Three-day beer and cider festival confirmed for Stockport as details revealed
The festival will feature over 250 beers, ciders and perries
It's summer time, which means one of Stockport's most popular events is back.
Next weekend, the annual Stockport Beer and Cider Festival will return to the town centre with a huge selection of drinks on offer.
Taking place from Thursday, 19 to Saturday, 21 June at the refurbished Masonic Hall on Wellington Road, it will feature over 250 beers, ciders and perries. There will be food, entertainment, and stalls for posters, jewellery, and beer-related items.
The Stockport Beer and Cider Festival is organised by volunteers from CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, which promotes pubs, pints and people.
It is coordinated by the Stockport and South Manchester CAMRA Branch, with volunteers coming from branches across the region to assist.
Festival organiser Jim Flynn said: “The volunteer team have been working hard to organise a festival which has lots of different activities to enjoy. We hope you will come along and join us in our celebration of Midsummer Madness.”
On the bottle and can bar, there will be a range of 40 beers from the UK and Europe including some no- and low-alcohol beers. Several drinks across all bars are also suitable for vegetarians and vegans while some ae also gluten-free.
Local Stockport favourites, Runaway Brewery, will also make an appearance with their keykeg bar, which will feature a dozen different beers over the course of the event.
One of the highlights of the beer selection this year is three casks from the T.E.A. brewpub in Krakow, Poland. The brewer, James, will be delivering the beers to the festival as well.
This will be the first time his beers have been seen in the UK for many years, and it all came about because of a chance meeting in a Manchester pub.
Jim , who was putting up posters in the pub, was approached by James, who was visiting the city. A discussion took place, arrangements were made, and James will deliver the beer himself to the festival.
Other highlights include the five beers brewed at commercial breweries by the winners of Stockport Campaign For Real Ale's (CAMRA) homebrew competition, which has been running longer than any other similar CAMRA event across the UK. These, along with other brand new beers, will be on the Bar Nouveau.
A special Festival Ale, a 4% pale, has also been brewed by Wakey Wakey Brewery in Rochdale in collaboration with CAMRA’s local Club of the Year, the Ladybarn Club, and some of it will be available in wooden casks. The popular strong beer, Theakston’s Old Peculier, will also be available in a wooden cask.
Meanwhile, ciders and perries come from across the country, including local producers Dunham Press and SiDa from Macclesfield. In total, there will be 19 producers in different counties in England and Wales represented.
There will also be cider from St Briavels, a small producer in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, which has never been available on draught this far north.
In addition, there will also be a stall run by the Festival Charity, Reuben’s Retreat from Glossop, which will offer several rare beers, as well as bar snacks and soft drinks.
Entertainment wise, the festival will features several local bands, plus BAFTA award-winning actor and singer-songwriter Phil Mealey on Friday afternoon, and a DJ set by Clint Boon of the Inspiral Carpets on Saturday evening.
In a first for any CAMRA festival, there will also be an Artist in Residence. Eric Jackson, a former journalist, has returned to his first love, painting, and specialises in quirky modern poster art of local towns and landmarks.
He has produced a poster especially for the Festival celebrating Stockport’s beer scene, which will be on sale along with other examples from his portfolio.
More information and tickets, which start from £3 for members and £5 for non members, can be found on the Stockport Beer and Cider Festival website.