The Shed Brewers Beer Festival returned to the Victoria Inn on Saturday, with homebrewers from across Essex and Suffolk bringing 15 beers to the pub for another sold-out afternoon in the garden.
The festival began around 12 years ago, after members of the Shed Brewers homebrew club were invited to put on a small beer festival upstairs at the pub.
At the time, the event featured around a dozen beers, food and tutored tastings in the upstairs room. Since then, it has gradually expanded, later moving downstairs and into the beer garden.
“We started doing kegs as well,” explained Steve Plampton, discussing how the event had evolved over the years.
The organisers are from Anglian Craft Brewers, a club founded in 2004.
Originally linked to brewing groups across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridge, the club evolved naturally as membership grew across the region.
“We still call this event Shed Brewers because everyone knows us as that,” said Tony Bridge.
The group still meets regularly, with members sharing beers, ideas and brewing feedback throughout the year.
For Steve Plampton, one of the biggest changes has been the perception of homebrewing itself.
“When people used to talk about homebrew, it was all old boots kits and buckets,” he said. “Now we can brew to professional standards.”
Steve also said one of the attractions of homebrewing is the freedom to brew styles not often found elsewhere.
“We brew the beers that you can’t get,” he said.
This year’s cask beers included Seeker of Serenity, a 3.9% dark mild; California Dreaming, a 4.3% American pale ale; A Galaxy Near, Near to Here, a 4.6% pale ale; Cobnut, a 4.6% brown ale; Black Jack, a 4.8% porter; Brown By Design, a 4.9% American brown ale; Massey, a 5.5% Irish red; Onwards & Upwards, a 6% extra special bitter; Is This the Way to Amarillo, a 6.4% tropical stout; Three Sheets to the Wind, a 7.5% English IPA; and The Kings Slurred Speech, an 8.4% imperial IPA.
The keg beers included Glassblowers, a 3.4% Czech lager; V is for Vienna, a 4.6% Vienna lager; Dunkel Side of the Moon, a 5% Munich Dunkel; and Vienna Nice Helles, a 5.9% Munich Helles.
Pat Collins, who was attending his third festival as a brewer, brought along Is This the Way to Amarillo, a tropical stout brewed using Amarillo hops.
“I always like a stout,” he said. “But you want something a little bit different still.”
Pat said events like the festival make brewing more rewarding.
“It’s one thing to make beer for yourself at home,” he said. “But to be able to get feedback from other people just makes it a lot more interesting.”
Jim Pettifer, brewer of A Galaxy Near, Near to Here, said the club side of homebrewing had become a major part of the enjoyment.
“You go to a homebrew club, take your beer along, and people will help you make it better,” he said.
“We’ve all gone from making moderately good beer to making, on occasions, beer that’s far better than you buy in a pub.”
Graham Smith brought Dunkel Side of the Moon, a Munich Dunkel inspired by recent coverage of the moon mission.
Speaking about brewing itself, Graham added, “It’s a bit like cooking, really. You’ve got to be quite strict with your processes.”
For Tim Stanton, who was bringing Vienna Nice Helles to the festival for the first time, the event’s reputation was part of the appeal.
“People know what they’re going to get,” he said. “Quality homebrew.”
The event also gave people the chance to speak directly to the brewers about the beers on offer.
Chatting to some regulars who attend every year, Seeker of Serenity was a popular early choice, praised for having plenty of flavour despite its lower ABV, while Brown By Design was another beer mentioned positively.
They spoke positively about the variety of styles available across both cask and keg, as well as how homebrewing has changed over the years in terms of quality and consistency.
They added that one of the things they most enjoy about the festival is being able to chat directly to brewers about ingredients, brewing methods and different beer styles.
Events like the Shed Brewers Beer Festival continue to bring brewers and drinkers together here at the Victoria Inn, and we’re proud to continue supporting local brewing, real ale and beer culture.
We’d also like to thank the organisers, brewers and everyone who attended and supported this year’s festival.
