Kmflett's Blog

The Great British Beer Festival didn’t run in 2026. Can it return? Should it?

The start of August in nearly all years for over 50 years has seen the Campaign For Real Ale’s Great British Beer Festival. However it did not run this year and there are no immediate plans for its return.

One issue faced by anyone who organises events is that post the pandemic costs are significantly higher. At the same the cost of living crisis constrains how much prices can be raised to reflect this.

More specifically the 2025 GBBF which was held at the Birmingham NEC did not attract expected numbers and a significant loss resulted. The view, understandably, seems to be that the risk of a subsequent GBBF incurring a similar loss is not a prudent way forward.

However there are other issues. The GBBF is a flagship for CAMRA in terms of new members, income (not in 2025) and for indy brewers. It also often gets significant media coverage.

Looking at the balance sheet it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that the absence of a GBBF in 2026 matters. The issue is how much does it matter?

I’m equivocal on that. The GBBF belongs in part to another age. When I attended the Covent Garden Beer Festival in 1975 there were beers on sale I had never tried before and given their availability would only be able to do so by visiting the area they were brewed in.

This has changed. Wetherspoons of course promote cask beers from across the UK on a quarterly list. In addition while the activities of Big Beer make it difficult for indy brewers to get their beers on bartops that often also means that they look across a wider distribution area than previously. In more recent times, many beers can be ordered in bottle or can direct from breweries, another pandemic impact, this time positive.

There are wider issues. 50 years ago there were in most cases only a very small number of pubs that sold a subset of the kind of beers and beer styles the GBBF promoted. That has changed (not enough). There are more indy bars, the rise of the micropub being important here as well as brewery taprooms.

In that context do I really still want the travel and the hustle and bustle of a big beer festival? In my case yes, and I plan a visit to Peterborough Beer Festival later in the month.

If the GBBF is to return it likely needs a remodel to provide a beer and beer related experience that is not available elsewhere and of course one that works commercially.

Starting on 10th August Brewdog has rebranded Punk IPA, once its flagship brand, as Park IPA. Free cans will arrive with Deliveroo orders with the aim being that they are drunk al fresco. 20,000 cans will be given away (in London) with a voucher for a pint of Park/Punk at one of the few remaining Brewdog bars.

While Punk remains on the bar at Wetherspoons its hard to find on draught elsewhere. Looking at the Spoons fan page on Facebook, when San Miguel was temporarily unavailable, some switched to Punk. It underlines that Punk is far from the hop bomb it was nearly 20 years ago now.

With Tilray ownership Brewdog have been promoting their US imports rather than Ellon brewed beers. Punk had been replaced by Wingman as the lead UK brand.

The Deliveroo link will be complimented by displays in major supermarkets who on visual inspection don’t seem to sell much Brewdog these day (better beers being available in store).

Its a stunt of sorts but hardly in the James Watt mould. Perhaps that is just as well.

Guardian story

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/09/pilot-pulls-off-nigel-farage-count-binface-stunt-for-clacton-byelection?CMP=share_btn_url

The Clacton By-Election is on August 13th 2026

Having nothing planned for 9th August I decided to watch some cricket (on screen & radio).

I opted for a live stream of the One Day Cup (50 overs) match between Gloucestershire and Nottingham. It was part of the historic Cheltenham Cricket Festival held at Cheltenham College. Its later than usual due to the ever changing cricket fixture calendar but over 3,000 people turned up and saw a hard fought game decided in the last over with a win for Gloucestershire.

I also glanced (on another screen) at the four Hundred games played. Women and Men in Leeds and Women and Men at Lords. None of the matches was anything like a contest and while there were spectators, the grounds were certainly not full, or anywhere near it.

The One Day Cup which gets little publicity and coverage (beyond live streams) only on BBC Radio 5 seems to be thriving. The Hundred which has a final at Lords on 16th August, has big money and TV and radio coverage, looks to be floundering.

The chances of the ECB who run English and Welsh cricket learning anything from this are likely to be small.

10th August 2026

Contact Keith Flett @keithbeard.bsky.social

National Sideburns Day. Vote open for best Modern Sideburns

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that with National Sideburns Day on Tuesday August 11th it is running a snap poll to judge the best modern sideburns.

National Sideburns Day takes place every 11th August, and reflects the growing popularity of a range of facial hair styles.

National Sideburns Day was originally held to mark Bradley Wiggins Olympic victory in 2012

The campaigners say that sideburns, sometimes known as mutton chops, and named after US Civil War General Ambrose Burnside were often worn by Victorian politicians

Bradley Wiggins reinvented the post-1945 tradition of sideburns from Elvis Presley to Noddy Holder and the late Lemmy and Alvin Stardust, turned them into something no self-respecting hipster would be without

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, this year National Sideburns Day will underline the resilience of the style over centuries of changing facial hair fashions with a particular focus on contemporary sideburns

Richard Osman

Chris Packham

Noddy Holder

Noel Fielding

Rod Liddle who died a few days ago has been the subject to numerous eulogies, not least in the Spectator which he wrote for, and also now in the Sunday Times (9th August 2026).

Michael Gove compared Liddle’s writing to Orwell and Swift, a great commentator and satirist. The Sunday Times has republished some of his work for the paper, so you can judge for yourself.

