More than a pint: The community spirit of Bo’ness Real Ale Festival
Thirty beer taps line one side of Bo’ness Town Hall, offering a choice of ales to a crowd whose ages, tastes and personalities are just as varied. But at the Bo’ness Real Ale Festival, some of the evening’s best moments have little to do with what is in the glass.
Above the town hall stage, an impressive painting of the Bo’ness coat of arms overlooks an assortment of people, from mohawked motorcyclists to older couples, young adults, and Bo’ness United’s coaching staff. The average age may skew older, but people from different walks of life mingle throughout the hall.
Behind the row of taps, volunteers patiently help visitors navigate the choices, offering advice and samples before anyone commits to a pint. The selection ranges from peach-flavoured ales and hazy beers to chocolatey stouts. The Mexican dark lager proves particularly popular, selling out before I had the chance to try it. In another room, homemade pies and sausage rolls are flying off the kitchen shelves.
There is just one problem for us: the kitchen is cash only, and neither of us has any.
An older couple sitting beside us overhear our predicament. Jim, drinking ale, and Mary, enjoying rosé, immediately offer us £20 so we can each buy a steak and haggis pie. Conversation follows easily, as we discover common ground over a family member studying journalism and a shared dislike of Donald Trump.
Their generosity turns strangers into companions. We later give them our drinks tokens as a thank you, before learning that their son-in-law made the pies that have been disappearing so quickly.
At around 7.30pm, the Bo’ness Belles take to the stage with a mix of country songs and familiar classics. Their singing joins the chatter continuing around the hall.
As the evening draws to a close, the sharing continues. With plenty of ale left, the Corbie Inn, which runs the festival alongside Bo’ness Real Ale Appreciation Society (BRAAS), invites punters to gather at the bar to collect a final beer. Empty milk cartons supplied by the pub are filled with the remaining ale for people to take home, rather than see it go to waste.
It is an appropriate end to an evening built around sharing. From strangers buying each other pies to volunteers helping visitors find a new favourite, the festival offers more than a drink. At the Bo’ness Real Ale Festival, generosity runs well beyond the taps.