Halton Castle Beer Festival in association with Halton CAMRA - Beer List 2023
The all important beer & cider list!
The festival has brought together beers from around CAMRA's Merseyside and Cheshire Region which we hope will delight you, from straw coloured pale ales through to dark and mysterious stouts. Chapter Brewing is the festival main sponsor from whom there will be a fine selection of beers, including CAMRA's Champion Winter Beer of Britain (CWBoB) 2023 GOLD winner Dead Man's Fist.
In response to several requests for real cider last year, there are also two ciders sourced from the opposite ends of the county. We hope that you'll agree that Cheshire makes cider at least as well as Somerset!
The beers will be available from 13 hand-pulls (A to J outside and Y to Z inside) and three keg lines (K, to M outside and N inside) in two rounds. Depending on how quickly the beers sell, it is anticipated that the rounds will run as below ... and gone when they are gone!
- Opening – From Friday – possibly into Saturday
- Probably Saturday – through Sunday as needed
CAMRA Beer styles:
BARL - Barley Wines |
BROW - Brown Ales |
IPAB - IPAs - British |
IPAW - IPAs - New World |
OLDA - Old Ales |
PRBI - Bitters - Premium |
PRBL - Blond Ales - Premium |
PRGO - Golden Ales - Premium |
PRPA - Pale Ales - Premium |
REDA - Red Ales |
SEBI - Bitters - Session |
SEBL - Blond Ales - Session |
SEGO - Golden Ales - Session |
SEMI - Milds |
SEPA - Pale Ales - Session |
SEPO - Porters - Session |
SEST - Stouts - Session |
SPEC - Speciality Ales - Differently-produced |
SPEF - Speciality Ales - Flavoured |
STAL - Strong Ales |
STMI - Milds - Strong |
STPO - Porters - Strong |
STST - Stouts - Strong
Other Drink styles:
BVCL - Bavarain Cask Lager |
CIDER - Compliant Real Cider |
PERRY - Compliant Real Perry
Sunday Funday Special
All FESTIVAL beers £3 a pint / £2 a half pint ... until its gone! Open noon until late!"
Just the Cheese
It is is a delight to welcome stalwarts of CAMRA beer festivals today - Just the Cheese - with a selection of 15 speciality cheeses. Enjoy cheese, biscuits and pickles with your beer ... or take home for supper!
The cheese stall is in side the pub.
| 2Y | Beartown (Congleton) | Creme Bearlee | 4.8% |  |
| A velvety stout with burnt cream, Madagascan vanilla and molasses. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Vegan | SEST | |||
| 1I | Beartown (Congleton) | Kahuna | 4.5% |  |
| Passionfruit Pale ? Clean and crisp on the palate, giving way to that familiar Mosaic flavour blended with passion fruit leading the drinker on a thirst quenching journey of Tropical fruit and floral notes. Allergens: Barley; Wheat | SPEF | |||
| Q | Big Bog (Liverpool) | Balmy Bog | 4% | |
| Blonde coloured, with light and refreshing hop notes from the careful use of USA Cascade hops added throughout the brewing process. Allergens: Barley | SEBL | |||
| 1Y | Big Bog (Liverpool) | Hinky Punk | 4.1% |  |
| A well hopped beer with a secret blend of no less than 7 American hop varieties. Intense citrus notes and its incredibly pale colour make this a truly unique ale. Allergens: Barley | SEGO | |||
| 1H | Big Bog (Liverpool) | Morast | 4.3% | |
| MORAST is German for ?Quagmire?. Bavarain Cask Lager brewed with Vienna malt for body and German Hallert?uer Mittelfruher and Hersbrucker hops for an authentic taste. Allergens: Barley | BVCL | |||
| 3C | Chapter / Beartown (Runcorn) | Antigonous | 5.5% | |
| Packed with Bru-1 and Vic Secret, giving a deliciously balanced, fruity and floral beer. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Oats; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | IPAW | |||
| 1B | Chapter (Runcorn) | Blindfold Off | 4.2% |  |
| Best Bitter brewed with and for the Aigburth Tap in Liverpool to celebrate their birthday and to showcase what English ingredients can do. Allergens: Barley; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | SEBI | |||
| 1A | Chapter (Runcorn) | Dead Man's Fist | 5.5% | |
| Subtly smoked porter using beech smoked malt mixes with freshly ground black pepper for a touch of fire. Unfiltered, unfined and suitable for Vegans. Allergens: Barley; Other: Black Pepper; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | SPEC | |||
| 1C | Chapter (Runcorn) | Kandata | 4.7% | |
| A punchy, fragrant Pale with a huge Columbus burst that complements the smooth malt bill. Allergens: Barley; Oats; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | PRPA | |||
| 1L | Chapter (Runcorn) | Man Called Drink | 5.1% | |
