Bevy of beer festivals for real ale lovers

CHEERS Greg Sharpe with Ossett Pub Companys Will Forrest. (D533C439) CHEERS Greg Sharpe with Ossett Pub Companys Will Forrest. (D533C439)

Three pubs in the Heavy Woollen are holding beer festivals with a huge range of ales on offer to satisfy even the most thirsty customer.

The New Inn, Roberttown, will host the Barrel of the Sexes, featuring a contest between female brewsters and male brewers to see whose beer people prefer.

Andrew Kassube, chairman of Heavy Woollen District CAMRA, said: “Three or four years ago you could count the number of brewsters on one hand but this is definitely a growing trend and they are brewing some very good beer.”

The festival also features beers from The New Inn’s own on-site micro-brewery produced by Joe Kenyon. There will be live music and food and it runs from Friday to Sunday.

The Shepherds Boy, Dewsbury, will be holding a Green Hop festival offering 12 beers made from fresh hops. All the beers will be coming from local brewers and it runs from Thursday to Sunday.

The festival at The Navigation, Mirfield, will feature more than 25 beers from the Norfolk and Cambridge region from Wednesday to Sunday.

Mr Kassube said the three festivals showed that demand for good beer in North Kirklees was growing.

“People are prepared to pay a little more for a product which has had a lot of care and attention put into it,” he added.