Mmmmmn, Beeeeeer.

So Thursday night saw the invitation only, sponsor/supporter's guest group trip to the CAMRA Falmouth Beer Festival sneak preview type thing. You get a tasting glass (bit less than half a pint I guess? anyone?) For an hour and a half you can try the beers. For free. Woo hoo! I suspect this evening is why there is rarely any left for the Sunday session...

Friday, and after the biggest fry up possible to purchase in Falmouth (Strand Cafe's "The Works". Go there.) we were back again to claim our free entry & pint glass (normally £3.50) and more free beer (tokens worth 8 halves). Apparently it's only £40 to sponsor a barrel and get one of these packs (including the night before, so well worth it for any local drunkards entrepreneurs out there - you get your advert in the programme and a laminated sign up in front of the casks - which is done in the same colour scheme and typeface as the beer labels, probably leading to people slurring "I'll have a half of Falmouth Print Group please" (no, I didn't).

This year's glass sports a picture of the Tamar rail bridge, it being the 200th anniversary of the birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Why don't you get people called Isambard any more, that's what I want to know.

We had hot pork rolls (allegedly with apple sauce, but as this proved to be the minutest smear in the bottom of the roll we could probably have complained to trading standards).

So anyway. Tried a couple from Ales of Scilly (ah hah hah) brewery, which were both really good. Cuckoo (Driftwood) was fairly ick. I keep trying to try Snoozy Suzy (Doghouse) - last year it was off, this year it wasn't ready. (Why don't they bring a better travelling beer...?). Bucaneer (Wooden Hand) was a winner for me, as was Golden Pig (Country Life). Ollie's Dog (Dolphin) wasn't great, St Audrey's Ale (Fenland) and Celtic Queen (Iceni) were both ok, Neptune (Milton) I vaguely remember not liking much. In the end I resorted to the Skinners (which always feels like cheating, as you can get these in pubs locally, so feel you should be trying something more exotic). But they're still by far the best of everything I had (or tried, as a large part of the fun is sipping everyone else's). So up with the Betty Stoggs and the Spriggan Ale, huzzah!