Beer we go
Adam Hewitt • Published 6 May 2010 12:00
0 Comments
BAD weather forced drinkers under marquees - but luckily they were very big marquees.
Despite the lack of sun over the Bank Holiday weekend, 14,272 people went through the gates at the Reading Camra (Campaign for Real Ale) Beer and Cider Festival at Kings Meadow.
This was down on 2009's record figures, but the organisers still judged it a great success - and the sheer amount of beer the visitors got through tells the same story.
There were 54,132 pints of real ale sold, alongside 12,600 pints of real cider and perry, 2,298 litres of foreign beer and 1,300 bottles of English wine.
Festival organiser Martin Harbor said: "I'm really pleased that so many people visited. The feedback we're getting is that they all seemed to have a good time."
More than 400 volunteers helped to make the event a success and in the evenings the festival crowds danced along to bands like the Ding Dong Daddios and Doreen Doreen.
On Sunday younger visitors enjoyed a family day with face painters, bouncy castles and balloon modellers, as well as a visit from Consul and Major, the popular shire horses from Oxfordshire-based Hook Norton Brewery.
The winning local beer was Anastasia's Imperial Stout from Ascot Ales based in Camberleys. The winning pubs in Camra's Pub of the Year contest, as reported in The Chronicle last month, claimed their awards at the Festival, with The Bird In Hand at Knowl Hill and The Nags Head in Reading's Russell Street sharing the honours.
Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.
