If the choice of beer in your local pubs is getting a bit predictable, there are plenty of local and nearby beer festivals on the horizon to spice things up.
White Hart beer and sausage festival
Saturday 5th to Monday 7th May 2012
Of the two beer festivals in our branch area over the weekend, the one at the White Hart, in Sherington is certainly the most ambitious. Boasting over 40 ales (see the beer list), a good selection of ciders and perry, it will also feature locally produced sausages and other produce. Local brewery Hopping Mad have been involved in sourcing the beers, so the brewery is well represented and even provides a festival special. There are plenty of other LocAles to choose from too, including Concrete Cow, plus a good selection from some of the UK's best microbreweries. As May is CAMRA's Mild Month, a small selection has been included in the list. There will be live entertainment at various times, but we don't have any details at the moment. Note that the pub won't be open during this festival, as it is held outside. This could be bad news for fizz drinkers, as the usual bland brands are unlikley to be available, but they're hoping to offer a real alternative! Hopefully it won't be blowing a gale or pouring with rain either, but it is a Bank Holiday so prepare for the worst.
The village of Sherington is located a short distance from Newport Pagnell. It is fairly well served by the number 1 bus service operated by Arriva, particularly on the Saturday. An hourly service runs through the village connecting Bletchley, CMK and Newport Pagnell with Olney and Lavendon. The last bus towards Bletchley is timetabled at 22:43 and towards Lavendon at 22:58, so plenty of time of imbibing. On Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, a two-hourly service runs through the day, with the last bus towards Bletchley departing at 16:33 and towards Lavendon at 17:35. A better service can be picked up at Newport Pagnell if you're prepared to grab a cab or put in some leg work. The full No. 1 timetable is available online for those who want to plan. Arriva's DaySaver ticket, still a bargain at £3.90, is valid on all services. The bus stops at The Green in Sherington, with the pub a 10-15 minute stroll away, down Church Road and then left into Gun Lane.
Cannon beer festival
Thursday 3rd to Monday 7th May 2012
We don't have any details of the Cannon's beer festival yet, other than we know it is happening over the Bank Holiday weekend thanks to their Facebook page. They have live music and comedy to supplement their range of ales and with the bus service to/from Sherington stopping a few yards away you'd be daft not to drop in. There's a more frequent bus service back towards central Milton Keynes too, so you can stay as late as 23:06 Thu-Sat and 22:06 on Sun-Mon, all thanks to bus number 2. If we hear more, we'll let you know.
18th Reading CAMRA Beer and Cider Festival
Wednesday 2nd to Sunday 6th May 2012
One of the biggest beer festivals in the region, if not the outright biggest, offering a staggering 500+ ales! This is also a must visit for cider fans, as the festival boasts 200+ ciders and perries, as they host the regional and national cider championships. Last year, one of our local producers walked away with the national title, Virtual Orchard's Hardcore Cider. They'll be defending that title this year and will be joined by our second producer, Woughton Orchard, based at the heart of Milton Keynes.
To get to the festival you can jump on the X5 bus service to Oxford and then take the train down to Reading. Alternatively, you can take the train via London. As there are so many ways to get there, you're better off making your own plans based on the X5 timetable and the National Rail website. For opening times, pricing and full lists of the beers/ciders available, check out the festival website.
3rd Towcester beer festival
Friday 4th to Sunday 6th May
Not too far outside our branch area, Towcestrians RFC are hosting a festival with an impressive range of ales and ciders. Full details of the 60 beers and 30 ciders are available online. The rugby club can be found just off the Towcester Road (NN12 8AW) a short distance from the town centre. Stagecoach bus 89 between central MK and Northampton provides an hourly daytime service Mon-Sat, with the last bus back towards MK at 18:16 from The Square.
Green Man beer and sausage festival
Saturday 5th to Monday 7th May
Completely unrelated to the Sherington event, you have an alternative choice of 20+ beers and around 10 different types of sausage at the Green Man in Eversholt. This is just over the border from our branch, a few miles east of Woburn. Sadly there is no real public transport option for this one, but if you are out that way further info is available on the pub's website.
Coming soon
The Woolpack in Buckingham town centre is holding a charity festival over the extended double Bank Holiday Jubilee weekend. We've seen the beer list and it's a cracker – it'll be online soon! We're considering running our June social at this event, so let us know if you're interested.
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