As I’m sure pretty much every UK-based reader of Blog o’ Beer must know, the National Winter Ales Festival is taking place this week, from Wednesday through to Saturday, at New Century Hall in Manchester.

Frankly, it would be wrong of me not to attend in my capacity as local representative of the BoB blokes, so I’m planning on heading on down there for the Saturday evening session (definitely) and working on a possible Friday evening visit as well.

With over 200 winter ales to choose from (I’d provide a link to the list, but the website is a bit on the clunky-frameset side… you’ll find it if you visit www.alefestival.org.uk/winterales/ then click the ‘British Beers’ option in the menu and select ‘Beer Order’) I’m obviously going to have my work cut out to sample more than a small percentage of those on offer, even in Scooper-mode. But here are a few that have grabbed my attention that I’ll be making a point of trying to find while I’m there:

• 3 Rivers Old Disreputable (5.2% abv)
• Boggart Waterloo Porter (5.0% abv)
• Brimstage Oystercatcher’s Stout (4.4% abv)
• Cellar Rat Victoria Porter (5.0% abv)
• Coastal St Pirans Porter (6.0% abv)
• Dark Star Over the Moon Mild (3.8% abv)
• Doghouse Winter’s Tail (5.8% abv)
• Dorset Silent Knight (5.9% abv)
• Hebridean Celtic Black Ale (3.8% abv)
• Hop Back Winter Lightning (5.5% abv)
• Hopstar Smokey Joe’s Black Bear (4.0% abv)
• Kelham Island Brooklyn Smoked Porter (5.8% abv)
• Keystone Porter (4.5% abv)
• J W Lees Brewers Dark (3.5% abv)
• Leyden Black Pudding (3.8% abv)
• Nethergate Priory Mild (3.5% abv)
• Northern Deep Dark Secret (5.2% abv)
• Spire Dark Side of the Moon (4.3% abv)
• Thornbridge Saint Petersburg (7.7% abv)
• Wapping Winter Ale (6.5% abv)
• Wickwar Station Porter (6.1% abv)
• Windie Goat The Dubh (4.6% abv)

I deliberately left the likes of Otley O8 (8.0& abv), Fuller’s Golden Pride (8.0% abv) and Hogsback A over T (9.0% abv) off the target list, but knowing me, by the time I’m six or seven halves to the good then they’ll start to look like an increasingly clever idea. Besides, knowing my luck, most of the above will have run out by Thursday night or something… so you never know.

Any recommendations to prioritise / avoid from the above list would be gratefully received!

And please… no calls on Sunday morning, ‘kay?

Edit, 22.01.09

Following the announcement of the winner and runners-up of the Supreme Champion Winter Beer awards, I now have the following three to keep an eye out for as well:

• Oakham Ales Atttila
• Elland Brewery 1872 Porter
• Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby mild