Great time, but where was the local beer?

As far as I'm concerned last Saturday's Havelock Mussel Festival ended up as a complete washout and not just because of the weather.

Don't get me wrong, there were lots of things I really enjoyed about the day. I was fascinated to learn how mussels are farmed, the cooking displays were informative, the siting of the traction engine billowing smoke right next to the Fire Service showing the benefits of smoke alarms amused me, and the Topp Twins were well, the Topp Twins!

A bright, sunny start to the day attracted a big crowd to the Havelock domain and the party was in full swing when, at 4pm, the skies greyed over and the heavens opened.

The deluge that followed stopped the music and forced the majority of the stallholders to pack up early and go home.

However, well before the rain had started to pour, the taps in the festival's one and only beer tent had already done the opposite they ran dry about 3pm, a full three hours before the event was scheduled to close. While running out of beer will no doubt be a matter of some concern to the festival's organisers, my gripe is more to do with their choice of brewery.

While sites representing three local wineries catered for those in search of a glass of wine, visitors looking for a beer had a choice of Monteith's or ... nothing.

Locals and visitors to Marlborough who may have liked to have sampled a beer from one of the region's four craft brewers Pink Elephant, Moa, Renaissance and 666 Brewing were out of luck.

The festival's attitude seems to be, "Marlborough wines, no problem; Marlborough beers, no way!"

I realise that the mussel festival isn't just about wine and beer, but it's important to remember that the event does promote this region as a gourmet destination.

And besides, I wonder how festival-goers would have felt if Marlborough wines had been unavailable on the day.

What if the only wines on sale had come from outside the province, from Hawke's Bay for example? Surely, in these days of high fuel prices and soaring transport costs, it makes sense to source local products particularly those that promote the province wherever possible. Monteith's beers have to be trucked in from DB's breweries in Auckland, Timaru and Greymouth.

I voiced my concerns on the day to the festival organiser and suggested in future she might like to include beers from Marlborough brewers.

While she was receptive and somewhat sympathetic, she offered little hope for the near future. She informed me Monteith's have sole rights to pour beer at the event for the next two years.

Oh well, when it comes to the Havelock Mussel Festival, it looks like I'll be volunteering to be the designated driver for another couple of years. Cheers!

- The Marlborough Express