celebrate the Coronation
16KelcherAmpthillCoronation3.9%CaskPale AleAn English Style Pale Ale made using 100% UK hops.  This balanced session ale has hints of stone fruits to give a nice refreshing pint. 
17Lord Conrad’s brewery  Cambridge Hedgerow Hop 3.7%CaskGoldenAncient wild hops give character and woody bitterness
18Kelcher AmpthillHoney Trap4.8%CaskGoldenThis beer is brewed with gallons of Bedfordshire honey complimented by a generous portion of malt, wheat, hops, orange and spices. You are overwhelmed with fresh aromas of wild honey flowers, citrus & spice, giving a refreshingly delicious brew. 
19Milton Brewery CambridgeNero5.0%CaskStoutA complex black beer comprising of a bland of milk chocolate, raisins and liquorice. Roast malt and fruit completes the experience.
20New River BreweryHoddesdonFive-Inch Drop4.6%CaskPale AleMade with carefully selected hops from New Zealand, the USA and the UK (hence, “triple-hopped”).  A flavoursome amber ale with a malty aroma; its toffee malt flavours develop into fresh pine resin and fruit citrus after-tones.  This beer has won multiple awards, including CAMRA’s Gold award for Hertfordshire’s beer of the year win 2019.
21PapworthEarithRobin Goodfellow5.4%CaskStoutHeavy and complex malts softened with dark fruit flavours, leading to a distinct velvety hop finish
22New River BreweryHoddesdonHappy and Glorious 4.2%CaskBitterOur recipe uses ingredients exclusively from the UK, including a generous addition of Fuggles hops to the kettle.  The malt bill is formulated to give the beer a classic pale chestnut colour, a well balanced flavour, a full body, and a generous mouthfeel.
23PapworthEarithXTF7.2%CaskPale AleFruity aroma and a strong hop finish
24Wheat Sheaf BreweryHuntingdonMocking Bird5.0%CaskStoutA dark rich stout with bitter coffee notes complementing earthy and floral hop aromas 
25XtremePeterboroughRhubarb X Custard6.0%CaskPorterFull bodied porter with an Xtra good helping of fresh homegrown rhubarb
26XtremePeterboroughStrawberry Xtreme4.5%CaskStoutA rich chocolate stout with sweet strawberry and cream
27March Hare Brew PubDunton’52 Peasouper4.7%CaskPortera traditional London Porter brewed with 20% smoked malt from Bamberg, Germany, to give an authentic smoky flavour, reminiscent of how porters tasted in the old days. 
28March Hare Brew PubDuntonBitter No. 13.8%CaskBitterEasy drinking light brown lightly hopped traditional bitter made from Maris Otter pale malt, crystal malt, wheat malt, flaked maize, East Kent Goldings, Nottingham Ale yeast. 
29March Hare Brew PubDuntonDark Mild4.0%CaskMildMildly hopped and thirst quenching. Brewed with nine types of malt for a subtle satisfying flavour.
30March Hare BrewpubDuntonCAMRA Festival Special5.0%CaskGoldenA round and fruity British Golden beer

Cider & Perry

NumberBreweryLocationNameABVContainerStyleNotes
1Cambridge Cider Co.BassingbourneAngry Wasp6.5%BiBDryMade with Champagne Yeast, with an acidic bite
2Cambridge Cider Co.BassingbourneMuch Merriment6.5%BiB SweetSweet, fruity easy drinking
3Camrose CiderHuntingdonBish Bash Bosh6.0%BiBDryIt has a light straw colour, a floral refreshing taste, not too sharp. Great on a sunny day.
4Camrose CiderHuntingdonLuvvly Jubbly6.5%BiBMediumGolden in colour, smooth, some tannin giving it some depth of taste.  An easy drinking cider.
5Cromwell Cider HuntingdonCavalier Perry6.5%BiBPerryMade from dessert pears that are allowed to ripen on the tree to produce a light and bright medium perry. 
6Cromwell Cider HuntingdonOliver’s Downfall6.7%BiBDryCider that has been Oak Cask conditioned and taken on the full character of the whiskey casks used.
7Offley CiderOffleyOffa rex5.1%BiBMediumClassic West country style cider, Tannic and well rounded. Dabinett 60% / Michelin 40%
8Offley CiderOffleyJack o Legs6.0%BiBDryWest country style cider, Tannic sharps. Villberrie Apples 100%
9Potton Press CiderGuilden Morden Pyder7.0%BiBMediumMade from a blend of local pears and the finest apple cider to make a delicious medium-sweet, easy drinking Pyder with a subtle pear taste and aroma.
10Potton Press CiderGuilden MordenTrip Hazard8.2%BiBMediumMade using apples that are naturally high in sugars, resulting in a rich, strong, fruity and characterful cider. 
11Kentish PipBekesbourneGrafter6.2%BiBMediumWe have matured this cider a little bit longer, giving lovely supple and rounded tannins, balanced against a touch of sweetness, ripe red apple notes and a long complex finish.

Craft

NumberBreweryLocationNameABVContainerStyleNotes
1Crossover BlenderyWestonMares Tail5.9%PolyKegSpecial A blend of 32 month old golden ales. Spontaneously fermented and aged in neutral French oak. Dry-hopped with Jester grown in Herefordshire, UK.
2Crossover BlenderyWestonRed Blais 20225.7%PolyKeg SpecialA blend of 2 year old golden ales. Spontaneously fermented and aged in neutral French oak barrels. Refermented on Blaisdon Red plums from Gloucestershire and Driscoll Maravilla raspberries from Herefordshire. Finished with Madagascan vanilla.
3Six HillsStevenageFreewheeling Man6.2%PolyKeg IPAWest Coast IPA. Pithy and Citrusy Orange notes and a generous Dry Hop with Centennial providing Tropical notes. 
4Six HillsStevenagePaul Rides a Polar Bear4.5%PolyKegPale AleNew England Pale Ale gets the full hop treatment. Lashings of new world hops bring an abundance of juicy fruit and piney undertones, supported by a fluffy grist. 
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