Ulverston Beer Festival off to a flyer (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Ulverston Beer Festival off to a flyer

10:09am Saturday 1st September 2012 in News By Daniel Orr, Reporter

PEOPLE from across the north west are converging on a South Lakes town for a celebration of some of the area’s finest real ales, ciders and perries.

The 24th Ulverston Beer Festival began on Thursday night and runs until tomorrow in the town’s Coronation Hall.

The event offers the chance for people to sample tipples from local breweries including those at Ulverston, Foxfield, and Coniston.

Festival organiser Steve Lewis said: “We have 83 beers, 11 ciders and two perries on offer here. It is a very friendly festival and we have people from all over the north of England here. There’s a terrific atmosphere.”

And among the most popular drinks so far are the Wobby Bob ale, from Manchester-based Phoenix, and the Royal Reserve, created especially for the Queen’s jubilee, by Ulverston Brewery - run by Paul Swann and Anita Garnett.

Steve added: “We have a great relationship with the brewery in Ulverston and they kept a cask back after the jubilee especially for the festival. They also let us store beer in their cold store, which was so helpful of them.”

One punter, Ian Catchpole, who travelled up from Wigan to enjoy the event, said: “I always try to get to Ulverston’s festival because it is such a great venue with a really nice vibe. It’s hard to beat a festival like this - it’s not too big and it’s not too small, and there are plenty of superb ales to try.”