Cirencester Beer Festival 2011

This year’s Cirencester Beer Festival takes place at The Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester over the final May bank holiday weekend of Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th May, as well as during the Tractor Ted Farm Show on Monday 30th May.

Entrance to the festival on Saturday and Sunday is £3, which includes a commemorative glass and one beer token. Those visiting the Tractor Ted Farm Show on Monday will be able to attend the Beer Festival for just £2 (in addition to the Farm Show entry fee).

Thanks to Cain and Fuller, who are our main sponsors again, for the fourth year running, and also to our other sponsors Wye Valley Brewery and Halfpenny Brewery.

During the festival we will be serving around 20 different beers and a few ciders from around the region.

Over the next few weeks we will announce more details of what will be happening at the Cirencester Beer Festival. Keep checking back for details of the breweries, beers and bands taking part. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed or join us on Twitter or Facebook to hear all the latest news.

Beers

With over 20 beers available at the Cirencester Beer Festival, the three day event promises to be one that will suit every beer lover’s palate.

The wide variety of real ale on offer comes from the South West region and includes rare, seasonal and harder to find varieties. There will also be some old favourites and a few different ciders.

This year our beer tokens will be sponsored by Halfpenny Brewery in Lechlade and the glasses are kindly sponsored once again by Wye Valley Brewery. Lizzie Davidson, Marketing Executive said: “Wye Valley Brewery is delighted to sponsor Cirencester Beer Festival in 2011. It promises to be a great event with a wide selection of beers from ourselves and other local brewers.”

Entertainment

Visitors to the festival on Sunday evening will be able to enjoy live acoustic music from Trev Williams, back by popular demand.

Throughout the weekend burgers will be available from Cotswold beef farmers Love My Cow.

Then for those looking for a dessert, The Cotswold Ice Cream Company will be on hand serving their delicious ice cream and sorbets.

Supported Charity

For the second year running the Festival will be supporting The MND Association. It’s the only national charity that supports people with Motor Neurone Disease and their families, and it’s also a major funder of much needed research.

Jean Waters of The MND Gloucestershire Branch said: “We are delighted to be chosen once again as the charity supported by the Cirencester Beer Festival 2011. The money raised in 2010 went into our wheelchair fund. With such a rapidly progressing disease, where average life expectancy is only 2–5 years, the need for fast provision of wheelchairs is crucial to people being able to get around while they can. The MND Association has developed a wheelchair partnership with Gloucestershire NHS wheelchair services and we have purchased 2 powerchairs and 2 manual wheelchairs for immediate use by people with MND which are issued and maintained by the wheelchair services.

“We will be attending the festival on Monday 30th, as part of the Tractor Ted Farm Show. This year on our stall we will be selling home made cakes and raffling a fine flock of hand knitted woolly sheep. They might not keep your grass down, but their maintenance is minimal and they are very cuddly! We would be delighted to see you and who knows – you might win a Black Sheep to join in alongside the beer!”

Graham Smith of RAGS, the committee organising the Festival, said: “We are delighted to be back again this year and will be offering a wide selection of beers, music and entertainment, as this combination has always worked extremely well. We have Cain and Fuller as our main sponsors again this year and there are numerous other sponsorship opportunities, so we will be approaching local businesses to discuss the options. Last year’s Festival raised over £800 for MNDA Gloucestershire and we are pleased they are joining us again this year.”