I just booked a ticket for Dorchester Beerex on 01/02. Hoping to tick off one or two of the Dorset breweries I am missing from my collection. May drop into Bournemouth as I need to tick off the Brewhouse & Kitchen there.
Updated:
Was supposed to meet some mates in London on 03/01 but due to rail engineering that may end up being Reading instead. Fine with me, I haven’t been to Reading for ages. Also looking at getting tickets for a craft beer fest there in April:
And if my wife has her way, we’ll be heading to North Wales again next summer. Would like to get to GBBF but has clashes with our summer holidays previously.
I should get back from deployment in mid April 25, MrsSHIG and I have a Philly and NYC trip planned. Probably snag some recommendations from @Theydon_Bois, @mR_fr0g and @wingmanwillis from their trip.
Cruise from Florida to California (some beery stops on the way) in March, then a month with our daughter and family in Southern California, some beery days and trips planned.
Great British Beer Festival in August.
Shrewsbury CAMRA Beer Festival in September.
A couple of Belgian trips also at the planning stages.
Some one is organising a trip to Bratislava for us, no dates yet but it’ll be a beer centric visit.
Only thing firmed up in my diary so far is a holiday to Tenerife at Easter - can’t imagine that being much of a beery event.
Have for some bizarre reason decided that I’m going to try and visit all 19 of Timothy Taylor’s pubs, will see how that goes as the months pass.
Day trips out with the lads will hopefully occur, Worcester is on the list as one of them has just moved there so seems rude not to pay a visit and have a pub crawl.
Tomorrow - Hoppy Craft in St Omer is having a winter beer tap takeover from 6 local breweries, 3hr cycle there and back.
Saturday - De Dolle Stille Nacht 2024 on draft at the brewery - launch was last weekend but couldn’t make it. Hopefully something else interesting on draft, though Ill be happy with a large glass of Boskeun.
Sun / Mon - Paris, opening mass at Notre Dame / Indochine gig - doubt I’ll have time to get to many bars looking at the schedule but will try
Following Friday - afternoon beer fest in Bailleul main square - 8 breweries present
2025
February - Bruges Beer Festival
April - Roadburn festival in Holland so will get to know the more interesting bars of Tilburg and stock up some Dutch cans
Not drinking for 7 weeks due to a big mountain bike event start of June which finishes in Pays Basque, Southern France so aim to stick around and get acquainted with regional basque cider and the beer scene down there
Frankfurt and Bamberg on the cards.
In Southampton mid June for a couple days before 16 days of cruising around the northern cape of Norway back to Southampton then 2 more weeks cruising around the UK and Northern Ireland before flying home mid July. Meeting up with our Scottish friend in Invergordon during the second cruise (He loves Scotch so we’ll probably hit a couple distilleries).
Hopefully a trip to Georgia (the country, not the US state) to meet up with my parents before the year ends, if the shit doesn’t hit the fan there. Got some legit craft beer bar tips from a Welshman that lives there.
2025:
Trip to Tajikistan to hit my 14th (out of 15) former Soviet country and get my 15th ex-USSR country beer tick.
A couple of months at the country house in the Saratov Oblast, where the beer selection is dire, unless you cross the river to Saratov.
For 2025 my main big trip is back to Australia in August - hoping to stopover in Frankfurt again and need to plan it when Lorsbacher Thal Apfelweinwirtschaft is open this time around! A case of Willie Smiths new rate ciders is already awaiting my return in Sydney and the trip will get me beyond 500 Australian rates.
Festivals wise Darlington CAMRA fest is back on again in Feb 25 after before covid times, and also will definitely return to Newcastle fest at Easter and Nottingham fest in Sep again, as have a good cider selection. York fest am giving up on now their cider list has gone downhill and the Maltings pub in York (which always had afew new cider rates on when I’d visit) has been sold off and turned into an Irish bar Revealed: The pub that will replace The Maltings in York | YorkMix
Every year I have plans, but every year I disappoint myself
I will head to Australia in January. That’s for a funeral but i’m sure I will drink a beer or two in honour of my good friend who lost his life. I’ll be back to Australia in March too.
I also need a trip to Hong Kong, plus the Vietnamese trio of Saigon, Da Nang & Hanoi. Taipei and Manila are also on my list, as is Bangkok.
In Europe, I will hopefully get to Norway & possibly Belgium, maybe the Budapest Beer week again. On the UK festival front, I have to do GBBF as it’s in Birmingham. No excuses this time
I’m in NZ for another week (3rd test NZ v ENG) then over to Melbourne for Xmas & NY with my bro and the family. Minor trips to Brisbane (never been) & Sydney planned.
Once home to the UK I’ll be at the GBBF winter festival in Feb, probably on the Friday.
Going to probably book Budapest Beer Week in late May. Swerving MBCC in 2025.
Nothing else booked yet but other stuff will tempt me in, I’d imagine. Like Dorchester Beerex, perhaps
Every third Saturday of the month, I’m picking a Scottish town and doing the CAMRA pubs I’ve not been to before (or don’t remember being to before, not quite the same thing) . I live in Edinburgh, so that’s already covered. I’m not planning to do the remote and awkward ones (looking at you Isle of Gigha) just a bit of fun to support pubs and ale, and move my ticking away from chasing beers for the newness and appreciating the surroundings instead.
As for me, Id like to hit a few of the regions around Birmingham I’ve not been to. Wouldn’t mind going to Buxton as well but i say that every year and never do.
We’re going to Glasgow in the spring. Not a whole lot I haven’t been there but i might check out some of the nearby regions.
My son has moved to Norwich so I will probably be visiting quite a lot!
