The last of our 100 walk-up tickets was sold between 6.30pm and 7pm - just a handful of odd returns (we don't give refunds, but we will try and hook up willing buyers with willing sellers) remain on the door.
Although this evening is always the most hectic, it tends to be contained in relatively short bursts - 8pm (or just before) until 9pm, and then the final 30 minutes or so tend to be non-stop. Right now (or 15 mins ago, to be precise), the Sussex Bar downstairs practically had tumbleweed blowing through it! We all know things are going to get a little crazy shortly...
By 7.10pm, we've had 18 beers sell out (Tiny Rebel from South Wales must take the prize - all three of their beers have gone already, including Urban IPA which was first to go last night!) and 7 still to reach condition. From our starting point of 222 beers, this means that a stunning 197 beers are available to choose from right now!
All-in-all, I have to say everything's gone really well so far. The beer list changes have been manageable (unlike last year, when nearly 20% of the beer list changed from the programme!), the catering options are superb (hot food on the balcony, chocolates in the Main Hall stairwell foyer and the amazing Olives and Things downstairs opposite the Bottle Bar (I admit it - I'm a sucker for chili-pickled eggs!) give a multitude of options that go great with beer.
Two-and-a-half sessions to go: here's hoping everything carries on the same vein and that the paying public is having as much fun as me (even if I am sitting in a half-lit kitchen on my own typing this blog...)
Friday, 1 March 2013
Refreshed and raring to go
For the first time ever, I've stayed in Hove Town Hall between shifts. Usually, it's a good idea to pop out for some fresh air (even when that fresh air is merely the gap from HTH to The Neptune!), but today - with the website to update for beer changes between sessions (following the post-session dipping by the cellar guys) - it was more prudent to stay put. The beer festival is a sedate and peaceful place when not open to the public - small groups of staff unwind over a beer or two and rest their weary legs (as fun as the bar work is, it is tiring!).
Relaxing between sessions:
Relaxing between sessions:
This is however a fantastic time to have a good look for unusual beers (and to spot which beers have been flying out and are likely to run out shortly!). The angle of the cask - known as the "stoop" - is often a good indicator of how much beer is left inside. This should only ever be done by an experienced cellarman - stooping too early will churn up the sediment and can render the beer undrinkable (as can tilting the cask by hand, no matter how well-intentioned the motives are!).
We did have the unusual phenomenon of a queue forming before 4pm - possibly in reaction to the 100 first-come, first-served tickets for sale on the door. Friday night is our flagship session, often selling out three or four weeks beforehand, so a busy night is expected. This is also the session I often describe to people as being more comfortable behind the bar than in front of it, as we have more space!
A postprandial post
One of the many advantages of volunteering at the Festival is a free meal for each volunteer at each shift. This year, the catering is an unqualified success and has been provided by the Real Meat Sausage Co (http://www.ncass.org.uk/Members/49/the_real_meat_sausage_co.aspx) - I had the pasta last night, and just a cheese and pickle roll for lunch now (having had a big breakfast), but fellow volunteers are raving about the sausages and pies. We even have a specially screened-off seating area up on the balcony to ensure volunteers get some peace and quiet to sit and eat for their 30 minute break.
Volunteering is a lot of fun, with bar work the bread and butter essential activity that keeps the festival flowing. All volunteers are loaned a glass (usually from a festival gone by) and are largely free to taste as many beers as they wish (provided they don't neglect their duties and remain sufficiently compos mentis to carry out their role). When it comes to working the bar, it's almost a duty to have a taste of all of the beers on your own section, as customers will continually ask "what's that one like?". Even though I'm spending the majority of my time squirreled away in the kitchen this time around, I've still pulled a fair few pints at the busiest moments and there's a real buzz and camaraderie both with fellow bar workers and in bantering with the festival-goers.
Once upon a time, only CAMRA members could volunteer (for insurance purposes) but now anyone can ask to do a shift - having said that, it makes sense that members would be interested, as (1) it's already their passion, and (2) they will likely already have a good idea how good ale should be served. If anyone is interested, then the Membership Stall at the Festival (just outside the doors to the Main Hall) is a good place to ask during the Festival; otherwise, keep an eye on http://sussexbeerfestival.co.uk/helpout.htm or contact your local CAMRA branch.
