Rare USA ales 'not found anywhere else in UK' at Robin Hood Beer and Cider Festival
London's loss is Nottingham's gain in the beer world. Ales normally assigned to the Great British Beer Festival in London - cancelled this year - are heading to Nottingham instead.
Drinkers will be able to give them a try at the Robin Hood Beer and Cider Festival, which will be taking place at Trent Bridge from October 9 to 12. The organisers, the Nottingham branch of the Campaign for Real Ale, have announced 18 USA cask beers which will be spread over two bars.
Andy Sales, head of the beer festival cellar team and joint beer orderer with chairman Steve Westby, said: "Most of the beers are from Massachusetts. We got in there first and had first choice of the beers, no messing about with this rare stuff."
It's not cheap shipping beer across the Atlantic Ocean so drinkers will have to use at least one extra token for the lower-strength beers and more for the higher.
"We feel it is fair to offer an explanation as to the price we’ve had to set for the beers. Unfortunately the shipping costs of over 900kg in a refrigerated shipping container from the land of Uncle Sam are eye-watering. Compounding that with UK excise duties and our operational costs means we’ve needed to price these at up to double the UK equivalent, but it's a genuinely unique drinking experience," added Andy.
"There is a distinct possibility these beers will not be found anywhere else in the UK either now or in the future and most definitely not in cask which just doesn’t happen in the USA. These beers were casked especially for British beer drinkers by some of the best brewers at the vanguard of the US craft beer revolution."
The main CAMRA stillage will have 15 USA beers, with ten on at a time until they run out:
Aeronaught Brewing, Sommerville, Massachusetts - Nexus 586, this 6.6% is a hazy, soft New England IPA hopped with NZ Nectaron (stone fruit) & HBC 586 (mango).
Amory’s Tomb Brew Co, Maynard, Massachusetts - Northern Rabbit 6.7% a wonderfully malty brown ale featuring a rich mélange of the brewery's favourite locally grown and English barley varieties balanced out by resinous Michigan Chinook hops, cask conditioned on a light hand of Quebec grown Goldings hops.
Backbeat Brew Co, Beverley, Massachusetts - Roundabout 6.5% a new full bodied, full flavoured American IPA.
Exhibit ‘A’ Brew Co, Framlingham, Massachusetts - Right to Farm 5.5%, a modern German style festbier, brewed with 100% local malts and traditional German hops.
Gritty McDuff’s Brewpub, Portland, Maine - Gritty’s Best Bitter 4.8%, a classic English-style ale, top fermented in open fermenters, copper coloured, and well balanced.
Lamplight Brew Co, Cambridge, Massachusetts - Solstice 4.1% a refreshing summer ale brewed with orange zest.
Medusa Brewing Co, Hudson, Massachusetts - Summer Boy 4.5%, a light-bodied, sessionable golden bitter, brewed entirely from Crisp Maris Otter and hopped with Admiral and Citra hops, delicately dry-hopped for a crisp, earthy finish.
Medusa Brewing Co, Hudson, Massachusetts - Trident 5.3%, a golden pale ale, crisp, crushable, with low bitterness and a bright, clean hop-derived character reminiscent of citrus, passionfruit, and pineapple.
Remnant Brewing Co, Somerville, Massachusetts - Bow St Session 4.9% and easy drinking session ale, hopped with NZ Wakatu, British Maris Otter and crystal malt provide malt depth. This was the first beer ever brewed at Remnant and is still a staff and guest favourite.
Rising Tide Brew Co, Portland, Maine - Maine Island Trail Ale 4.3%, our flagship session beer. Crisp and clean malt character with a bright hop profile of citrus, pine, and a subtle mix of orchard and tropical fruits. Dry hopped in the cask with Citra, Simcoe and Calypso hops.
Schilling Brewing Co, Littleton, New Hampshire - Vorhe 4.3%, a young unfiltered lager is an ode to Annafest, the annual celebration of Franconian brewing in Forchheim Germany. A pale copper colour, Vorhe showcases a traditional German heirloom pilsner malt and German Tettnanger and Amira hops. A biscuit and honey malt sweetness is balanced with an herbaceous hop character.
The Tap Brewing Co, Haverhill, Massachusetts - Kenzona 5.6%, an unfiltered classic American Pale Ale. Refreshing, pale and slightly hoppy, made with American malt, hops and yeast. Named after the local reservoir, this beer features Centennial and Falconers Flight hops which provide the slight pine and citrus flavours and aromas, typical of the style.
Tributary Brewing Co, Kittery, Maine - Tributary Blueberry Ale 5.8%, this pale ale and beer is brewed with Passamaquoddy IQF wild blueberries and aseptic blueberry puree sourced in Maine. The result is a light pink hue derived from the skins of the fruit, and a light blueberry flavour.
True West Brewing Co, Acton, Massachusetts - Ruckus IPA 7.3%, an American IPA dry hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Amarillo, and Mandarina Bavaria hops, additional dry hopping of Mandarina Bavaria in cask.
Wormtown Brew Co, Worcester, Massachusetts - Be Hoppy 6.5%, a Left Coast IPA. The huge aromatics and big citrus forward flavours come from the copious amount of hops we used during double dry hop and hop back processes. Dry Hopped with Sabro.
On the No Half Measures bar drinkers will find:
Daydream Brewing from Derry, New Hampshire - Crucible a 5.0% a traditional Schwarzbier made for the 125th anniversary of German company Viega.
Goodfire Brewing of Portland, Maine - S’Watt a 5.6% American pale ale hopped with Mosaic and Columbus Cryo hops plus Valencia orange and rosemary.
The Brewery at the American Flatbread, Waitsfield, Vermont - Barrel Thief, this 10.5% is the strongest of them all and is an Imperial stout infused with coffee.