Our sixth beer festival is taking place from Wednesday 12th April to Tuesday 18th April.

Beers

An up-to-date list of beer in the pub is shown on the Drinks page. 24 of the beers will be on the stillage in the public bar, and the rest will be cycled through the handpumps. This is the list of beers for the festival (provisional; may be added to):

Brewsters - Marquis Bitter 3.8% (Leicestershire)

Named after the Marquis of Granby, this is an award winning session bitter with a golden tawny colour. It has a light maltiness perfectly balanced by a dry hoppy finish.

Brewsters - Hop-a-doodle-doo 4.3% (Leicestershire)

Introduced in 2004 this is a copper coloured ale, brewed with four malts and three hops. It has a rich full bodied feel and a delicious fruity hop character.

Brewsters - Belly Dancer 5.2% (Leicestershire)

A dark ruby coloured English ale. Crystal and roasted malts give a full bodied taste that is complemented by two old English hop varieties giving it a fruity finish with a hint of spice.

Burton Bridge - XL Mild 4.0% (Burton)

Brewed as XL bitter but with the addition of caramel to reduce the bitterness and increase the colour. More bitter than a traditional mild.

Burton Bridge - Flying Fun 4.5% (Burton)

Pale with excellent malt character.

Burton Bridge - Spring Ale 4.7% (Burton)

Full bodied with a pleasing bitterness made with Northdown hops.

Burton Bridge - Damson Porter 4.5% (Burton)

Brewed as Burton Dark Porter with the addition of Damson juice to smooth out the bitterness and add a little sweetness. Made with Target and Challenger hops.

Cairngorm - Sheepshaggers Gold 4.5%

A delicious golden ale, almost a continental lager flavour. The best beer baa NONE!

Cains - Finest Bitter 4.0%

A regular winner of awards for quality and flavour, and winner of the silver medal at the International Brewing Industry Awards 2002, this refreshing yet full-bodied bitter is a favourite with beer drinkers everywhere. The rich flavours of premium malt and goldings hops are unmistakable in this well balanced, traditionally brewed bitter. Champion Beer of Britain 1991.

Castle Rock - Harvest Pale Ale 3.8% (Nottingham)

A pale and refreshing single malt beer with a subtle but distinctive hop flavour.

Castle Rock - Crocus 3.9% (Nottingham)

A Nottingham style brew with a flowery hop finish.

Castle Rock - Nottingham Gold 3.5% (Nottingham)

A light bitter with a distinctive hop character from 100% goldings hops.

Highgate - I.P.A. 4.4% (Walsall)

This copper-coloured ale has malt and fruit notes on the palate, with an inevitable dry finish due to the addition of four ounces of Goldings dry hops.

Hydes - Hydes Heavenly Draft 4.2%

A light bitter with a distinctive hop character from 100% Goldings hops.

Milton - Jupiter 3.5% (Cambridgeshire)

The perfect session bitter - superbly full of flavour and bitterness for its strength.

Milton - Pegasus 4.1% (Cambridgeshire)

Complex copper-coloured beer. The initial hoppiness is balanced with a long fruity, malty finish. Very moreish. Champion beer of East Anglia 2002. Look out for the Pegasus it is in excellent form and well worth a re-visit!

Milton - Minotaur 3.3% (Cambridgeshire)

What a mild should be! Chocolate and coffee hints in this easy drinking 3.3% beer.

Milton - Sparta 4.3% (Cambridgeshire)

Our new best seller, at its best is a fantastic pale bitter with fruity aftertastes of apples or mangoes - depends on who you ask!

Milton - Thebes 4.6% (Cambridgeshire)

Becoming a regular Milton beer in the Oakdale, this beer is the big brother of Sparta and is a pale bitter ale with a lovely malt background flavour.

Milton - Daedalus 5.00% (Cambridgeshire)

Congratulations to Milton on their 500th brew! This is a strong pale ale, deceptive for its strength.

Milton - Dionysus 3.6% (Cambridgeshire)

New Milton beer, one of their palest ever brews.

Milton - Uluru 3.7% (Cambridgeshire)

2nd in the new Australian themed beer range. This is an extremely bitter pale ale.

Milton - Dreamtime 8.3% (Cambridgeshire)

Sweet but easy drinking for its strength, the name of the beer is a warning!

Nethergate - Aussie Flower 4.5% (Suffolk)

A malty copper coloured beer.

Nottingham - EPA (Nottingham)

A light coloured, exceptionally well balanced smooth ale with a light fragrant hop finish. Bronze award winer at the CAMRA Great British Beer Festival 2004. Best seller at our last festival.

Nottingham - Sooty Oatmeal Stout (Nottingham)

BEAUTY IN BLACK! A traditional classic oatmeal stout brewed to an original recipe. "It's food and drink in a glass." Champion Beer of the 2002 Cambridge CAMRA Beer Festival and 2nd best seller at our last festival.

Springhead - Eggstravaganza 4.8% (Sutton-on-Trent)

Lovely malty beer, pale in colour with masses of flavour.

Springhead - Puritan's Porter 4.0% (Sutton-on-Trent)

A porter - ominously dark, not heavy. Smooth with a lingering finish of roasted barley.

Springhead - Charlies Angel 4.5% (Sutton-on-Trent)

A pale golden beer with a deeply fruity aroma and flavour which leads to the well balanced bitter finish. Very refreshing... very morish.

Tring - Ridgeway 4.0% (Hertfordshire)

A nut brown beer. The aroma is very faint nutty. The flavor is sweet hoppy - from aroma hops - mixing with notes of nuts and wood before it gives way to a dry bitter end. A nice tasting bitter.

Robinsons - Young Tom 4.0% (Stockport)

Dark with a fruity aroma this beer retains all the unique flavours associated with its famous elder "Old Tom". Young Tom has a lighter palate with a good balance of malt and pepper hops.

Woodfordes - Great Eastern 4.3% (Norfolk)

Peppery hop notes introduce this clean tasting bitter. A first taste brings together a combination of hop bitterness and a toffee-like sweetness.

Ciders and Perries

The following ciders and perries will available during the festival:

Food

There will be a daily special in addition to our normal menu:

Wednesday

Slow cooked Chilli con Carne made with Milton Minotaur and served with rice.

Thursday

Pasta Bake with tuna chunks and a sweet chilli sauce

Friday

Slow cooked beef balti, back by popular demand! Served with spiced Pilau rice and a poppadom.

Saturday

Bangers and Mash - creamy mash, three fat juicy butchers sausages, topped with onion gravy.

Sunday

The Big Breakfast: Cumberland sausages, garlic fried tomatos, special fried potatos, fried bread, mushrooms and black pudding.

Monday

Slow cooked Chilli Con Carne made with Nottingham Sooty Stout (if there's any left!) and served with rice.

Tuesday

To be decided...