Volunteering is a lot of fun, with bar work the bread and butter essential activity that keeps the festival flowing. All volunteers are loaned a glass (usually from a festival gone by) and are largely free to taste as many beers as they wish (provided they don't neglect their duties and remain sufficiently compos mentis to carry out their role). When it comes to working the bar, it's almost a duty to have a taste of all of the beers on your own section, as customers will continually ask "what's that one like?". Even though I'm spending the majority of my time squirreled away in the kitchen this time around, I've still pulled a fair few pints at the busiest moments and there's a real buzz and camaraderie both with fellow bar workers and in bantering with the festival-goers.
Once upon a time, only CAMRA members could volunteer (for insurance purposes) but now anyone can ask to do a shift - having said that, it makes sense that members would be interested, as (1) it's already their passion, and (2) they will likely already have a good idea how good ale should be served. If anyone is interested, then the Membership Stall at the Festival (just outside the doors to the Main Hall) is a good place to ask during the Festival; otherwise, keep an eye on http://sussexbeerfestival.co.uk/helpout.htm or contact your local CAMRA branch.
'Nin!
Morning, or as they say in Olde Sussex dialect, "Nin!"
Last night's final update didn't quite go to plan - things remained hectic right up until 10.30pm. I then trotted down to the Sussex Bar to get myself a half of Harvey's excellent Prince of Denmark, which at 7.4% is definitely in "getting close to the end of the session" territory and is very nice (if a little sweet and treacly), when I got caught up in a rush and ending up pulling pints (and thirds and halves) right up until "Time" was called. I also heard a classic quote whilst pausing to buy a chili-pickled egg (one of my weaknesses) - "They've called 'time' early down here, so I'm going upstairs...!". Needless to say, the Sussex Bar and the Main Hall are still in the same time zone and the gentleman in question found that his quest was fruitless. We do have to stick very closely to the rules - although we're not permanent, we do have a licence that we need to have renewed every year, so we really can't bend the rules!
Anyway, my first hour back at Hove Town Hall has involved running around and speaking to the cellar teams to see what's come on for Friday lunchtime and what's already sold out. Tiny Rebel - from Newport in Wales - took the honour for the first beer to sell out, with their well-received Urban IPA that sold out last night! It was closely followed this morning when the last couple of pints of Oakham Citra were supped within 20 minutes of the doors opening. Unfortunately for me, I didn't get a chance to try either - I've made up for this today by using some 'inside information' on what's likely to be the next beer to go. I can't mention the beer itself (for fear of causing a stampede!), but I can reveal that it's from the Sussex Bar.
People often ask us why we can't get more beer in to replace the ones that have sold out - or why we can't go to the brewery for a new cask. As I'm sure a lot of people already know, real ale is alive in the cask, and it needs time to settle (or 'condition') - once the cask is tapped, the very small amounts of air cause the yeast to sink to the bottom and form sediment. Only when this happened over the course of a few days is the beer ready to be enjoyed - the decision as to when each beer is ready rests with our cellar team. We also have limited space - we've squeezed in just over 220 casks this year, but not all are the same size - and there's no 'sale or return' with a live, temperamental product like real ale, so all we can do is try our best to estimate what people are likely to drink over the five sessions and buy in the appropriate amount of beer.
Last night's final update didn't quite go to plan - things remained hectic right up until 10.30pm. I then trotted down to the Sussex Bar to get myself a half of Harvey's excellent Prince of Denmark, which at 7.4% is definitely in "getting close to the end of the session" territory and is very nice (if a little sweet and treacly), when I got caught up in a rush and ending up pulling pints (and thirds and halves) right up until "Time" was called. I also heard a classic quote whilst pausing to buy a chili-pickled egg (one of my weaknesses) - "They've called 'time' early down here, so I'm going upstairs...!". Needless to say, the Sussex Bar and the Main Hall are still in the same time zone and the gentleman in question found that his quest was fruitless. We do have to stick very closely to the rules - although we're not permanent, we do have a licence that we need to have renewed every year, so we really can't bend the rules!
