Weymouth Beer Festival tickets nearly sold out

NINE Dorset breweries are sending real ales to the Weymouth Beer Festival at Brewers Quay on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 October.

Piddle’s Silent Slasher from Piddlehinton, Palmers Tally Ho! from Bridport, Art Brew’s Dark Brut for North Chideock, and Town Mill’s Black Ven from Lyme Regis will be among the beers on offer at the Octoberfest.

The event is organised by Brewers Quay and the West Dorset branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

Tickets for two sessions – Friday evening and Saturday lunchtime – have already sold out. Fewer than 50 tickets are still available for Friday lunchtime (11am to 3pm) and Saturday evening (pm to 11pm).

How to buy tickets

Tickets for Friday lunchtime 11am to 3pm cost £2 and for Saturday evening 6pm to 11pm £3. A limited number of tickets are available from West Dorset CAMRA online at www.camrawdorset.org.uk, by telephone from Dave Harris at 01305 772286, from The Boot pub at Weymouth and The Blue Raddle at Dorchester. In addition, Octoberfest tickets can be purchased directly from Brewers Quay, at the Timewalk office. The Brewers Quay restaurant and teashop, adjoining the beer festival, will be open at all times, with a special Octoberfest menu.

Octoberfest real ales

More than 50 real ales and ciders will be tapped direct from casks, around 20 from Dorset and the West Country, plus 30 from Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire.

Casks of real ale at the Weymouth Beer Festival in Brewers Quay

All nine breweries in Dorset will be providing one or more of their real ales – described thus be leading West Dorst CAMRA member Michel Hooper-Immins.

Dorset brews

“The new Town Mill brewery at Lyme Regis will be making Black Ven specially for the festival, a new porter that will complement Lyme Gold, a light summery drink with a citrus aftertaste.

“CAMRA member Paul Smith in Gillingham has installed a brewery in his garage and is making a great name for his distinctive brews throughout Dorset. He brings Gillingham Pale and Elder Sarum, a pale bitter with a floral aroma of elderflowers, to Octoberfest.

“Art Brew at North Chideock have made a big impression in their first year and produce the distinctive Dark Brut and the powerful Art MMX barley wine for the festival.

“In stark contrast to these newcomers are the Hall & Woodhouse brewery at Blandford St. Mary, founded in 1777 and Palmer’s thatched brewery at Bridport, which dates from 1794.

“Palmers Best Bitter will be on the Octoberfest bar, together with the famously strong Tally Ho! which makes a welcome re-appearance for winter.

“Spicy Badger Tanglefoot is one of the best selling of Dorset real ales made by regional leader Hall & Woodhouse, whose brand-new brewhouse will open next year.

“Dorset Piddle brewery at Piddlehinton have made a big impression on Dorset’s real ale market since they started in 2007 and two of their best beers – sweetish Silent Slasher and Piddle Ale – will be travelling to the Weymouth festival.

“It will be a poignant Octoberfest for Giles Smeath and his Dorset Brewing Company, whose brewery at Brewers Quay, Weymouth, moves out to Crossways later this year. DBC Chesil and Weymouth Best will be at probably the last beer festival on their home ground.

“From the Bankes Arms at Studland, the Isle of Purbeck brewery send two brews which deserve to be better known – Purbeck Best Bitter and lager-style Solar Power.

East Midlands brews

“In addition, there will be a number of East Midlands ales, the result of a West Dorset branch trip last year, when members found so many interesting real ales!

“Venus strong ale comes from the Derventio brewery near Ashbourne in Derbyshire and Bridestones Dark Mild hails from Hebden Bridge in South Yorkshire.

“Spire Sergeant Pepper Stout from the Chesterfield brewery is an interesting choice, “liquorice and pepper flavours dominate on both aroma and taste in this original complex dark and delicious beer.”

Last beer festival at Brewers Quay?

This is likely to be the last Octoberfest held at Brewers Quay, which may be converted into a complex of flats, shops and hotel. Discussions are taking place with other venues for 2011.