United Nations of Beer

Battersea Beer Festival 2008

by Alastair Hooley
(Beer Delegate, London, UK)

Battersea Beer Festival 2008
Battersea, London, UK

Having recently moved down to Mitcham in South London, the Battersea Beer Festival is probably my new local festival and is handily situated about midway between my home and work in Victoria. In fact, Keats famously said of the festival:

Battersea beer, Battersea beer
Oh how I like just drinking here
Your wondrous ale, both dark and pale
Just 5 mins from Victoria - by rail

Actually I made that up.

This visit to the Battersea Beer Festival 2008 was the third year in a row that I attended the event and a few of us from work plus my brother-in-law did our usual – took the Friday afternoon off and spent it downing several of the many gorgeous beers on offer.

The Battersea Beer Festival 2008 was held in the Battersea Arts Centre, just a few minutes' walk from Clapham Junction railway station (the busiest station in Britain, a sign proudly proclaims). Anyway, to the beers. As usual, I did the sensible thing and started off with the weaker beers.

Links to my beer reviews from this event:

Lidstones Rowley Mild

Naylors Pinnacle Mild

Dark Star Over the Moon

Purple Moose Dark Side of the Moose

Crouch Vale Anchor Street Porter

Crouch Vale Brewer's Gold

Downtown Chimera Quadhop

And now we move on to the big boys' beers:

Downton Chimera IPA

Moor JJJ IPA (A classic!)

Battersea is a must-visit event if you're in town.