The Pilgrim’s Progress in Bedford kindly offered local CAMRA members a preview of the cask beers ordered for its spring real ale festival in March. About 25 branch members took part, sampling several of the ales brought in for the festival, with slices of pizza provided to help the beer go down. They also had a privileged visit to the ground-floor cellar, which has racking space for 20 firkins (9-gallon casks) to supply 12 handpumps out on the bar. The cellar was pretty full of casks and kegs for the festival, but was kept spotlessly clean! Many thanks to the Pilgrim’s Progress for offering the preview and allowing members to see how beer is kept behind the scenes.