Derby lifts a glass to real ale revival
British pubs may be closing at the rate of five a day, but Derby is at the forefront of a real ale revival, featuring atmospheric pubs, great offers and a "Real Ale Break", which has hit the headlines recently.
Dubbed a Beer Capital of Britain, Derby is able to boast the largest number of real ales per head of population, more than 120 real ale pubs, several micro-breweries, and two annual CAMRA Beer Festivals, not to mention, Britain’s first and only "Beer King", Les Baynton.
The Derby Real Ale Break lifts a glass in celebration of all of this, and is now available throughout the year although real ale enthusiasts will probably want to take full advantage of this during the CAMRA Beer Festival which is this year scheduled to take place from July 8 to 12.
The Brunswick Inn (the first railwaymen’s hostelry in the world) and Ye Olde Dolphin (dating back to 1530) are just a couple of the pubs in the city worth including on any real ale pub crawl of Derby.
Another is The Royal Standard which, like the Brunswick Inn, possesses its own micro-brewery. Opened in 1864 and visited by Queen Victoria, the Standard today is famous (amongst people in the know) for its "Racks" trays of 1/3 pint glasses of five home brews, served with a selection of local cheeses, for just £5.
A recent visitor to Derby was Toronto Globe & Mail journalist Bert Archer who was able to advise his readers "why you want to go pubbing in Derby, rather than London"! Won-over by the city and its pubs, Archer also met Britain’s sociable, poetry-writing Beer King Les Baynton, who will be on-hand to open the Beer Festival in July.
Set to once again offer the usual mix of beers to sample – and a varied line-up of entertainment designed to appeal to all tastes and age groups the Beer Festival this year celebrates the 300th anniversary of Samuel Johnson’s birth, along with his 1735 marriage in a Derby church.
A Derby Real Ale Break, meanwhile, allows visitors to take their pick from a wide range of beer-themed activities as well as free admission to the CAMRA Beer Festival in the Assembly Rooms in July.
Micro-brewery visits, a "DIY pub crawl", and accommodation (within crawling distance of all of the most historic pubs) are other features of the package, which starts from as little as around £65 per person.
For further information visit www.visitderby.co.uk/shortbreaks
Chitra Mogul
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