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Real Ale Festival
CAMRA, the biggest consumers’ rights organisation in
the country, have been campaigning on behalf of pub drinkers
since 1971. It is this organisation which coined the term
‘real ale’. Real ale, according to the society,
must be ‘brewed from traditional ingredients, matured
by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is
dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon
dioxide’. This method ensures that living yeast is still
present in the cask from which the beer is served, thus keeping
it fresh. Electric pumps are frowned upon: real ale should
be drawn by gravity from a hand pump on the bar. Harveys Best
currently holds CAMRA’s gold medal for best Best in
the country, quite an accolade.
The Gardeners is easily the best real ale pub in Lewes, as
it always has a number of guest ales alongside its range of
Harveys bitters. But once every year Lewesians get the chance
to sample scores of other ales (as well as naturally produced
ciders and perries) from around the country as CAMRA South
Downs Beer and Cider Festival, currently in its 10th year.
There will be over 55 varieties this year, and participants
will have three chances to get through as many as they can,
on Friday lunchtime and evening and all day Saturday. The
Friday evening slot has already sold out. Tickets are available
from the Gardeners or on the door on Friday lunchtime. AL
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