The competition for The Best Bass in Burton returns for a second year on 7th and 8th April. The inaugural event was won by the Roebuck Inn.
“At the Roebuck Inn we put a lot of effort into making sure our beers are in the best possible condition, but I was shocked when I found out we had won The Best Bass in Burton last year. I was speechless in fact and thought Ian Webster was joking!” Laughs Julie Latham, landlady of the Roebuck Inn.
Organiser Ian Webster: “It was so close last year, there was only a few points between the Roebuck and second place the Devonshire Arms. This year the competition is being held over two days, there was a lot of feedback that the Judges wanted longer to enjoy the Bass so this time it runs over Good Friday and Saturday, the Saturday is of course National Bass Day.”
Following a Facebook poll that ran for the whole of March, the following venues made it to the final and will have their Bass scored by a group of independent volunteer Judges: Blacksmith’s Arms, The Burton Constitutional Club, Coopers Tavern, Devonshire Arms, The Gate, Roebuck Inn, Uxbridge Arms and Waterloo.
“Last year I appealed for Bass lovers to volunteer as judges and the response was overwhelming with nearly 40 drinkers committing to sample the Bass in each venue,” says Ian. “Taking part couldn’t be easier, no specialist beer tasting knowledge is required, just the ability to recognise fantastic Bass. There is no need to pre-register, just turn up at one of the eight venues on either 7th or 8th April (or both) and ask for an information pack; Judges will be given a Scoring Sheet and a list of instructions or you can download them from the following link The Best Bass in Burton Judges Information – THE BEERTONIAN”
Trevor and Alison Mellor went judging last year and had this to say.
Trevor: “It fantastic to still see Bass being served in the Burton area on draught, as well as straight from the cask. This gave me a great chance to try Bass in numerous pubs in the area not just the ones I normally drink in and choose the best Bass on that day. It’s a great day out, you also meet other people and chat about beers in general.”
Alison: “A great opportunity to meet people in pubs I don’t usually go to and see how popular a Burton classic is.”
Taking part couldn’t be simpler; go on a pub crawl and sign in behind the bar at every venue, drink the Bass and give it a score. Judges will of course have to pay for their beer, The Best Bass in Burton and National Bass Day is all about supporting Bass pubs after all.
“Although this is designed to be a bit of fun, there’s a fair bit of friendly rivalry between the pubs and I’m sure all of them would like to win,” observes Ian. “There’s no prize for first place, but the kudos of selling the best Bass in its hometown will undoubtably bring in new customers for the successful venue. There are three new contenders this year, I really wouldn’t want to predict who will win.”
“There are a lot of other pubs in Burton who also serve amazing Bass so the competition will be close,” thinks Julie Latham. “Would the Roebuck Inn like to win it again? Of course, but it would also be nice for another pub to take the accolade.”
May the best Bass win!