The fifth Woodfest, organised by the Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood (SPBW) was held at the Musical Museum in Brentford, Middlesex, from 29 to 31 May. The museum was formerly located in a nearby church, but moved some years ago to modern purpose-built premises which made it a very amenable venue for a festival.
Immediately prior to the opening session, the judging was carried out to decide the Wood Beer of Britain (WBoB). The winner was Tigertops Edwardian Porter (5.6% ABV) from Wakefield. Joint second were Harvey’s Lewes Castle Brown (4.8% ABV) and Wakey Wakey Baltic Porter (6.5% ABV) from Rochdale.
There were 40 beers available from across the country (the North East, Yorkshire, Manchester, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Sussex and a few from London) but the coup for the festival was the presence of beers from the Isle of Man (Okell’s and Bushy’s), which are rarely seen off the Island. This made it a truly ‘international’ festival.
The opening session on Thursday afternoon was just nicely busy with a good stream of customers who were impressed by the beer and the museum. The musical highlights were the recitals on the Wurlitzer cinema organ, which was rescued from the Regal cinema in nearby Kingston and featured the mechanism to raise it from beneath the stage. I continue to be amazed by the skill of the organists who can play multiple keyboards with hands and feet.
The festival sold out on the last day, which made it our most successful one to date. We plan to hold the festival again next year from 14 to 16 May at the same venue and hope to have to have even more beers!
David Laing
Attending a festival of ‘beers from the wood’ had been on my ‘to do’ list for a while, so I was pleased to have been able to attend the fifth Woodfest. Upon arrival I paid a very modest entrance fee of £2 (reduced price for CAMRA members) plus £2 for a glass (refundable) and £10 for a beer card, before taking the lift up to the 2nd floor. There I was greeted by a wall of wooden barrels and a Wurlitzer organ being played at full tilt. It brought back happy memories of the 2024 Winter GBBF in Burton-on-Trent. I was informed by the splendid welcome team that the SPBW pre-dates CAMRA as an organisation by about eight years. However, Woodfest Five was full of familiar CAMRA folks who I see volunteering (and drinking) at other local CAMRA festivals, so it is all very complementary; it’s all about drinking great beer!
The venue, the Musical Museum is worth a visit in its own right. There were knowledgeable volunteers in the rooms who showed us around and demonstrated some of the fascinating and beautifully crafted instruments that you won’t generally see anywhere else, as well as some more modern musical inventions. The address is 399 High Street, Brentford and their website is www.musicalmuseum.co.uk.
I shall certainly look out for next year’s SPBW event. Recommended!
Maria Freeman