| A soft, low bitterness, hop forward, sessionable Pale Ale with Citra & Strata Hops. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Oats; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | PRPA | |||
| 2K | Chapter (Runcorn) | Practicable & Useful | 4.3% | |
| Kveik Pale with an orange and citrus pithiness, dry hopped with Citra, Azacca & Mosaic. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Oats; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | SEBL | |||
| 2B | Chapter (Runcorn) | Taller than a house | 3.9% | |
| Soft fruit aromas and soft oat body allow the hops to shine with a light bitterness at the finish. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Oats; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | SEPA | |||
| 1K | Chapter (Runcorn) | That Old Rope | 5.4% | |
| A chunky malt backbone supports the "C" hop boost, the classic West Coast bitterness and rose Turkish delight undertones. Unfiltered, unfined, and suitable for Vegans. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | PRPA | |||
| 2C | Chapter (Runcorn) | Unconsenting Soul | 4.2% | |
| Full bodied, hazy, juicy session IPA with a fruity yeast profile and soft mouth feel. Hopped with Mosaic, Comet and Citra further the aroma. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Oats; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | PRPA | |||
| 2I | Coach House (Warrington) | Blonde | 4.1% |  |
| Blonde ale made wholly out of English ingredients, with the addition of Jester Hops, giving flavours and aroma of tropical fruits. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Fish | SEBL | |||
| 1X | Coach House (Warrington) | Gunpowder Mild | 3.8% | |
| Very dark mild with a full liquorice and toffee flavour, slightly bitter taste. Allergens: Barley; Fish | SEMI | |||
| 1D | Norton (Runcorn) | Gold | 5.3% | |
| A smooth golden ale with a hint of orange. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | PRGO | |||
| 1J | SiDa (Macclesfield) | Holmes Chapel Apple | 6.2% | |
| Forged in the fertile fields of Holmes Chapel from our traditional variety orchard, planted, nurtured, picked, pressed and blended by our own hands. Holmes Chapel Apple is a medium dry craft cider, with a lovely body, a scrumpy of traditional apple varieties. Allergens: Sulphites; Other: Sucralose; Gluten Free; Vegan | CIDER | |||
| 1G | Spitting Feathers (Chester) | ///trio.brew.alien | 4.7% | |
| A modern take on a pale ale that uses 100% British ingredients, with extra pale malts combined with innovative T45 Olicana hops to produce summer-ready flavours and aromas of melon and passionfruit. Allergens: Gluten Free; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | PRPA | |||
| 1Z | Spitting Feathers (Chester) | Cider | 5% | |
| Over a dozen varieties of apples grown at Spitting Feathers own orchard are harvested annually to produce this well balanced medium/dry cider. Allergens: Gluten Free; Vegan | CIDER | |||
| 2J | Spitting Feathers (Chester) | Old Wavertonian | 4.4% | |
| A robust dark stout full of roast barley, chocolate and coffee flavours and aromas. Allergens: Gluten Free; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | STST | |||
| 2G | Spitting Feathers (Chester) | Rush Hour | 4.5% | |
| 5 different hop varieties give this pale ale a strong citrus character, bursting with grapefruit, orange and passion fruit flavours. Allergens: Gluten Free; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | PRPA | |||
| 2H | Strawberry Fields (Liverpool) | Lucy | 4.5% | |
| Brewed with pale ale and a touch of crystal malt for an amber look. Hopped cleverly with Liberty, Simcoe and Delta following the inferences in the song. A hoppy and satisfying beer with a good fruity finish. Allergens: Barley; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | SEBL | |||
| 1N | Strawberry Fields (Liverpool) | Penny Lane | 4.2% | |
| A six-hop plethora of punchy hop varieties from America and Australia. It is fresh, unfined and very lightly filtered, keeping as many juicy, fruity flavours in the beer as possible. Allergens: Barley | SEBL | |||
| 1M | Strawberry Fields (Liverpool) | Yellow Submarine | 4.7% | |
| Barth Haas hop blend 'Yellow Sub' turns a fine and excellent hop aroma into a sweet, fruity Flamenco of apricot and orange, with a hint of blackberries, which makes this beer irresistible. Aroma Characteristics - Sweet Citrus, Red Berry. Allergens: Barley | SEBL | |||
| 1E | Tatton (Knutsford) | Best | 4.2% | |
| A satisfying finely hopped best bitter. Allergens: Barley; Wheat | SEBI | |||
| 2E | Tatton (Knutsford) | Dark Celebration | 4.5% | |
| Chocolate coconut and vanilla porter. Allergens: Barley | SEPO | |||
| 2D | Tatton (Knutsford) | Lazy Haze | 3.7% | |
