King’s Lynn beer expert Jeff Hoyle turns uses his taste buds to judge cider
In his weekly The bar Man column, Jeff Hoyle samples cider delights in Essex…
I am not a cider expert but, being available and willing counts for a lot, and when I was asked to participate in judging the top cider in East Anglia at Chappel beer festival, it seemed like a fun day out.
Chappel is in North Essex and a bit of research revealed that the railway museum where the event was to be held, had its own mainline station. That was the good news, but the journey involved an early start and about four changes.
Luckily, the Bar Wife was also free on the designated day and offered to drive so we arrived in good time and, while I joined the rest of the panel, she occupied herself with a freezing cold can of Ghostship zero.
Why do people who know a bit about beer not serve the canned stuff at the same temperature as draught beer is a puzzle that we have been unable to solve.
After an hour tasting small amounts of cider in giant pint glasses that the tables would barely hold, we had our winner, or at least. I think we did as I submitted my scores and wandered off to find the Bar Wife.
My lift down to the festival do not come without strings attached and after a final wander round the engines and other railway related stuff, we took our leave and headed north to the lovely Suffolk town of Long Melford, where we were to spend a night at the Black Lion.
It wasn’t the cheapest pub in the area, but turned out to be worth every penny, with great food, a comfortable room and super beer from Barsham and Nethergate, now based in the town. I had passed through Long Melford before, but the next morning allowed us a chance to explore the place in more detail.
The church is stunning, one of the 18 best in England according to someone quoted on a sign inside, whose name I have forgotten. More glass than stone, it is beautiful and light and boasts a large quantity of stained glass from before the reformation when puritans did God’s work by smashing everything which displayed an image of a biblical character.
A great start to the day, but there was more to come with Melford Hall across the green. A 16th century building not dissimilar to the slightly older Oxburgh Hall, its unique appeal lies in its connections to Beatrix Potter, so if anthropomorphic rabbits are your thing, a visit to this place is a must.
If you aren’t, the building is fascinating and there are gardens and outdoor walks. No time to linger, as the highlight of the day was yet to come with the first ever meeting of Long Melford FC and Parson Drove scheduled for the afternoon at Stoneylands, (ground 273).
It is the first time I have ever seen a game suspended due to a thunderstorm, a sensible precaution given the lightning flashing around the sky, though I am perplexed by the decision to let four players onto the pitch to kick a ball around while the rest took to the safety of the changing rooms.
On the way home we stopped at The Crown at Mundford, my first visit for a number of years. It was great to see a village local so well patronised and serving a very acceptable pint of London Pride. My choice of pork belly was the same as in the Black Lion but this time came with less style and more substance. I am not sure which I prefer. Perhaps I need to try again.
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