Derby Winter Ales Festival

I fancied a trip out to Derby. They were hosting a Winter Ales Festival at the famous Roundhouse building just next to the train station. I’d previously tried to get to it when it was being run as the National Winter Ales Festival; but failed on many occasions. This year, the national event had moved to Norwich, but the local branch decided to give it a go on their own. And with a venue that’s fairly central for the country to travel to, they weren’t mistaken. I arrived ten minutes before the doors opened to see a huge queue snake down the road. I passed some fellow members who graciously saved me a seat, and luckily I only had to wait ten minutes before the line started moving. We were ushered into a metallic building which served as an entrance, then once we’d been issued with glasses we were free to explore the building. Amazingly, the building also acts as a library for a local college, while the main room that hosted the beers was used to turn the engines around. It’s worth a visit if you get the chance.