One of the North West’s biggest beer festivals is proving a huge success, with thousands expected to have supped a wide variety of beers before the last pint is poured tomorrow.
Stockport Beer Festival takes place at Edgeley Park, home of Stockport County Football Club, with around 6,500 people expected to turn up for the event which has run since Thursday.
Tomorrow is likely to bring in the highest crowd, and those at the heart of the festival are anticipating a brilliant finale.
John Sutcliffe, Deputy Organiser and Bar Manager of Stockport Beer Festival, said: “I think it’s going to be a terrific festival, this one.
“People are going to have an enjoyable experience, and may explore new beers they might not have discovered before.
“My message to anyone thinking of going would be – take advantage of it while it’s here. You won’t regret it.”
The festival promises to be a good showcase for microbreweries, which have become hugely popular over the last few years.
As Mr Sutcliffe pointed out, there are now 1,000 microbreweries in the UK and the sales of real ale keep going up, this in spite of mainstream pubs closing down.
“The days of vast amounts of beer going out are gone,” he said.
“But because of the rise of smaller breweries people now have a lot more choice, and long may it continue.”
“In Greater Manchester, we’re fortunate to have as many microbreweries as we do – we’ve got beers from all over.”
“We want to make this festival a worthwhile visit for all the people that come here.”
Kym Wainright, Head Brewer at Bollington Brewing Company in Cheshire, echoed Mr Sutcliffe’s enthusiasm.
Since he established Bollington in 2008, Mr Wainright has seen his brewery grow and grow, with 5 of their beers available at the festival.
“It’s an honour to have our beers at the festival, it makes me feel extremely proud,” he said.
“It’s a great feeling, really – it’s nice to know that people out there appreciate all the hard work that we put into brewing and selling beer.
“The more people want to have our beer, the more it gets out there.”
Mr Wainright recommended Goldenthal, a limited edition vintage beer with a strength of 7.4%, as one to look out for at the festival
After coming 3rd place for Best Bitter in the Champion Beer of Britain Awards in London in 2011, Wainright said other microbrewers could soon enjoy similar levels of success.
He claimed the Stockport Beer Festival is the perfect platform for microbrewers, and said the future is looking bright for the real ale business.
“It’s an absolutely booming trade, and people are going back to the roots of local produce and locally made beer,” he said.
“I can see the microbrewing industry going on for hopefully many, many years.”
Mr Wainright looked ahead to Saturday with excitement – and a clear agenda.
“Hopefully with the weather looking promising this weekend, we can get a few people drunk and have a successful festival,” he said.
Picture courtesy of Anders Adermark, with thanks.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
