Beer Festival tips - How a beer festival works
Are you interested in going to Keighley Beer Festival? Have you never been to a CAMRA beer festival before, and would like to know how it works and who goes, before making the journey? Here is a guide for people who have never been to a Beer Festival before. The details apply to Keighley Beer Festival in particular, but other CAMRA festivals are run on broadly similar lines.
Not just beards and sandals
From past experience we usually get quite a mix of CAMRA members and non-members. Many CAMRA members travel some distance by public transport and so come during the day. There are more locals in an evening. Last year the customers at our Skipton Beer Festival included a stag night, a hen night and a wedding party, who all enjoyed the real ale and cider.
Getting there
The festival will be in the main hall at Victoria Hall in Victoria Park on Bradford Road, Keighley. Victoria Hall is about 10 minutes walk from the railway station (come out of the station and turn right), or 15 minutes from the bus station. Bus routes 662 and 760 pass Victoria Park. Please don’t drive if you want to try the beer.
Admission charge
There is a charge for admission of £2 per person, payable on each day you attend. This helps to pay for the hire of the hall. Should we reach the fire limit then new admissions will only be allowed when someone else leaves. We have never reached the fire limit at Keighley Beer Festival.
CAMRA members get FREE entry to the festival, but you must show your membership card. If you want to know more about joining CAMRA in good time to get free admission to the festival plus all the other membership benefits, visit the CAMRA national web-site or fill out and send off the membership form in our quarterly newsletter, Alesman. However, your entrance fee will be refunded if you join CAMRA at the festival.
We can accommodate children at Keighley Beer Festival during the afternoon and early evening, but they must be looked after by at least one adult at all times.
Souvenir glasses, beer tokens and programme
Once inside, next step is to get a glass. Unlike in pubs, glasses are not available at the bar, but from the glasses stand. Souvenir glasses with the festival logo, will be available in halves and pints, while stocks last. Pay a £2 deposit for the glass and it’s then your choice whether you take it home or cash it in at the end of the festival.
Beer tokens are also sold on the glasses stand. You need beer tokens to buy your drinks, cash does not change hands at the bar. Many first-time visitors buy a package of a glass and £3 worth of beer tokens for £5. If you don’t use all your tokens you can either donate all or some of their remaining value to the festival charity (this year the charity is Manorlands) or get a refund when you leave. If you run out of beer tokens – just buy some more at the glasses stand.
The beer festival programme is free. This has a plan of the event and lots of information about the beer, the festival and a crossword. If you don’t want to take 'pot luck' trying new beers, read the descriptions in the programme to see which are likely to appeal.
Real Ale
There will be over 75 different British real ales on draught. Many of them will be served by gravity i.e. not on handpump, so won’t have the creamy 'Yorkshire head' you get in most local pubs. About one third of the beers will be available on handpump.
Beer can be served in thirds, halves or pints. These smaller measures mean you can try more different beers, if you wish.
All the beers that are ready to serve will be on sale from the beginning of the festival. The more popular beers are likely to sell out before the end of the festival, so if there is a particular one you want to try, the best advice is to go on Thursday evening. Our Beer Purchasing Manager endeavours to get a range of beers from local breweries and from further afield, and a range of different beer styles. To see which beers have been ordered in advance, check this website nearer the time.
Other drinks
Cider and Perry
We will start with over a dozen different real ciders and perries, made from British apples and pears respectively. Please note these are not like Strongbow and the other national brands you see in most pubs. Traditional ciders and perries are stronger and not as fizzy. This is a rare opportunity in this area to try real cider and perry, as you might find in Somerset, Gloucestershire etc.
Foreign Beers
There will be a range of German and Belgian bottled beers of various styles including fruit beers, wheat beers and pilsner.
Fruit wines
Yorkshire Country Wines have supplied a range of English fruit wines.
Soft drinks
This year we will have a small choice of quality British soft drinks, including Fentimans and Pago orange juice.
Food
Food will be available to soak up the beer at reasonable prices. This will be provided by the Naylors brothers (yes, as in Naylors Brewery), who catered for us in 2008 and received very favourable comments. It will be simple hot and cold food, including vegetarian options. However, don’t arrive late expecting food as the choice will decrease as the day progresses and the kitchen closes before the bar does.
Music
You can’t please all the people all of the time. Some festival-goers want music, while others want to enjoy their beer and conversation. There will be live music on Friday and Saturday evening and Saturday lunchtime, so if you prefer a quiet session come on Thursday or Friday lunchtime/afternoon. There’s no extra charge for entertainment.
Staff
The majority of the staff at the festival are CAMRA volunteers. We work hard in our free time to organise and help at the festival. Most of us don’t work in the licensed trade, so please bear with us. However, what we lack in experience we make up for in enthusiasm.
If you enjoy beer, cider or perry, but have never been to a CAMRA beer festival before, come along to Keighley – you’ll be spoilt for choice.
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