As explained in the preview in the October/November edition, this year’s Pig’s Ear festival, organised by CAMRA’s East London and City branch, celebrated the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. King Tut may not however have recognised the beers available compared to those of 3,500 years ago! On offer were 180 cask ales, 20 ciders and 8 KeyKeg beers, ranging from 2.7% ABV table beers to 11% ABV imperial stouts and encompassing a great variety of IPAs, sours, milds and old ales, among other styles.
We were honoured to have the Deputy Speaker of Hackney Council, Anya Sizer, open the festival for us on Tuesday and she then enjoyed some of the cider on offer, as well as trying a few of the games. From that auspicious start, we welcomed 3,285 thirsty customers over the week, who together drank 12,318 pints of cask ale, averaging around 4 pints each. Our attendees got through 95% of our beer (fear not, our fabulous volunteers were able to find a use for the remaining 5%) and every drop of cider we had.
During the festival, we were pleased to welcome volunteers and visitors from CAMRA branches around the UK, especially in London, Norwich and around Essex. As always, it was wonderful to see beer-loving guests coming to the festival from far and wide, this year including Holland and France.
The contest for the beer and cider & perry of the festival was especially close fought this year. The votes have now been counted and the results show just how varied our range of beers was this year and that a lot different of beers stood out to different people. The Beer of the Festival was Wild Card’s Whisky Imperial Stout (11% ABV), a wonderfully dark, rich and strong brew, perfect for cold winter’s evenings. Joint second place went to Gravity Well for their Symmetries of Nature (7.2% ABV), a truly original rhubarb and custard sour, and Wimbledon Brewery’s Copper Leaf (4% ABV), a beautifully crafted red ale. The Cider of the Festival went to Mill Lane Dry, with second place going to Against the Grain’s Heart of Oak. The Perry of the Festival was Kent Unity [pear and nettle] and the runner up was Troggi Dry.
We always love to receive feedback from visitors. Here are some of this year’s comments, with replies from the organisers:
• “The Round Chapel – it’s not round is it?” Well, we can’t fault your powers of perception but we also challenge you to find a corner on your next visit!
• “Yeah Great”. We agree!
• “More silly hats for staff.” Good idea, although in many cases we struggle to find hats sillier than the heads they go on.
• “Cash Only or you give the lying government more control.” Excellent point but we need to discuss this on a secure channel, since we’re pretty sure Rishi Sunak reads this publication.
• And finally, “One gigantic rill around the entire venue so we can urinate inside rather than go downstairs.” Love the idea but Dave, our health and safety manager, may have some concerns. Also, it sounds horrible.
We will consider all of these suggestions, together with some sensible ones, as we plan for next year. We hope to see you for the next Pig’s Ear, once again at the Round Chapel, from Tuesday 28 November to Saturday 2 December in 2023. Cheers!
Esme Bradbury