Rugby Beer Festival 2019

March has certainly been out of the traps quickly this year thanks to a 48 hour flurry of photography, exploration and ale. Two trips in two days mean that the Rugeley Hub Marketing recce is instantly followed by a visit with Nick to the Rugby Beer Festival...

- A Stagecoach Starter -

Saturday 2nd March starts with a fresh and breezy morning as I wend my way to Warwickshire, catching the 10:54 London Northwestern train from Birmingham New Street towards Euston which reaches Rugby at 11:31. My stroll into the town centre takes me along Railway Terrace, passing the Stagecoach bus depot in the process. The offices here include a travel shop while there are some Megabus vehicles parked up on the yard.

- Silhouette Stout -

The Arnold House masonic building off Elsee Road is on hosting duties again for what is Rugby's 35th annual beer festival. Nick is already in attendance partway through a Black Rose Porter as I arm myself with the requisite commemorative glass and programme. Silhouette Stout is next up for Nick whereas my opening tipple is Hollow Stone's Krubera, equally dark and brooding with tempting hints of mocha. This is then followed by the "opulent and lush" McColl's Black Forest Stout - who could resist a description like that?! 

- A little light reading -

Plotting our path through the programme, we account for Gloucester's Six Malt Porter, Black Pit's New Leaf Mild (rather nice) and Pentrich's Tomb of Juice, the latter billed as a 5% sessionable porter with citrus and pine flavours (let's say it's an acquired taste). Besides the beer, we tuck into a memorable mushroom stroganoff - not your usual festival food - and narrowly fail to win on the tombola. Sadly the large fluffy blue hippopotamus toy didn't have Nick's name on it after all! 

- Crafty Banker -

I may have mentioned before that the Merchants Inn is a must-visit establishment when in Rugby so we make sure to drop by, availing ourselves of Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild and George Wright Black Swan respectively. The pub is a treasure trove of breweriana so we feel right at home among all the enamel signs and Tetley lamps. We then switch from an old favourite to a new establishment, the Crafty Banker micropub having only opened last April. The Mr Grundy's 1914 Stout here is seriously impressive, almost marshmallowy with traces of blackcurrant.

- Town & County Club -

Another hitherto unexplored watering hole awaits on nearby Henry Street where the Town & County Club greets us with red dralon seating and Church End's Gravediggers Mild. Club entries in the Good Beer Guide always have an extra novelty factor and this one felt particularly comfortable and relaxing. Our crawl concludes with Plum Porter in the Seven Stars (Rugby CAMRA's current Pub of the Year) and Old Golden Hen in the Wheeltapper, an imposing yet down to earth landmark not far from the railway station. Cheers!