Everybody knows that the Great British Beer Festival is one of the biggest and best festivals on the British beer beat, having been held every August since 1977.
Its sister festival, the Great British Beer Festival Winter, however, tends to hover a little bit under the radar in comparison – despite being held annually for more than 20 years.
There’s a new host venue and city for this year’s Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) gathering though, with the event taking place at The New Bingley Hall in Birmingham from February 4-8.
We’ll be there, certainly for the trade session on the opening day (Tuesday, February 4) – and here’s what will all be going on throughout the course of the week…
Great British Beer Festival Winter
Formerly known as the CAMRA National Winter Ales Festival, the name of the event was changed to the Great British Beer Festival Winter in 2018 in order to align it more closely with the summer festival equivalent.
It was set-up in 1997 to put a greater spotlight on winter beer styles such as porters and stouts. But not to be confused with a festival for winter beers alone, beers of every style and shade will be available, served in cask, KeyKeg and bottle – from dark to ruby brown and golden ales, plus world beers, real ciders, gins and more!
Champion Winter Beer of Britain
As always, the Great British Beer Festival Winter will continue to host the finals of the winter beer categories in the Champion Beer of Britain Competition, with the winners going forward to that year’s final at the Great British Beer Festival in August.
Last year’s top three in the Champion Winter Beer of Britain awards were:
GOLD: Lacons Brewery ‘Audit Ale’ – 8% Barley Wine
SILVER: Calverley’s Brewery ‘Porter’ – 6.3% Porter
BRONZE: Harviestoun Brewery ‘Old Engine Oil’ – 6% Porter
Audit Ale impressed judges for its enticing aroma of marmalade and peach and was described as ‘incredibly well-rounded, with not a harsh bone in its body and the perfect balance of flavour’.
Good Food, Great Music and Industry Insight
Alongside a fantastic range of drinks, the Great British Beer Festival Winter will also feature a range of local food vendors, tutored tastings and talks, a stage packed with music acts and entertainment and, of course, the announcement of the winners of the Champion Beer of Britain winter style categories.
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