In our Branch Diary page, you will find details of CAMRA-run Beer Festivals taking place inside or sometimes outside our Branch area. We organise occasional trips to festivals if there are reasonable public transport links.

We also list a selection of local Pub or Club beer festivals taking place in and around our Branch area on the Diary page, but we don't list every beer festival in the county. Preference is given to festivals run by cask ale pubs and clubs within the branch area together with advertisers in the Out In Cheshire magazine. None of these events is an official CAMRA-run festival.

CHESHIRE BEER FESTIVAL

The North Cheshire CAMRA branch, along with other Cheshire branches, is firmly involved with organizing and running the main CAMRA Beer Festival in our county - the Cheshire Beer Festival, held annually in Chester in November since 2014. The 2017 event was again held at Chester Racecourse on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th November. Our branch provided a team of volunteers to help as servers as well as co-beer coordinator Joe Wright. Some of us also helped as tasters in the Champion Beer of Cheshire competition that took place during the Festival.

What was on the Beer Menu?

The programme to the 2017 event listed 111 beers available to customers, 38 of which competed for the Champion Beer of Cheshire awards. Also on sale were 22 ciders and perrys. As usual, the organisers aim to keep enough of each beer so that, at the start of the final Saturday session, no beer has run out.

How the Beers were chosen

Beer Coordinators Craig Papworth and Joe Wright confessed that, as well as providing a magnificent selection of bees brewed in Cheshire, they “have selflessly conducted extensive research to choose some of the finest beers from all over the country…some coming from as far afield as South Wales, Kent and Aberdeen”! I wonder whether their travel expenses got past the Treasurer – I suspect not !

The Festival programme (included in entry price) lists all beers, ciders & perrys and tells you about each beer. (see photo) As well as the Brewery, Beer Name and ABV (alcohol by volume) there is a Description (or Tasting Notes) plus a useful Beer Style guide in the form of a colour-coded box that shows whether the brew is a Bitter, Best Bitter, Strong Bitter and so on.

Tips for Beerfest Newbies

Andy Edwards, one of our younger committee members, has written of his experiences when he and his wife Tracy decided to go to their first beer festival and his article contains a few tips for ‘first time’ festival-goers. Click Our First Beer Festival to read Andy’s story.

Volunteering

Volunteers to help at the Cheshire Beer Festival are always welcome. If you are interested in helping at the festival and, more importantly, interested in beer, then see http://www.cheshirebeerfestival.org.uk/volunteer/staffing/

For more information on the festival see http://www.cheshirebeerfestival.org.uk/

BEER FESTIVAL CHECKLIST

Are you thinking of organizing a Beer Festival? If so, North Cheshire CAMRA may be able to help you.

Our members have produced a BEER FESTIVAL CHECKLIST. This won't tell you all the steps from A to Z in how to set up and run a Beer Festival, but it may well help you remember to consider the many important prerequisites, legalities and responsibilities when you are in the planning phase. If you are interested in obtaining a copy, please contact the Branch Secretary eMail Secretary initially to establish whether we can help.