Epping Ongar Beer Festival 2025

Until September 1994, trains used to go beyond Epping, through the Essex countryside towards Ongar. Alas the branch line has since closed down, in the interim a heady band of volunteers set up the Epping Ongar Railway, a heritage line where they restored track and infrastructure, eventually launching in 2012. Three years later they launched their inaugural beer festival, showcasing beers primarily from Essex brewers, it proved to be a popular draw with punters and baring a few gaps, it has been an annual fixture ever since. 7 years had passed since I last visited the beer festival, my memory was hazy from the days’ events, though I do remember it was oppressively hot and I somewhat drank too much. Now in it’s tenth year, travelling along with a few friends we sought to take the opportunity to the ride the ales once again. 

After a lengthy bus ride through the suburbs on a heritage bus, we arrived at North Weald Station shortly after 1pm. The atmosphere was electric with anticipation, throngs of people were huddled around the vicinity, most of the action was centred around the large beer tent erected near the station building. Upon entering, there were well over 40 beers displayed on the stands, offering a dizzying array of variety. After much deliberation I settled on Mayflower Best (4%) from Leigh on Sea brewery, a traditional best bitter brewed originally for the Mayflower pub in Old Leigh. More of a red ale in character, it had a distinct ruby brown colour, seeped in roasted malt notes and offset with a biscuity dry background; remarkably for a beer of this strength it has quite a lot of flavour. We soon departed for Ongar on a Class 20 diesel locomotive. The beer tent at Ongar station is somewhat smaller than its counterpart in North Weald, though it makes up for it with its larger cider and perry bar. This festival also features beers from breweries around the country, I sought to try out an old favourite of mine, Old Moor Porter (4.4%) from Acorn brewery. One of their regular core range products, it’s a traditional style porter replete with roasted malt notes, complemented by hints of chocolate, coffee, liquorice and a touch of charcoal. The varied malt bill gives off a bittersweet taste that lacks on sweetness but delivers on flavour; it is complemented by its full bodied and creamy mouthfeel. We took the steam locomotive back to North Weald, travelling on Pitchford Hall, a GWR Hall class locomotive built in 1929.  The train was heaving with passengers and there was nowhere to sit when we boarded. We eventually made it to the on-board bar, it was cramped, diminutive and cluttered, with only enough room for a few barrels. I eventually decided on Devon Mist (4.4%) from Sandford Orchards, a medium sweet cider, it was awash with smoky oak flavours, with hints of vanilla thrown into the mix. It was enveloped with a dense mouthfeel which amplified the lush and juicy notes, giving of a soft pillowy effect on the tongue, the perfect palate cleanser after a course of beer.

 

I soon took the road to Amarillo (5%) from Crouch Vale brewery, effectively what it says on the tin it’s a golden ale produced with Amarillo hops which are notable for their spicy and orangey flavour profile. The use of Cara malt gives off its notable burnished golden colour, while the flavours were rather fruity with a residual spicy bitterness from the hops, imparting a grassy quality with a whisp of tropical stone fruits. The hoppiness was subtle yet noticeable, without none of that grapefruit faff. It rounded off with a pleasantly refreshing aftertaste, making it the ideal Summer thirst quencher. By this time, the steam locomotives had ceased running for the day, and services to and from North Weald were handled by their Class 20 diesel fleet. The on-board bar on the diesel locomotive was considerably larger as it was housed in an original British Rail dining bar, allowing for a wider selection of barrels and a more comfortable setting to sample and select drinks from. I settled on Wakering Gold (3.8%) from George’s brewery based in Southend-on-Sea. One of their core-range releases, it is produced with a blend of British and American hops which help impart its distinct flavour profile. There was a mild hoppiness coming through along with a subtle bitterness, refreshing qualities and a gentle fruity background. Overall, it was rather mild and subdued in flavour, a rather typical example of a session strength ale. As the days’ events drew to a close, I rounded off my trip with Bad Boy (4.7%) by Leatherbritches brewery based in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Over the years I have written a number of articles about this brewer, yet I never got the opportunity to sample their eclectic range of beers. This beer was their take on the Brown Ales of the north-east, a subtle roasted bitterness in the background was offset with an equally subtle sweetness. This beer was somewhat in an identity crisis between a best bitter or a brown ale, on this occasion I don’t think the brewers got it quite right with the flavours, which is a typical problem for brewers south of Tyneside who often miss the mark when trying to recreate the archetypal brown ale taste. 

Overall, this beer festival was a fantastic showcase for breweries around Essex, with well-known brewers like Brentwood, Crouch Vale, Leigh-on-Sea, Mighty Oak and George’s displaying their wares. Beers from other parts of the country were also available, yet these numbers paled in comparison to their more local counterparts. Moreover, the cider and perry selection was on the small side, despite the organisers best efforts to spread it out over their various tent and on-board locomotive bars. For a rail-ale festival, this was on the small side, and the ticket cost was a tad expensive given its relatively small setup of 80 ales and 25 ciders/ perries. If you’re local to Essex, this is a great festival to check out for its wide range of local ales, however if you’re after something larger scale then this is one to best avoid.