Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Life’s good for real ale lovers down on the farm
More than 27,000 pints of real ale were sampled, sipped and swigged over the scorching weekend at the Kent Beer Festival.
Thousands of drinkers and their families descended on Merton Farm for the annual sell-out event, now in its 42nd year.
The ideal place for a beverage connoisseur, there were more than 200 varieties of beer to try at the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) festival, all taking place under the roof of a barn in idyllic fields.
Bands such as Gentleman of Few, King Ziggy, Cloud 9 Jazz and the Swinging 60s provided the tunes as revellers lulled on the farm during the hottest Alex Pope, Andy Pearce, Phil Bubb, Jon Kreffer and Peter Barnett raise a toast weekend of the year so far.
Organiser Andy Mitchell was thrilled about how the it went.
He said: “Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, the atmosphere was smashing and the feedback we have had so far has been really positive.
“With last year’s torrential rain on the Friday, it was great to have such beautiful weather throughout the weekend.
“The brewery industry is flourishing and this weekend gives brewers the chance to showcase what they can do.
“There were so many different tastes and combinations of flavours.
“There has been a renaissance of real ale in recent years, but beer is an infinite subject and our festival is growing in popularity all of the time.
“It is so unique and we hope that people will continue to enjoy it.”
Despite the focus on alcohol, the event is family-friendly, with loads on for the children, such as a circus school.
Every year the festival raises money for good causes and this year the MS Therapy Centre had their own pitch on the site, and a charity box at reception was collecting coins for Blood Wise, which supports leukaemia patients and their families.
More than £450 was presented to them as the weekend drew to a close.
For more information about the festival, visit http://kentbeerfestival.com.