| A light, refreshing summer ale with subtle honey undertones, brewed with a unique infusion giving a delicate aroma. Allergens: Barley; Wheat | SEPA | |||
| 2X | Tatton (Knutsford) | Tilted Bhudda | 4% | |
| Zesty pale with a light ginger tingle, unfined. Allergens: Barley; Unfined (may be hazy) | SEPA | |||
| 1F | Wily Fox (Wigan) | Crafty Fox | 4% | |
| An amber-coloured, traditionally crafted Lancashire Ale, brewed with Maris Otter & Crystal Malts, triple-hopped with classic English varieties Northdown, Fuggles & East Kent Goldings to create a quaffable, full bodied bitter ale with a spicy, earthy aroma. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Fish | SEBI | |||
| 2F | Wily Fox (Wigan) | Tilt Tropical | 4% | |
| A clean easy drinking Blonde ale that bursts with a taste of the Tropics. An outburst of Passionfruit & Mango leads the way to a nice balanced bitterness that will tease and tantalise the palate. A Great Tasting Beer that leaves you with a desire for more. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Fish | SEBL | |||
| 1A | Chapter (Runcorn) | Dead Man's Fist | 5.5% | |
| Subtly smoked porter using beech smoked malt mixes with freshly ground black pepper for a touch of fire. Unfiltered, unfined and suitable for Vegans. Allergens: Barley; Other: Black Pepper; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | SPEC | |||
| 1B | Chapter (Runcorn) | Blindfold Off | 4.2% | |
| Best Bitter brewed with and for the Aigburth Tap in Liverpool to celebrate their birthday and to showcase what English ingredients can do. Allergens: Barley; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | SEBI | |||
| 1C | Chapter (Runcorn) | Kandata | 4.7% | |
| A punchy, fragrant Pale with a huge Columbus burst that complements the smooth malt bill. Allergens: Barley; Oats; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | PRPA | |||
| 1D | Norton (Runcorn) | Gold | 5.3% | |
| A smooth golden ale with a hint of orange. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | PRGO | |||
| 1E | Tatton (Knutsford) | Best | 4.2% | |
| A satisfying finely hopped best bitter. Allergens: Barley; Wheat | SEBI | |||
| 1F | Wily Fox (Wigan) | Crafty Fox | 4% | |
| An amber-coloured, traditionally crafted Lancashire Ale, brewed with Maris Otter & Crystal Malts, triple-hopped with classic English varieties Northdown, Fuggles & East Kent Goldings to create a quaffable, full bodied bitter ale with a spicy, earthy aroma. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Fish | SEBI | |||
| 1G | Spitting Feathers (Chester) | ///trio.brew.alien | 4.7% | |
| A modern take on a pale ale that uses 100% British ingredients, with extra pale malts combined with innovative T45 Olicana hops to produce summer-ready flavours and aromas of melon and passionfruit. Allergens: Gluten Free; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | PRPA | |||
| 1H | Big Bog (Liverpool) | Morast | 4.3% | |
| MORAST is German for ?Quagmire?. Bavarain Cask Lager brewed with Vienna malt for body and German Hallert?uer Mittelfruher and Hersbrucker hops for an authentic taste. Allergens: Barley | BVCL | |||
| 1I | Beartown (Congleton) | Kahuna | 4.5% | |
| Passionfruit Pale ? Clean and crisp on the palate, giving way to that familiar Mosaic flavour blended with passion fruit leading the drinker on a thirst quenching journey of Tropical fruit and floral notes. Allergens: Barley; Wheat | SPEF | |||
| 1J | SiDa (Macclesfield) | Holmes Chapel Apple | 6.2% | |
| Forged in the fertile fields of Holmes Chapel from our traditional variety orchard, planted, nurtured, picked, pressed and blended by our own hands. Holmes Chapel Apple is a medium dry craft cider, with a lovely body, a scrumpy of traditional apple varieties. Allergens: Sulphites; Other: Sucralose; Gluten Free; Vegan | CIDER | |||
| 1K | Chapter (Runcorn) | That Old Rope | 5.4% | |
| A chunky malt backbone supports the "C" hop boost, the classic West Coast bitterness and rose Turkish delight undertones. Unfiltered, unfined, and suitable for Vegans. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | PRPA | |||
| 1L | Chapter (Runcorn) | Man Called Drink | 5.1% | |
| A soft, low bitterness, hop forward, sessionable Pale Ale with Citra & Strata Hops. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Oats; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | PRPA | |||
| 1M | Strawberry Fields (Liverpool) | Yellow Submarine | 4.7% | |
| Barth Haas hop blend 'Yellow Sub' turns a fine and excellent hop aroma into a sweet, fruity Flamenco of apricot and orange, with a hint of blackberries, which makes this beer irresistible. Aroma Characteristics - Sweet Citrus, Red Berry. Allergens: Barley | SEBL | |||
