Beer festival fans are in for a treat as Nottingham's Robin Hood Beer and Cider Festival returns to the Trent Bridge cricket ground with a whopping 798 different beers on offer. It's not all about the beer though as there are also 150 ciders to soak up and a gin bar at the event.
The festival opens on Wednesday, October 12 until Saturday, October 15 with more than 14,000 visitors expected to hit the stands. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) event is one of the biggest beer festivals in the city with many breweries taking part to offer specialist beers and ciders. There will also be plenty of food on offer from some of the city's best street food vendors.
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Nottingham beer fans and cider specialists are in for a treat this year with some amazing limited edition beers, specially selected ciders and a whole host of entertainment on offer.
There are several local breweries taking part in the event such as Sneinton Cider Company, Totally Brewed and Bang the Elephant among many others. While there will be no shortage of things to sample on the day, there are some truly unique pints to be pulled.
Navigation Brewery, a Nottingham-based business, has created a new limited edition brew called 'Grounds for Divorce', which is a 23 percent beer. Drinkers won't be able to buy an entire pint as it will be limited to one per person and available only in smaller measures.
Totally Brewed will also release a limited edition beer called 'fruitinising with the enemy' which is described as a cranberry and orange sour. Bang the Elephant will bring their 'Have you seen my Umlaut, which is an Oktoberfest-inspired German lager, to the event.
From further afield, micro-brewery Vault City in Edinburgh will bring their refreshing cloudy lemonade sour to the bar which boasts citrus flavours from fresh lemon juices and zest. It's also one to make a note of for any vegans attending as it's vegan-friendly.
DMC Brewery will also provide their signature ginger beers for anyone looking to sample something a bit different. The alcoholic ginger beers are also completely gluten-free and vegan too.
When it comes to the food, the organisers have thought of everything from Indian cuisine to burgers to good old-fashioned cobs. Festival professionals, Memsaab will be on hand with their extensive Indian menu while Romano's burgers will be providing excellent grub to accompany a pint.
Nothing goes better with a pint than a packet of crisps and there will be plenty to choose from at premium snack company, Just Crisps. While there are traditional salt and vinegar options or ready salted, they also make a delightfully tasty Jalapeno option.
The Big Cheese Melt stall will be on hand to serve their signature mouthwatering melts to a hungry crowd. Jukebox Cafe, meanwhile, will serve up a side of English breakfast for anyone who needs a bit of soakage after a pint or four.
The event has also thought of vegans with options from Veggie pies and Surano vegan food. There will be plenty of vegan beers available throughout the day and options will be clearly marked on the program. Gluten-free drinkers will have a number of beers to choose from too.
Steve Westby, from CAMRA, said: "The festival is building on the tremendous success of last year's festival which was held for the first time at Trent Bridge. This year, we have expanded it so there is even more room, seating and coverage in case it rains although it, fortunately, didn't last year. We have more caterers than last year too so more street food and a massive variety of beers from all parts of the country."
"The festival covers all beer styles including traditional styles from bitters to stouts to sours and New England IPAs. A whole range of beer styles will be there including a range of over 150 ciders and perrys which are all made from real pears and apples. We don't allow any made from fruit concentrates which is what most mass-produced ciders are made from."
He added: "We will have a bar this year in the famous pavilion so customers will be able to sit in the pavilion seats and it's possible to get a tour too. You can actually sit where you see the players come out so it is quite iconic. "
Nigel Patton from Bang the Elephant Brewery will be joining the line-up with their range of tasty beers. He said: "It's the first time we have ever had a bar at the Robin Hood Festival so we are very excited. We have some cracking beers on and hope everyone has a great time."
