Inspired by the lyrics of a song from the once hirsute folk-prog-rocker and role model for omni-pede flautists the world over, Ian Anderson, I trundled off to the Dove Beer Festival in Ipswich last Saturday, singing to myself "Let me bring you beers from the wood." There was a promise of six ales from the wood, and I was looking forward to trying at least some of them. Last year's festival had a display by Theakston's cooper and jolly good it was, too. It is my understanding that the Dove owns some of it's own wooden casks which it has filled by willing breweries. The selection of beer this year was again fantastic, better than many a CAMRA festival. Well worth a trip for those in traveling distance of Ipswich when the next one comes around. Looking rather small from the outside but Tardis-like on the inside, with it's bar, back room and humongous-tented courtyard; there literally is room for everyone. Large but intimate.

When faced with so much choice, the problem is usually where to start. I decide to play safe with an old favourite, Black Dog Mild 3.8% from Elgoods to get the taste buds tingling. Armed with good ale we wandered out into the beer tent to see what was on offer, and especially to look at what beers from the wood they still had available. Three out of the original six, not bad I suppose. As the weakest one was 5.3% I thought I should get a few weaker beers under my belt first, thus leaving the wooden cask beer until last. So next up were beers from a couple of breweries new to me, Red Squirrel Dark Ruby Mild 3.7%, smoky and hints of bitterness, and Hoggleys Mill Lane Mild 4%, a full of body classic mild. These were followed by a couple of locals, Adnams Old Ale 4.1%, sweet, dark and fruity. Then Harwich Town Redoubt Stout 4.2%, bags of roasted malt and no bitterness with just a hint of wood burning stove. Time for real ale from real casks. I'm sure there will be some sceptics that will say that you can’t tell the difference between wood and aluminium cask beer, and that it's all faddy nonsense, but, as they say in these parts: "hold ye hard." Now I've never been a big fan of Mauldons ale, it's alright, but I’ve never been wowed by it. I don’t understand why Black Adder 5.3% consistently wins awards. Out of a wooden cask though it is a different story. I was prepared to crown it as the best ale in all of Christendom, well at least for the moment. Velvety smooth and full of plumptiousness. I then followed on with the Theakston’s Old Peculier 5.7% equally as fantastic. Again velvety with a wonderful fuggles hop of a taste that I don’t remember before. Can ale really be this good, or am I dreaming?

I felt like the man whose pint pot was half empty when it came to experience the third beer from the wood, Woodfordes Headcracker at 7%. The stuff had all gone. Woe well and truly was me! In times like these you need a back-up plan. Thankfully I had one in the shape of the legendary Sarah Hughes Hughes Dark Ruby Mild at 6%. Admittedly from a bog standard cask, but it's warming, rich plum taste soon won me around. It was bloody good, although I do regret not being able to try the Headcracker. I feel I failed to bring you beers from the wood...cue Rolling Stones: "You can’t always get what you want." Never mind all the beers were really good. What more could you ask for?