| 1N | Strawberry Fields (Liverpool) | Penny Lane | 4.2% | |
| A six-hop plethora of punchy hop varieties from America and Australia. It is fresh, unfined and very lightly filtered, keeping as many juicy, fruity flavours in the beer as possible. Allergens: Barley | SEBL | |||
| 1X | Coach House (Warrington) | Gunpowder Mild | 3.8% | |
| Very dark mild with a full liquorice and toffee flavour, slightly bitter taste. Allergens: Barley; Fish | SEMI | |||
| 1Y | Big Bog (Liverpool) | Hinky Punk | 4.1% | |
| A well hopped beer with a secret blend of no less than 7 American hop varieties. Intense citrus notes and its incredibly pale colour make this a truly unique ale. Allergens: Barley | SEGO | |||
| 1Z | Spitting Feathers (Chester) | Cider | 5% | |
| Over a dozen varieties of apples grown at Spitting Feathers own orchard are harvested annually to produce this well balanced medium/dry cider. Allergens: Gluten Free; Vegan | CIDER | |||
| 2B | Chapter (Runcorn) | Taller than a house | 3.9% | |
| Soft fruit aromas and soft oat body allow the hops to shine with a light bitterness at the finish. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Oats; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | SEPA | |||
| 2C | Chapter (Runcorn) | Unconsenting Soul | 4.2% | |
| Full bodied, hazy, juicy session IPA with a fruity yeast profile and soft mouth feel. Hopped with Mosaic, Comet and Citra further the aroma. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Oats; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | PRPA | |||
| 2D | Tatton (Knutsford) | Lazy Haze | 3.7% | |
| A light, refreshing summer ale with subtle honey undertones, brewed with a unique infusion giving a delicate aroma. Allergens: Barley; Wheat | SEPA | |||
| 2E | Tatton (Knutsford) | Dark Celebration | 4.5% | |
| Chocolate coconut and vanilla porter. Allergens: Barley | SEPO | |||
| 2F | Wily Fox (Wigan) | Tilt Tropical | 4% | |
| A clean easy drinking Blonde ale that bursts with a taste of the Tropics. An outburst of Passionfruit & Mango leads the way to a nice balanced bitterness that will tease and tantalise the palate. A Great Tasting Beer that leaves you with a desire for more. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Fish | SEBL | |||
| 2G | Spitting Feathers (Chester) | Rush Hour | 4.5% | |
| 5 different hop varieties give this pale ale a strong citrus character, bursting with grapefruit, orange and passion fruit flavours. Allergens: Gluten Free; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | PRPA | |||
| 2H | Strawberry Fields (Liverpool) | Lucy | 4.5% | |
| Brewed with pale ale and a touch of crystal malt for an amber look. Hopped cleverly with Liberty, Simcoe and Delta following the inferences in the song. A hoppy and satisfying beer with a good fruity finish. Allergens: Barley; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | SEBL | |||
| 2I | Coach House (Warrington) | Blonde | 4.1% | |
| Blonde ale made wholly out of English ingredients, with the addition of Jester Hops, giving flavours and aroma of tropical fruits. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Fish | SEBL | |||
| 2J | Spitting Feathers (Chester) | Old Wavertonian | 4.4% | |
| A robust dark stout full of roast barley, chocolate and coffee flavours and aromas. Allergens: Gluten Free; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | STST | |||
| 2K | Chapter (Runcorn) | Practicable & Useful | 4.3% | |
| Kveik Pale with an orange and citrus pithiness, dry hopped with Citra, Azacca & Mosaic. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Oats; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | SEBL | |||
| 2X | Tatton (Knutsford) | Tilted Bhudda | 4% | |
| Zesty pale with a light ginger tingle, unfined. Allergens: Barley; Unfined (may be hazy) | SEPA | |||
| 2Y | Beartown (Congleton) | Creme Bearlee | 4.8% | |
| A velvety stout with burnt cream, Madagascan vanilla and molasses. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Vegan | SEST | |||
| 3C | Chapter / Beartown (Runcorn) | Antigonous | 5.5% | |
| Packed with Bru-1 and Vic Secret, giving a deliciously balanced, fruity and floral beer. Allergens: Barley; Wheat; Oats; Vegan; Unfined (may be hazy) | IPAW | |||
| Q | Big Bog (Liverpool) | Balmy Bog | 4% | |
| Blonde coloured, with light and refreshing hop notes from the careful use of USA Cascade hops added throughout the brewing process. Allergens: Barley | SEBL | |||
List last updated 30 July 2023 at 11:18
Please drink responsibly and have a great time at the festival.