Well known Liverpool pub The Ship & Mitre is teaming top with St George’s Hall to host a major beer festival in the autumn. Tony McDonough reports
For 21 years well known Liverpool pub The Ship & Mitre has held a beer festival at Hulme Hall in Port Sunlight – this year it will expand onto a bigger stage.
It has teamed up with Liverpool’s Grade I-listed t George’s Hall to organise the St George’s Hall Beer Festival. This event will run from Thursday, September 24, to Sunday, September 27.
It will offer more than 250 beers, ciders and spirits across multiple sessions. Visitors can expect real ales, craft beers, continental lagers, and a specialist gin and rum bar, with a lineup that blends respected national breweries with local names.
Confirmed breweries include Ossett/Rat Brewery, Black Lodge, Azvex, and Colbier, with further announcements to follow.
The Ship & Mitre, a distinctive 1930s Art Deco landmark at the Queensway Tunnel end of Dale Street, has long been celebrated for its range and knowledge of real ale, craft beer and independent brewing.
Bringing its festival to St George’s Hall represents a natural evolution for an event rooted in Liverpool’s independent beer community.
Alongside its expanded beer lineup, this year’s festival will also support Ronald McDonald House Charities, the official charity partner for 2026.
The organisation provides vital accommodation and support for families with sick or premature children, and the partnership holds particular personal significance for Beer Festival manager Andy Hayes.
Ben Garner, co‑owner of The Ship & Mitre: “I’ve been at the Ship & Mitre for more than 20 years now, and after more than a decade of running our own beer festivals, this feels like a natural progression.
“It’s a real pleasure to be working alongside such an iconic Liverpool venue right on our doorstep, and we’re looking forward to building a strong, long-term partnership together.”
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Andy Hayes added: “Over the past three years organising the Wirral Beer Festival, I’ve learned a huge amount – and I can’t wait to build on that, working with both local and national breweries to put together the best possible lineup.
“Ronald McDonald House has recently been an incredible support to my own family following the birth of our first baby, which makes this partnership especially meaningful to me.”