While the calendar fills up with trendy happenings in Shoreditch and other points east, I’m still a big fan of the traditional beer festivals that come around in London year after year.
While a few have already passed us by (notably the celebrated event that happens in Camden’s old town hall every Spring) there are more coming up in the very near future that are worth checking out if you really enjoy your ale:
Ealing Beer Festival
Now in it’s twenty-fourth year, the Ealing Beer Festival takes place in Walpole Park from Wednesday 3 July through to Saturday 6 July. With a bar measuring over a hundred yards in length, this event organised by the West Middlesex branch of CAMRA will involve over two hundred cask beers, perrys, ciders, bottled beers from abroad and even a few English wines! Entry prices are very modest indeed, with tickets for Saturday costing a measly £2 – if the weather’s hot this weekend you’ll have the perfect excuse to imbibe!
City Beerfest
This Thursday, 4 July, the City Beerfest is taking place. The first of it’s kind in the City of London, this event is being held in the Guildhall Yard in aid of the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. In addition to the beers there will be displays of the ancient art of ‘coopering’ (the City has a ‘Worshipful Company of Coopers’ amongst its trade guilds) and Young’s Brewery will be showing off their huge dray horses…
The Great British Beer Festival
As you might guess from it’s name, this is by far the biggest beer festival in the UK, and the Campaign For Real Ale’s annual flagship event. This year the Great British Beer Festival takes place at London Olympia, and runs from 13 to 17 August. A ridiculous eight hundred or so ales will be available and the pub food and live entertainment really adds to the party atmosphere – if you don’t get to anything else beer-related this year make sure that you make room for this one, because it really has no equal!
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