Yahoo News Hull Minster Beer Festival review: why events like this are so important
Everybody loves a beer festival - and it would be hard to find a better location for one than Hull's 14th century Minister.
Although religion and alcohol are usually only associated with communion worship, Hull Minster in recent years has been hosting its very own Beer Festival. Running from April 25 until April 27, the festival showcases ten local breweries to Yorkshire under one roof - giving people the chance to sample the best beers from God's own country so-to-speak.
I spent an hour there on opening day to see how the festival was going.
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From walking in and getting my prepaid ticket checked - I was then handed a plastic cup with a booklet detailing everything to expect from the festival over the weekend. The booklet opens with a great foreword from the Director of Operations, Alasdair Hutson, with it being his last festival - usually the Rev. Dominic Black would introduce the festival.
Mr Hutson talked about how the festival came about. "This is our fourth year using this format of inviting in local breweries to come and sell their brews to the good folks of Hull and beyond. Hull Minster is there for the communities of Hull, in whatever guise that takes. During the pandemic, Richard from Vittles and Co. in Trinity Market and I saw an opportunity to give the breweries a chance to get their name back out there and to try and recoup some of that much-needed income lost during the lockdowns."
And in fairness, what a great success that idea has become. Walking in just shy of half an hour after doors opened, there were already people sampling the different ales on offer. As I read through the rest of the leaflet, getting a backstory of all the different breweries, I was mentally picking off the ones I'd fancy.
The different breweries at the Hull Minster Beer Festival -
Aitchesons (Wawne)
Atom (Hull)
Docks Beers (Grimsby)
Great Newsome (Frodingham)
Luda (Louth)
Orchards of Husthwaite (Huthwaite)
Ossett Brewery (Ossett)
Pumphouse (Driffield)
Rhythm & Brews (Selby)
Shadow Bridge (Barton)
Wold Top (Driffield)
Yorkshire Brewhouse (Hull)
I started with the Dry Irish Stout from Pumphouse - which only opened in 2019 in Driffield. As I sat down to enjoy the stout, I got speaking to a couple. "What do you have there, mate?", I was asked. "The Mrs just bought a pint of 10.9% by accident from Osset! Go careful on them dark beers!" The mad thing was, that wasn't even the strongest one. The title for this year's strongest beer with a staggering 11.5% went to Maelstrom from Docks - one I was staying well away from.
Once I supped off, I went to the sink to wash out the dregs to reuse the cup. A two-person band had just started playing, and there were some snacks available from the Minster itself set up strategically next to the sink.
Last year, the customary plastic pint glasses had markings for one and two-thirds of a pint - this year, the markings seem to have gone. As I pondered through the different beers again, I bumped into someone I used to work in a bar with; who was attempting as many of the 75 different beers as possible.
By this point, the place was already filling up. The festival was blocked off from the main church room - so people could still enjoy a walk around the pews in the main room. I was half expecting to be the youngest there by a distance, but there was a huge variety of people there.
The second beer I tried was from Shadow Bridge. All their different beers are all fantasy-esque sounding; with the three that they brought to the Minster being Dwarven Steel Mild, Elvish Fury Red Ale and Wrath of the Gods Pale Ale - which is the one I went for. Lighter than the stout, the pale ale I could get down me more easily as I looked around and saw everyone either ranking their tipple on the back of the leaflet or on the Untappd app. With the welcoming pint glass and leaflet, festival-goers are also given a slip to vote for what they think is their best ale for the three-day event.
This event for the last two years I've been there has been amazing. Not only does it showcase some of the local brewers, but it gives them a platform in what some believe is the hardest-hit industry in recent years. Seeing so many people through the doors is a really great sight to support small, independent businesses. Roll on next year.
The festival runs from April 25-27. Tickets can be found here.
