Greetings again my beer-loving brothers! Have I got some tasty tipples to talk about today. Our generous Editor sent me on the most tortuous quest : to seek out the best real ale at the Lichfield Jazz & Blues Festival, an arduous task entailing the consumption of countless pints and much revelry (God bless him!).
    With at least 50 different beers to choose from, I needed the help of my co-conspirators: Harry the Hun (my German mate), Alan the Beer Monster and Fuzzy the Bald. Greeted like the Prodigal Son, elation took over as I ordered my first pint recommended by the Hun, aptly named Magistrate’s Delight. Brewed by Judges Brewery, this darkish brown malty, hoppy beer was a good one, and at 4.6% needed careful handling. I then went on to Barrister’s Bitter - only 3.5% but this fruity, light-brown malty beer was excellent. Then came Coombe Ale, similar to Barristers, but a little heavier and higher in gravity at 4.2%. Last but not least was The Verdict, at 4.3% : a wheat beer, amber in colour and as smooth as Fuzzy the Bald’s perspiring dome : nectar.
    I next tried Hesket Newmarket’s Doris’s 90th. Birthday Ale. Nut-brown in colour, this beer had a distinct, fruity flavour and a 4.3% gravity : a pleasant surprise. Then I espied an ale called Great Cock-up Porter, and at 2.8% wondered if they were joking putting it in a Real Ale Festival. But this very dark, but very light beer was really good, worth a try when something lighter is called for.
    The Lichfield Brewery deserves a mention. My personal favourite is Steeplejack at 4.5%. This deep-amber, hoppy beer is very good, sitting easily on the tongue and tickling the tonsils delightfully : a distinctive sup.
    But my top marks go to Magistrate’s Delight : a truly regal ale, fit for a Crown Court Session any day of the week. Roll on the Winter Real Ale Festival, at Lichfield’s Guild Hall, 16-17 January 1998: a trial well worth waiting for.
    Farewell brothers! Old Fireglass – the Prince of Ales