If headaches and hangovers are a measure of how good the previous night was, yesterday’s score at Keighley & Worth Valley Beer and Music Festival was spectacular. We left the house at around 10:30am and got to Keighley for the midday steam service, stopping off at Haworth for fish and chips then getting up to Oxenhope shed (including beers en route of course – the train bars were excellent!). Colin, Si, Howard and Sarah joined us on the service from Leeds to Keighley where we had jelly babies and took photos.

We were presently joined during the day by George and Lizzie who’d come over from Hebden Bridge, Ruth and Brian who’d had a 3-hour journey from Kettlethorpe (!), Jem and Lee (you can’t keep that man away from a festival if it’s got trains and beer), and many other friends who we bumped into. The kids were absolute stars, and had great fun dancing to Welsh-T Band.

Looking at my programme (where I usually number what I had and when) I managed to get through:

  1. Spotland Gold (Phoenix, Heywood)
  2. Tawny Bitter (Cotleigh, Somerset)
  3. Definitive (Durham Brewery)
  4. Gold (Green Mill, Rochdale)
  5. Good Ship Leonard (Newby Wyke, Lincs)
  6. K&WV Festival Ale (Goose Eye Brewery, Keighley)
  7. Cornish Knocker Ale (Skinner’s Brewing Co, Truro)
  8. Hornbeam Bitter (Hop Back Brewery, Wiltshire)
  9. Mid Autumn Gold (Mauldons, Suffolk)
  10. Lush (Hopstar Brewery, Lancashire)
  11. Hop Pickers Gold (Mayfields Brewery, Herefordshire)
  12. Carousel (Southport Brewery, Merseyside)
  13. Eden Pure Ale (Sharp’s Brewery, Cornwall)
  14. Pacific Bitter (Bank Top, Bolton)
  15. Blonde (Saltaire Brewery, Shipley)
  16. Arizona (Phoenix, Heywood)
  17. Rail Ale (Old Spot, Cullingworth)

The trip back was a bit hazy for me – I was utterly hammered according to Nicky and only just managed to hit the bench when I was sitting down. Because there were so many of us coming back to Wrenthorpe the cab wouldn’t take us, so we ended up getting a minibus from Leeds City Station back home (which actually worked out cheaper – thanks Fleet Taxis!). We had Chinese food for tea. I can’t remember any of it, but I assume I ate something since I didn’t feel too hungry this morning.

The hangover is almost gone now – photos of the day are here. Great to see so many old friends, and thanks to KWVR for a great day out!