Thousands expected at Northern Beer Festival

THE next three days will see thousands of beer lovers from across the North flocking to Manchester to sup real ales.

The Great Northern Beer Festival is being held from Thursday to Sunday  at the Mercure Piccadilly Hotel.  The event will see more than   260 cask ales and 120 bottled beers being served in the hotel’s grand ballroom.

This year’s industry report called the Cask Report has revealed that real ales or cask beers are now the only type of beer to be showing a growth in consumption, beating the more mainstream mass produced lagers.  In 2011 some 633 million pints, were consumed by UK beer drinkers.

At the festival 110 breweries will be competing for the coveted title of champion and the winners will represent the North at the national Beerex event in Sheffield next year.

Last year’s event saw over 3,800 people attend over the three days, sampling craft ales from Yorkshire, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cumbria, Northumberland and the Isle of Man.

Chairman of the organising committee, Malcolm Ireland of Lancashire law firm Napthens solicitors said: “The growth of craft or real ales hasn’t seen any signs of abating.

“Beer drinkers are putting quality and local provenance high up on the agenda when looking for beers to drink and coming to the festival will be a good way of seeing what great ales are now on offer from across the North.

“We are hoping to see around 5,000 people attend this year’s event as it is gaining in momentum and popularity.”