Horse_Sup Day At The Races

The Totepool Challenge Cup (Heritage Handicap) - 1st Intransigent (Ridden by Oisin Murphy)

Ascot

And other races & The 8th Ascot Racecourse Beer Festival

Saturday 4 October 2014

Twitter @ball_sup

This blog is all in praise of the Ascot Racecourse Beer Festival organised by the Berkshire South East Branch of CAMRA.  What a superb idea, fantastically executed & realised.  This was the 8th event and the 3rd one I’ve been to.  It combines a sporting event (in this case horse racing) with a major beer festival.

I know sports clubs the length and breadth of the land host beer festivals while their teams are playing. Fair play to them.  But, this is a step up all together. 240 different beers & 30 ciders/perries.

It works well because it’s completely integrated. The beer festival is not relegated to some wet and muddy marquee out in the sticks. It’s bang there on the main concourse. The stands/terraces are a step away & the Tote windows intermingle with the bars.  The space is fantastic. I know nothing of the arrangement. But, I’m sure the racecourse themselves are to be congratulated for designing the stands in such as way that the beer festival works.

I hope & assume it works both ways. It pulls in beer wallahs to the racing. And it sucks in racing punters to Real Ale. Great event.

I’ve often thought  County Cricket would be particularly suited to a beer festival. I know they have one at Kent County Cricket Club every year. But, I’ve never yet made it to that.  Many cricket grounds have dining & hospitality space which is sorely underused outside of Test Matches.  A lot of that space would be ideal for a beer festival. Take note.

Anyway. CAMRA members can get a discount on their entry to Ascot for the two days of racing/beer.  The Regional Bar this year was Derbyshire. Gggggrrrrr. As if Thornbridge beers/pubs aren’t becoming common enough in Sheffield, I’m now being force fed at Ascot. Luckily, there was about 235 other beers to have a go at.

Some beers are held back for Saturday only. Which is a good idea. But on a day like yesterday, big crowd, inclement weather driving punters to the bars, beer gets sold out. By the end of the feature race, the beer was choosing you rather than the other way around. Get in quick.

I know very little about Horse Racing.  I do enjoy those shorter races, where the nags come out of the traps and each give it their all for the line & a big prize. To the untrained, mug punter, eye - every horse seems to have a chance. In the 7 Furlong feature race, the favourite went off at 6-1, and a 16-1 shot won it 1 minute 30.24 seconds later. To me, that’s proper racing.

I was enjoying myself too much to make tasting notes. So, here’s the list;

Green Hops
Gyle 59 - Green Hop Beer 5%
Nelson - Green Horn 4%
Sherfield Village - Green Hop IPA 4.6%

Single Hops
Brightwater - All Citra 4.3%
Cronx - Single Hop Series 6%
Firebird Brewing - Marynka Single Hop 4.2%
Binghams - Hop Craft Waimea 4.5%

Oh go on then
Thornbridge - Sheffield Pals 4%

Stand out Beer of the Day goes to the Cronx Single Hop Series (the home brewer sat next to me thought it was Magnum) - which reminds me, you meet lovely people at these events.