POPPIES FIRST BEER FESTIVAL

 It seems like a lifetime has passed, another world, a different time. 11 years ago, this weekend we held the first ever Poppies Beer Festival, 7^th – 10^th May 2009. The Tinhat would be heaving, live bands, marquees outside, 3 double rows of barrels, 41 different ales, 3  lagers and 2 ciders across the 3 bars. Food was being served by the Poppies Pantry, hundreds of people sitting everywhere. Live bands every night with 4 on Saturday. It was a new venture, we didn’t really know what we were doing, but what the hell. Sadly we had just recently lost Poppies stalwart Bernard Bennett, Bernard would have loved a beer festival on his own patch, sadly..  The ales were £2.20 a pint, the total bar take that weekend was just over £6,200. Cleary, we like a drink. Phipps brewery had just started brewing again, albeit at the Grainstore brewery in Oakham, and we were the first place in Kettering to sell both Phipp’s IPA and NBC Red Star, we even had a Phipps banner in the bar. The beer list consisted of the following, we even got lager in for Dazza, he didn’t like the warm gnat’s piss.

CASTLE ROCK BREWERY	BLACK GOLD
B&T BREWERY	DRAGON SLAYER
CROUCH VALE BREWERY	BREWERS GOLD
GRAINSTORE BREWERY	RUTLAND PANTHER
PHIPPS (GRAINSTORE BREWERY)	PHIPPS IPA
	NBC RED STAR BITTER
TYDD STEAM BREWERY	IRON BREW
TYDD STEAM BREWERY	PISTON BOB
POTBELLY BREWERY	SWEET FA
POTBELLY BREWERY	CHAMPIONS ALE
MAULDON’S BREWERY	BLACK ADDER
NETHERGATE BREWERY	OLD GROWLER
UFFORD ALES	NIRVANA
SILVERSTONE BREWERY	PITSTOP
HUMPTY DUMPTY BREWERY	SWALLOWTAIL
FROG ISLAND BREWERY	FIRE BELLIED TOAD
WHITE HORSE BREWERY	VILLAGE IDIOT
WHITE HORSE BREWERY	WAYLAND SMITHY
TITANIC BREWERY	ICEBERG
TITANIC BREWERY	WHITE STAR
GREAT OAKLEY BREWERY	WAGTAIL
NORFOLK SQUARE	PI
NORFOLK SQUARE	STILETTO
SPECTRUM	WIZZARD
ICENI BREWERY	FINE SOFT DAY
GREEN JACK	ORANGE WHEAT
SALOPIAN BREWERY	HOP TWISTER
DOW BRIDGE BREWERY	BONUM MILD
LANGTON BREWERY	INCLINED PLANE
OAKHAM ALES	INFERNO
ELGOODS	POPPIES GO FOURTH
ELGOODS	DOUBLE SWAN
ELGOODS	BLACK DOG
ELGOODS	GREYHOUND
CONCRETE COW BREWERY	COCK N BULL
NOBBY’S BREWERY	1872
BUNTINGFORD BREWERY	GOLDEN PLOVER
JULIAN CHURCH	MARTYR
BARROWDEN BREWERY	BEVAN
THREE CASTLES, PEWSEY	KNIGHTS PORTER
RINGWOOD	OLD THUMPER
CRONE’S CIDERS	USER FRIENDLY
CRONE’S CIDERS	SPECIAL RESERVE
WARSTEINER
ERDINGER WEISSBIER
STAROPRAMEN

We had 3 bars, the main bar, another along the same wall as the main bar up to the double fire doors. Then a L shaped bar from the other side of the fire doors, turned right and along the wall that looked out onto the pitch.

Through the double fire doors was the large marquee 12m x 6 m, full of bench tables. Up the steps to the raised area by the canteen were more bench tables and parasols.

Nearby were the toilets and further along was Poppies Pantry, serving all sorts of beer festival snaffle.

The entertainment wasn’t bad, naturally Dr Busker was on the schedule, as were regulars the Seven Sinners, most of the band were Poppies supporters, Mo still come along to Latimer Park.

It was a good beer festival, we all got very, very drunk indeed. The first of many, back then we had 2 beer festivals a year, with the second always around Halloween. We’ve had a festival every year since, finger crossed we’ll get one this year.

Cheers

Up the Poppies