St. George’s Hall Beer Festival, sponsored by Wrightsure, opened its doors this week to hundreds of hungry revellers and members of Liverpool’s business community.
The festival is set to continue over the weekend and will provide a showcase for over 300 real ales, lagers, beers and stouts from more than 100 breweries across the country. Over 7,000 visitors are expected to attend the popular event, organised by the Liverpool Organic Brewery, with tickets for tomorrow already sold out.
At the preview evening on Wednesday, stacks of kegs lined the walls in the main hall at St Georges, while long tables along the centre paired with the lederhosen-clad folk band made the space less concert hall, more Bavarian beer hall.
However, there’s more on offer than just beer and tempting treats to tickle the taste buds of local connoisseurs. With nuts and nibbles, and cheese and pies a plenty, all food is locally-sourced courtesy of Liverpool Nut Company and other local distributors.
Lovers of scrumpy will find more than 35 ciders and perries on offer in the Cockerell Room, ranging from sweet to dry in flavour and mild to punishing in strength. You can also sample the delights of Old J Rum and Liverpool Gin, who are also taking part in the festival.
Brewery boss Mark Hensby said:
“Last year’s event at St George’s Hall was our largest beer festival to date and that success encouraged us to return this year.
“We hoped it would prove equally popular but in fact demand has been considerably higher again. Sales across all six sessions have exceeded expectation and we have had a real mix of new and returning customers coming from all over the UK and overseas. It shows us that the appetite for quality handcrafted beers and ciders continues to intensify.”
Phil Rimmer, managing director at Wrightsure said:
“We are delighted to be supporting Liverpool Organic Brewery with the St Georges Hall Beer Festival. We have been involved with the brewery for over af years and are proud to have supported other similar events around the city.
“The events are a great way to reward staff and entertain clients and if we can do whilst supporting the development of a key local, independent business, then long may the relationship continue.”
Words: Peter Cribley