Cheers to city’s real ale lovers
SUNDERLAND BEER AND CIDER FESTIVAL WILL ALSO CELEBRATE 40 YEARS OF SUNDERLAND BRANCH OF CAMRA
Real ale lovers will celebrate two milestones at their annual beer festival later this month.
Next weekend’s event marks 40 years since the Sunderland branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) was founded.
The three-day festival will also showcase a new beer to celebrate a decade since the launch of the Maxim Brewery brought famous beers such as Double Maxim and Samson back to the city.
Michael Wynne, the chairman of the branch, which now covers Sunderland and South Tyneside, said: “It is going to be a special occasion as it is our 40th year and 10 years for the Maxim Brewery here.
“When I first joined we had about 160 members, but that has shot up to 640 thanks partly to the growth of craft ales and micro breweries and we are hoping we can reach 700 at the festival.”
The event, now called the Sunderland Beer and Cider Festival to reflect the recent resurgence in cider’s popularity, will be held for the first time at The Point, in Holmeside, Sunderland, after the closure of previous venue the Bonded Warehouse. It will witness the unveiling of Maxim’s 1040 beer to mark both the branch’s and brewery’s anniversaries as well as the 4% ruby red ale’s gravity.
It will be joined by about 40 beers and 12 ciders.
Sunderland’s Octoberfest takes place on October 12-13, from noon-11pm and October 14, from noon-7pm “or when the beer has gone”.
Entry is £10, including a souvenir tankard and three beer tokens, with further details available from www. sundfest.camra.org.uk
The event will also raise cash for nominated charity the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.