Our first blog on Essex Days Out reporting on the annual late-summer trip to the Chappel & Wakes Colne Real Ale Festival. Last Friday evening we went to the 1st Winter Ale Festival – a much, much colder affair! Unlike other real ale festivals, it was admittance by ticket, which had to be bought in advance. Clearly you wouldn’t want to turn away people arriving by one of the rare trains, which would be a risk without ticketing.
The ale was served in just one of the sheds, but there was a good range of beers. Whilst the festival in September sees people spread over the East Anglian Railway Museum grounds, here every was packed inside, and instead of there being lots of families about, the demographic was quite noticeable :
It was only a flying visit, with limited drinking time, the most noteworthy drink being a very treacly Buntingford’s Porter. Here’s hoping for a 2nd Winter Ale festival next year. And for warmer weather. Much warmer weather.
Here’s a pictorial record of the visit:
The Ticket Office retains a lot of olde worlde charm.
From the very chilly bridge over the tracks, the beer beckons...
Getting closer.....
Ahh the beer ... not sure about the can of vegetable extract though
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