QYPE*

The Great British Beer Festival is THE event for lovers of good beer and real ciders in the UK.

Organised by CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) every August, in the last year it has moved to the Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre in London.

The event is huge: over the week, the festival gets over 65,000 visitors, drawn by the prospect of over 450 real ales, and a growing selection of the very best ciders, and specialist lagers from Germany, Belgium and the Czech Republic, to name a few. New in 2007 is a stand featuring ales for vegetarians, coeliacs and others with specialist dietary needs.

There’s plenty of food available, (with the emphasis on good-value pub-type grub, rather than gastronomy), and a selection of bands (mostly jazz, but including classical!) for entertainment over the week. There are also stalls selling ale-related memorabilia - beer glasses, beer towels, books, t-shirts and the like.

The event draws a huge range of people, from all walks of life and all ages. It’s not just a male, middle-aged event by any means - about a third of attendees are women, and there are also meetings for CAMRA’s different groups, including LAGRAD (lesbians and gay men). The whole thing is very good humoured and enjoyable.

**************************

An update for 2008, having just attended on the first day!

It’s still as big as ever, with over 450 real ales again this year. The layout is also improved on last year so it is easier to move around, and there are plenty of seating areas, too. There are some excellent discounts on CAMRA merchandise, and a slightly wider range of food, with Indian food stands adding to the mix this year.

The Champion Beer of Britain was named yesterday as Alton’s Pride brewed by Triple fff Brewery in Hampshire - a small, independent craft brewery which has won several prizes before, but not the big one!

Well worth a visit before its ends on Saturday 9th - otherwise you’ll have to wait for next year!