Derbyshire Beer Festival at the Guildford Arms

I have never seen such beautiful pubs as I've seen in Edinburgh. Many of these historical turn of the century bars (and I mean turn from the 19th to the 20th century that is) are so lovingly restored or recreated that many are breathtaking and awe inspiring, such is the quality and detail on display. The Guildford Arms is one of these places and was first mentioned to me by the gentlemen at the Halfway House, but I didn't get there until my second day. It is an absolutely stunning room, superb high ceiling, tall ensconced windows, gorgeous wood bar, lots of open floor space, comfortable seating and even a restaurant area above overlooking this magnificence. As luck would have it, I walked into the first day of a full blown real ale festival! As if there was not enough great Scottish micros to try, the Guildford Arms was hosting an 11 day event featuring 50 beers from Derbyshire, in the English Midlands. Oh my god! Where to start?
Well, they only have 10 real ale taps (!), so the festival beers would be rotating daily. That limited the field right away, as this would be my only visit. Next, I thought I'd better be prudent and go for the smallest tasters as possible, which turned out to be 1/2 pint glasses only. Okay, now I would need some sustenance to get me through the afternoon, and they had available a 'Scottish Cheese Platter', featuring 4 different local curds, a fresh crisp, coarse chutney with oatcakes, plus some fruit and veggies too. I was all set then, as I walked up to the busy bar and placed my order.
I started with Brunswick's Triple Hop (4%) from Derby, a pale gold coloured and citrus hop bouqueted bitter, featuring some malt sweetness and delivering a firm, dry aftertaste. It seemed to go quite well with the first cheese, something called Blue Monday. Incidentally, this wonderful fermented curd is made by Alex James, the former bass player from Blur, now an award winning cheese maker in his own right. My next beer choice came from Ashbourne and the Leather Britches Brewery, Doctor Johnson (4%), a mild brown ale, auburn in colour, fully flavoured malt accented brew, with some underlying hop and hints of caramel. This was delectable with the Applewood Smoked Cheddar! Number 3 took me to Stavely and the Spire Brewery. It was their 80 Shilling Ale (4.3%), a darker and maltier brew, made from a traditional Scottish recipe, medium bodied and very smooth. This was yummy with the second blue, a more traditional Stilton.
I then noticed that my beers where getting darker with each pour, only coincidentally it seemed, since I was choosing strictly by name and tap label only. Interesting. I also realized that the cheeses were not necessarily really Scottish, and the staff were really no help in this regard, as they were knowledgeable in the beers they were serving, but not the cheeses. The Full Mash Brewery from Stapleford looked good, something called Steve Ashby's Locoil (4.6%) with a picture of the brewer himself, I'm guessing, on the label. This seemed to be an almost black stout, but with a rounded body and a slightly bitter edge. I tried the unidentified Brie with this one, good, but went back to the Blue Monday, as they seemed to complement each other so well. From the beginning I had my eye on the Smoked Porter (5.6%) from the Bottlebrook Brewery in Belper. The label looked hand drawn, which somehow appealed to me, inspiring images of a brewer more interested in his art than the art of marketing, so it was next. Absolutely black, malty and smokey, a true English porter with bitter undertones, but with the presence of a fresh hoppy character. This was one of my favourites, and yes, it went down extremely well with the Stilton.
It was all tasting so good, but by now 3 of the 10 taps were emptied as the clientele came and went, and my stamina was starting to wane just a little bit. Not to mention I had eaten just about everything on my platter, so I allowed myself one more indulgence. It was Divebomber (3.8%) from the Funfair Brewery in Ilkeston. Straw coloured and extremely aromatic, really nice hop content, a very refreshing pale ale with hints of citrus and a wonderfully dry finish. And finished I was, counting myself fortunate to get through 6 marvelous brews and still be able to walk out the door!
The afternoon was fading, but it still was a gorgeous, warm fall day as I walked about the busy streets, knowing the air would do me good. I decided to do some music shopping, as I had glimpsed a great looking CD shop earlier in the day. Maybe not the smartest thing to do after an afternoon of beer tasting, I found way too many things I wanted to buy! But what the hey, I'm not in Scotland everyday! Ach Edinburgh, what a marvelous city you are!