Derby Beer Festival is back and it's in a very special building

And just like that, here it is, the return of the Derby Beer Festival, although perhaps not as many will remember it. Renamed the Derby Heritage Beer Festival, to reflect a new partnership with Derby Museums, it will be held in the Museum of Making, which we used to call the Silk Mill Industrial Museum.

I have no issue with the renaming, nor the venue, it seems fitting in a way that an event that has been etched into the city’s history since the very point that Derby became a city should now be hosted by such a historically significant venue. The venue does come with challenges for the organisers, which is why the festival will be different, but more of that later.

Fittingly, the festival returns within the 50th year of the Derby branch of the Campaign for Real Ale and is the first Camra-organised Derby festival since the winter event of 2020 at the Roundhouse, before Covid knocked such large gatherings on the head for a while. Derby College, which owns the Roundhouse, found it the right time, in its eyes, to restrict the use of the Roundhouse for public events thereafter and the festival was once again without a home.

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A brief history, for those who may not know. The festival began in the King’s Hall (the Queen Street Baths) in King Street in 1978 at the suggestion of the then mayor of Derby, Councillor Jeffery Tillett, as part of the city charter celebrations in the Queen’s jubilee year. It later moved to the Assembly Rooms, where the council was very fussy about its carpet and floor, so, for some time, the large heavy floor that covered the swimming pool at the King’s Hall had to be laid in the main hall and sealed with miles of tape.

How long ago those days seem now. When the infamous fire put the Assembly Rooms out of action, the festival moved to a marquee in the Market Place (the organisers initially still had the use of the Darwin Room and the toilets within the building), but the logistics and security aspects of the marquee set-up were always a problem. The Roundhouse, initially used for the winter festival Camra added to its summer event, provided a solution for a decade. But since that dropped out of the equation, Russ Gilbert, the long-serving festival chairman, has been talking to people about a possible new venue. He’s a good man, is Russ, and I feel particularly pleased for him that he has eventually been able to find a solution.

So how will it be different? Well, it’s a smaller venue, for a start, and in a working museum which will still be open as a museum. The numbers that can be accommodated are not so large and the number of beers on offer are fewer, too. Personally, I find that okay. It was, in latter years, a grouse of mine that festivals, not just Derby’s, seemed to strive to outdo each other by having an ever-greater number of beers – well over 400 the last time Derby had a festival.

The result of this was that you could look down the list and pick several you fancied but then find they’d sold out before you got near them, unless you were there on the first day. Beyond that, you’d find that well over half of the beers on offer were much of a muchness. Another pale, hoppy one, anyone? No thanks.

I’ve also found a couple of beer festivals I’ve been to more recently (Barrow Hill, near Chesterfield and Norwich, which is a long-established and much-renowned event in a fabulous building) to be uncomfortably crowded and with the same issue of beers running out quickly. We cannot be sure that the Heritage Beer Festival will not have the same problem, but, anyway, they are flagging up 160 beers. If they are well chosen, it will be good news.

Derby Camra says: “A lot of hard work and preparation has gone into creating this new festival, and while we are excited about our new home and partnership with the Museum of Making, we appreciate the patience and understanding regarding the changes we’ve had to make this year. We have moved to a much smaller venue than we have been used to for many years and we must manage numbers much more carefully. We strongly encourage people to buy their tickets in advance either online or by calling 01332 641901. We cannot guarantee your entry to the festival if you decide to pay on the door.”

On beers, it adds: “The festival will be showcasing over 160 real ales alongside a selection of craft beers, ciders and perries. The cask ale list features many local microbreweries complemented by a selection from Devon, West Midlands and the Manchester area. We also have some beers that showcase the Burton style of beer. Of special interest is the Union and Burton Ale from Thornbridge, which were brewed on the [former Marston’s] Union Sets that have been moved from Burton to Thornbridge. The amount of dark beers has been increased after numerous requests, so try the growing styles of dark mild, stout or porter.”

There will be no free entry for Camra members for this one. Tickets are £10.50 and include a festival glass, which you can hand back and get money back on if you wish. Camra members can also get a free pint voucher on production of their membership cards. This has caused a bit of grumbling but while there are some festivals you can get in for less money, there are also quite a few that will cost you more.

As in the “old days” at Derby festivals, it’s on a session-by-session basis and if you are at an afternoon session (12-5pm, Thursday to Saturday), you will have to leave and start again – evening sessions are from 6pm and the festival starts on the Wednesday evening, November 13, at 6pm.

Naturally, there’s live music each evening but a final note – it’s adults only and don’t try to bring your own seats. There will be additional seating in an adjacent marquee. Folks, it isn’t going to be perfect, nothing ever is. But I do believe it is to be welcomed and, fingers crossed, it will be rather good. Details: derby.camra.org.uk/Derby_Beer_Festival/index.html. Cheers!

Enjoyed reading this article? You can find more of Beerhunter Colston Crawford's columns here.