I HAVE to confess I have always thought beer was flat and bland.

I am the sort of person that loves the atmosphere of a beer festival but would much rather order a pint of lager or a glass of wine.

So this seemed like an ideal opportunity to try to understand what all the hype is about as more and more of my friends declare themselves die-hard, know-it-all real ale fans with every passing festival.

Having the opportunity to taste a variety of beers with an expert (Charlotte Blomley) on hand and a group of giggling girls for company was a great way to branch out into the unknown.

I wasn't afraid to cry, "I can taste cabbage in this one", or "this tastes like Snakey B" (a combination of blackcurrant cordial, lager and cider for those of you who have had the pleasure of not tasting it). We all threw ourselves into it, discovering tastes and flavours that I never knew existed in barrels.

I went from total ignorance to opinionated enthusiasm in less than 30 minutes.

My favourite tipple of the day was the Wildcat as described in the main story on this page, followed by the Honey Bear, a honey wheat beer by Cotswold Spring Brewery, and Castle Rock Brewery's Harvest Pale.

Surprisingly, I also really enjoyed a hearty stout – Guerrilla by Blue Monkey Brewing Ltd.

The very sight of such a dark Guinness-like beer would have made me shudder before but its strong malt and coffee flavours just tickled my taste buds.

Similarly there were quite a few I left almost untouched, that did just taste "flat and bland" to me.

I'm not quite sure I'd know exactly what to order at the next beer festival but I will certainly not be smuggling in any wine or lager...