Pendle Beer Festival is back

Eleven months have passed since the last one, but the beer is back next month for Pendle’s annual ale celebration.

And 2015’s Pendle Beer Festival will be the 11th edition of the popular event organised by the East Lancashire branch of the Campaign for Real Ale and will be held on February 5th, 6th and 7th at The Muni in Colne.

This year’s theme centres around the number 40 as the branch celebrates its 40th anniversary in January and with that in mind, the festival’s organising committee is working hard to bring together a mix of breweries that existed 40 years ago as well as ales crafted within a distance of Pendle’s boundary to mark the borough’s four decade anniversary in 2014.

A line-up of 130 different ales is expected for the three-day extravaganza, with up to 20 ciders and perries and a dozen continental bottled lagers to suit all tastes.

As usual, money raised will go to Pendleside Hospice and the charity benefited from £7,500 from 2014’s event.

Craig Stewart, a relative newbie to real ales, has taken on the reins of chief festival organiser for 2015.

He hopes to continue the progress made in the previous 10 years which saw the festival’s popularity swell to attracting 3,000 ale aficionados and beer connoisseurs alike across the three days.

Mr Stewart said: “It’s not all that long ago that I began on real ale. I went to the 7th Pendle Beer Festival I think it was, became a CAMRA member and it started from there.

“With real ale, there is such a range of colours and flavours, there really is something for everybody. And a beer festival is the perfect opportunity to try them out.

“We hope to have a good mix of breweries that were in existence 40 years ago, as many of the local breweries to Pendle that we can get and there will be quite a few more micro breweries from last time which keep popping up here, there and everywhere.”

Breweries of 40 years or more confirmed to have multiple beers at the festival include Moorhouses and Timothy Taylor’s while local Lancashire and Yorkshire breweries within the Pendle vicinity are those such as Bowland, Goose Eye, Hopstar, Reedley Hallows, Salamander, Wharfebank and Worsthorne.

There is no music on the opening Thursday night, but there will be on the Friday evening and throughout the Saturday, with an up-and-coming band on the cusp of being signed headlining.

On the Thursday, the festival will be open from 4-30pm until 11pm and entry will be £3 all day.

On the Friday, opening hours are between 11-30am and 11pm. Entry is £3 before 6pm and £5 after 6pm while Saturday’s opening times will also be from 11-30am until 11pm with entry at £3 all day.

CAMRA members will get free entry on production of a valid membership card. Keep an eye out on www.pendlebeerfestival.co.uk for up to date information on bands, beers and everything else.