Anyway, my first hour back at Hove Town Hall has involved running around and speaking to the cellar teams to see what's come on for Friday lunchtime and what's already sold out. Tiny Rebel - from Newport in Wales - took the honour for the first beer to sell out, with their well-received Urban IPA that sold out last night! It was closely followed this morning when the last couple of pints of Oakham Citra were supped within 20 minutes of the doors opening. Unfortunately for me, I didn't get a chance to try either - I've made up for this today by using some 'inside information' on what's likely to be the next beer to go. I can't mention the beer itself (for fear of causing a stampede!), but I can reveal that it's from the Sussex Bar.
People often ask us why we can't get more beer in to replace the ones that have sold out - or why we can't go to the brewery for a new cask. As I'm sure a lot of people already know, real ale is alive in the cask, and it needs time to settle (or 'condition') - once the cask is tapped, the very small amounts of air cause the yeast to sink to the bottom and form sediment. Only when this happened over the course of a few days is the beer ready to be enjoyed - the decision as to when each beer is ready rests with our cellar team. We also have limited space - we've squeezed in just over 220 casks this year, but not all are the same size - and there's no 'sale or return' with a live, temperamental product like real ale, so all we can do is try our best to estimate what people are likely to drink over the five sessions and buy in the appropriate amount of beer.
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Stopping for breath
The price of having to do half a day's worth of my "day job" (something boring and technical in financial services) and having to go to the dentist (even though I haven't lived in Hove since 2000, my dentist is still here!) meant that, since arriving at 2.30pm, I've had to:
- Set up the laptop
- Check I can access the wi-fi (everyone can - it's free for guests!)
- Track down a paper copy of the cider list (thanks Jackie!)
- Find out I can have a soft copy of the cider list after all (thanks again Jackie, and John!)
- Update the cider list with missing ciders
- Spend over an hour pinning up the QR code posters (next year, I'm asking for it to go on the programme cover!)
- Sprinkle some flyers around (thanks to Jo and the other bar staff who helped out)
- Run around getting details of the beers that didn't make the cut (only two so far) or aren't yet ready (thanks to Mark for covering the Sussex Bar)
- Run around again - once the cellarmen (Byron and Kim) had done their 5pm check - to get the beers that really aren't ready
- Update the 'live' beer list (and changes page) - http://sussexbeerfestival.co.uk/qr_beerchanges.htm
- Try and upload the photos (thanks Helen)
- Find out the photos are too blurred to use
- Respond to some tweets
Now, things have calmed down a bit and I'm stuck in a quiet corner of the staff room (aka kitchen) whilst the lights (on a motion sensor) have gone out...
Where the magic happens:
Up and running
So, here's the first post live from Hove Town Hall. The wi-fi works, the Cider list has been added and I'm just about to go and pin up the QR barcodes to allow smartphone users to access the live beer lists. This is a good thing, as my "office" is a quiet corner of a metal kitchen workbench and is a little lonely... :-(
On the plus side, there's already a buzz about the place as the Trade Session is in full swing - this is a non-public session for licencees to try a few different ales and meet some of our local brewers.
On the plus side, there's already a buzz about the place as the Trade Session is in full swing - this is a non-public session for licencees to try a few different ales and meet some of our local brewers.
Blog updates live from the Festival
Well, the big day is here again!
In a new feature for the 2013 Festival, we hope to keep you updated with some behind-the-scenes chat to give you an idea of what the committee and the volunteers (all unpaid, apart from the odd beer here and there...) get up to in order to bring you a (hopefully) smooth running Festival.
Think of it like a swan - graceful and poised on the surface, but with big leathery webbed feet going like the clappers under the surface! ;-)
More later...
In a new feature for the 2013 Festival, we hope to keep you updated with some behind-the-scenes chat to give you an idea of what the committee and the volunteers (all unpaid, apart from the odd beer here and there...) get up to in order to bring you a (hopefully) smooth running Festival.
Think of it like a swan - graceful and poised on the surface, but with big leathery webbed feet going like the clappers under the surface! ;-)
More later...
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