The Guardian’s Obituary provides a corrective

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/aug/04/rod-liddle-obituary?CMP=share_btn_url

Zoe Williams has also written in the Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/06/i-knew-rod-liddle-and-hated-what-he-became?CMP=share_btn_url

For eulogies Boris Johnson (on Twitter obviously) has posted this:

Heartsick at the death of Rod Liddle – an outrageously funny and gifted writer with a beautiful conversational style. He had a unique talent for finding the thing that was obviously true but supposedly unsayable and then saying it with such panache as to give the maximum possible offence – and to all the right people. Spectator readers absolutely loved him.

Michael Gove, The Spectator’s editor, said: “Rod Liddle was a journalist of genius. In the tradition of Swift, Cobbett and Orwell, he was a satirist who found society’s most sensitive spots and made merciless fun of our follies.

Peter Oborne’s opposing view

Rod Liddle played the politics of hatred – we should be honest about his legacy | Middle East Eye

Meirion Jones who was at Radio 4 Today with Liddle from 1989 (Jones later worked on Newsnight) noted on Twitter that Liddle had become a second rate Jeremy Clarkson. Clarkson paid tribute to his student in the Sunday Times (9th August).

Robin Lustig, former presenter of the World Tonight, who worked with Liddle at the BBC noted on his Substack that Liddle ‘never outgrew his days as a child who delighted in telling fart jokes’.

When I knew Liddle on Teesside in the second half of the 1970s, he was then a socialist punk, I recall him as personable and amiable. Looking at the many comments after his death was reported from those who knew him more recently, it seems that on occasion he retained those elements of his character. Clearly also on many occasions he did not…

Feargal Sharkey has posted on social media images of a North London golf course being watered. The context is that there is a hosepipe ban and the area is in effect in drought.

Below is what the Minister responsible Denis Howell had to say about this in the Commons debate on the 1976 Drought Act (4th August 1976). The Act came into force on 24th August 1976

Hon. Members have mentioned sport and recreation. Naturally we want common sense to apply here, and we shall be telling regional authorities to exercise the maximum flexibility and discretion. But even in the regions where there is plenty of water now we shall have to take care. We do not know how long this drought will last. We have had two dry summers and one-very dry winter. It we have another, even those areas that well off will be in difficulty. We would expect water to be available if turf has to be laid at Lord’s or Wimbledon for next season and priority to be given, for example, to watering the greens rather than the fairways on golf courses. But if we have to make a judgment between terminating or severely rationing the supply of water to households and the continuance of sport, we shall have to get our priorities right. We should be open to great criticism if we did not err on the side of caution. However, we shall do out best. Although there will be no blanket exceptions for sport, we are not trying to put it out of business.

Islington Green

The lazy stereotype of trendy Islington has surely done its day, or so it might be thought.

However the Mail on Sunday has found that Sam Lister the new DG of No.10 North lives in a townhouse in ‘trendy Islington’ and commutes by Avanti train (good luck) to the offices of No.10 in the North. He stays in hotel accommodation while there and returns to North London on a Friday evening.

There are several issues with this. Firstly while some parts of Islington may well be trendy quite a bit consists of working class families who struggle to get by. A trend certainly but not trendy.

Secondly working in the private sector, the practice of senior managers living distances from London HQs which make daily commuting not a great idea, have long stayed in hotel or similar accommodation during the week.

In sense flexible working and the ability to work virtually from anywhere has made the practice a bit less common but this is a world beyond the Mail’s conception.

Perhaps the DG of No.10 North will eventually relocate to Manchester, or Stockport anyway, but the Government might change before all that long so the commute may continue.

Meanwhile the Mail also reports that No.10 of the North is adjacent to Wing’s Wayne Rooney’s favourite Chinese restaurant. Hmmmm

The Ambridge Socialist

9^th August

The Grundy’s Oral Traditions

Eddie has been teaching Keira various traditions passed down to him by Joe Grundy, primarily related to cider making. As a result Keira has made her first cider cake and may well enter the Flower and Produce Show. Perhaps this new generation of Grundys will be female led…

Other Ambridge traditions

Neil has got Bert some salty liquorice from Underwoods which he says he likes but actually doesn’t. Meanwhile Amber has been doing pre-natal yoga with Kate. The BBC spared us the details

At the hospital

Amber, Brad, Eddie and George all ended up at the hospital on Thursday. Nothing of note happened. On a second visit George was diagnosed with a fractured wrist which will mean three months out of work…

Eddie, Ed & Brian, The Deal

After Eddie confessed to getting paid over the odds for tree work by Martyn Gibson in return for snitching on Brian, Eddie revealed the arrangement to Brian and it was reconfigured to allow Eddie to pass only approved information to Martyn. We only heard part of the conversation however. We did not discover what the deal between Eddie and Brian was.

George, Amber & Brad. Another Ambridge Lurve Triangle

The BBC loves this kind of thing particularly when a Grundy is involved. The Ambridge Socialist less so.

In Other News

Kenton and Jolene have paid £95 for marriage guidance counselling. Is there more to life than running The Bull. Opportunity may knock when Grey Gables finally becomes a Wetherspoons.

Chelsea’s mobile hairdressing unit has been burgled. However Sgt Burns is on the job, just as soon as he has located the missing bunting.