As a nice suprise I went to the Stocky Beer Festival on a Thursday evening for the first time ever & then to return on Saturday afternoon for the usual session.   The Thursday session was much the same as the Saturday sessions, only several beers were not open yet - awaiting the masses on the Friday & Saturday evenings no doubt - but more beers were on tap than I could possibly drink, so no complaints from me!

Mark & Asun had a small picnic set up on both days & the usual suspects of Al, Geoff, Graeme, Aidan, Gillian & Andy.   Many other beer festival regulars were there too.   Many  Between us we had;

Acorn Gorlovka Stout - 6.0% - alcohol warmth, liquorice & roast malt flavours. 6/10

Acorn Nelson Sauvin IPAⁱ - 5.0% - amber ale with a kiwi fruit & sweet malt taste. 6.5/10

Batemans Dark Mild - 3.0% - a nutty, malty beer that was fuller than the ABV suggested. 5.5/10

Blue Monkey Ape Aleⁱ - 5.4% - a blonde ale with a little grapefruit zest in the finish, mellow with a malty sweetness. 7/10

Blue Monkey Evolution - 4.3% - very much like a weaker version of Ape Ale. 7/10

Bollington Oatmill Stout - 5.0% - silky, roasty, sweet full malt. 6/10

BrewDog Hardcore IPA - 9.0% - Lots of mango with a marmalade sweetness. A QI beer. 6.5/10

BrewDog The Physics - 5.0% - my very 1st beer of the evening & a smashing one at that.   A dark copper beer with an orangey citrus taste. 8.10

Buxton SPA - 4.1% - light, pale blonde alewith a sweet malty flavour. 6.5/10

Cellar Rat RAT-ed - 6.0% - this doesn't taste like 6% at all.   A sweet malt flavour with marmalade. 6/10

Dark Star Espresso Stout - 4.2% - fresh black coffee & black malt. 7/10

Dunham Massey Dunham Dark - 3.8% - a dark mild, sweet malt & caramel. 6.5/10

Durham Evensong - 5.0% - a thick & chewy treacley beer. 6/10

Elland 1872 Porter - 6.5% - chewy, black malt & masses of liquorice flavour. 6.5/10

Enville Nailmakers Mild - 4.0% - caramel & malty sweetness. 6/10

Hobsons Mild - 3.2% - a deep red beer, with a very toasty flavour.   Some nuttiness & roast malt too. 8/10

Hopstar Dizzy Danny - 4.0% - a very hoppy & clean tasting beer. 8/10

Hornbeam Festival - 4.2% - a lemony citrus beer with a delicate blossom hoppiness. 8.5/10

Hornbeam Lemon Blossom - 3.7% - pale blonde beer with a lemon blossom flavour. Not too sweet. 7/10

Hornbeam Top Hop - 4.2% - a blonde beer with a fruity sweet malt taste. 6/10

Leeds Pale - 3.8% - a pale blonde beer wih a light, hoppy flavour. 8/10

Liverpool Organic Best Bitter - 4.0% - a very pale blonde beer, very citrussy, hoppy & light. 9/10

Liverpool Organic Pale Ale - 4.2% - a light blonde ale with a dryish taste & delicate hoppiness.   A favourite with Asun, but not so much with me. 7.5/10

Marble Summer Marble - 4.5% - grapefruit zest & citrus hoppiness. 8.5/10

Marble Stouter Stout - 4.7% - toasty, roasty & malty. 6/10

Millstone Tiger Rut - 4.0% - lemony, blossomy, light & delicate. A very pale blonde ale. 8.5/10

Moorhouses Black Cat - 3.4% - chocolatey & sweet maltiness. 7.5/10

Naylors Cravenbrau - 3.8% - a lager cross-over beer with a strong Noble Hop hoppiness. 6/10

Nethergate Umble Ale - 3.8% - an amber ale with a light taste. A delicate hoppiness & subtle fresh corianderⁱ flavour. 7.5/10

Outstanding Blonde - 4.5% - malty sweet & mellow. 6.5/10

Outstanding Red - 4.4% - the QI beer of the night for me.   A deep amber colour with lots of - if you'll forgive the pretentiousness - je ne sais quois about it.   A floral blossomy delicate beer. 9/10

Outstanding SOS - 4.5% - an amber beer with a good citrus hoppiness. 8/10

Outstanding Stout - 5.5% - the epitome of stout.   Burnt, liquorice & black malt flavours.   A dryish beer. 8.5/10

Outstanding White - 5.0% - stereotypical cloudy German-like wheatbeer, but in a more ale style. 8/10

Pictish Alchemist - 4.3% - a fruity, sultana like beer with some sweetish malt. 6.5/10

Salopian Ironbridge Stout - 5.0% - a great stout with a full body & a little burnt flavour. 8.5/10

Salopian Oracle - 4.0% - a big blossom floral hoppiness. 8/10

Salopian Puzzle - 4.8% - a clear beer with a wheatiness, some sweetness & a good bitterness. 5.5/10

Saltaire Triple Chocolate - 4.7% - full bodied, massively chocolate tasting beer with dark malts.   Maybe a little too much but then the name says it all! 6.5/10

Shaw's Golden Globe - 4.3% - reasonable blonde session ale. 6/10

Timothy Taylor Golden Best - 3.5% - a good ordinary blonde beer with a malty flavour. 6.5/10

Thornbridge Hopton - 4.3% - a marmalade, orange hoppiness. 7/10

Thornbridge Lumford - 3.9% - tropical fruit & Kiwi fruit flavours.   Unusual. 7/10

Thornbridge Martius - 5.2% - brown beer with a very fruity, orange marmalade hoppiness. 6/10

Thornbridge Kipling - 5.2% - massive grapefruit flavour!   Alittle sweet malt. 8.5/10

Whim Hartington Bitter - 4.0% - dry, hoppy, bitter blonde ale. 7/10

Whim Kascade - 4.3% - good cascade bitterness. 7/10

George Wright Pure Blonde - 4.6% - vanilla, sweet malty blonde ale. 8/10

Ulverston Brahms & Liszt - 3.8% - a pale golden ale with a refreshing taste.