When Tucker’s Maltings, in Newton Abbot, closed in 2018, there were fears for the future of the annual festival held in the historic building. It turns out, we need not have worried.
Despite two years away due to the pandemic, the festival returned with a roar at the weekend, under canvas in a field in front of the Maltings, renamed as MaltingsFest.
For me, with the exception of a visit to the recent Driftwood Spars beer festival (there’s another coming this weekend — click here), this was my first major beer festival visit for, oh, two and a half years or so. The crowds, the bar staff darting back and forth from counter to the massive serried ranks of casks, the beer-themed t- and polo shirts, the sniffing and inspection of samples. It was a return to a form of normality beer lovers have hankered after since being confined to barracks in March 2020.
Waste not, want not: the festival glasses had already been ordered for 202, when the event had to be postponed. No-one minded that they were being used in 2022!
I’m relatively well known for preferring visits to high quality pubs rather than festivals, but I have to admit this re-ignited that excitement I had when I first joined CAMRA and discovered the joys and curious rituals of these events. I mean, where else do you give your friend a sip of your beer in return for a try of theirs? Especially these days!
The old festival, being on the base of a floor maltings, had a natural brewing-themed atmosphere, but it was dark and cramped. Now here we were in a huge series of open-sided marquees, a huge central bar with no queuing, a keg/craft beer/cider bar, and plenty of seating and tables. The weather was fine, so there was even more space outside, as well as good loos, a happy halfway between a Glastonbury Portaloo and glamping comfort. And here’s an important point — great light, so when you held a glass up to inspect the contents the glow of that beautifully crafted cask beer shone.
Fondly remembered: On the back of the festival programme, this lovely tribute to the late Driftwood Spars brewer, Peter ‘Fluffy’ Martin, who died at the start of 2020
The beer quality was great, at least the ones I chose were. My highlights were:
• Hop Kettle Brewery’s North Wall (4.3% ABV), a dark session bitter that’s a worthy award winner in the SIBA competition held before the festival on the Thursday
• Cheddar Ales’ Piney Sleight (4% ABV), the tasty session pale that took the overall cask prize, and which ran out on Saturday afternoon
• Dawkins Ales’ Foresters Black Caramel (4.8%), a dark, sweet beer from a favourite brewery which starts out a hint smokey
• 3D Beer’s Craic On (5% ABV), a dark speciality beer with a lovely coffee flavour to it
• Yeovil Ales’ Yeovil Pale Ale (7.3%), a long-standing favourite that has become a West Country classic, smooth and extremely hoppy, as is …
• St Austell Brewery’s Big Job (7.2% ABV) which I had because I love it and it was there.
Congratulations to the MaltingsFest team. It was a great event and I can’t wait until the next one. It was well organised, with friendly, helpful volunteers. And to my friends on the ‘naughty table’ (you know who you are), I’ll see you soon. Don’t know where, don’t know when…
