Farnham Beer Exhibition, usually but informally known as Farnham Beerex (or just Beerex), is the longest established beer festival in the United Kingdom to be held annually on the same premises. [1] [2] Held in Farnham, Surrey, the first Beerex took place in 1977, and serves as a charity fundraiser for the Lions Club of Farnham.
Held in Farnham, Surrey, the first Beerex took place in 1977, three years after CAMRA had been established, as a means of promoting traditional cask-conditioned beers from British breweries in line with CAMRA's aims, whilst raising money for charity. [3] The concept was the idea of two CAMRA members who were also members of the Farnham Lions Club. These two, Paul Blowfield and Ralph Carter, were inspired by CAMRA's Covent Garden Beer Festival (London) of 1975. They took the idea to their two organisations, who then joined with the Farnham Maltings Association to organise the first event, which pre-dated the first CAMRA Great British Beer Festival by some months. [4] The event attracted more attendees than anticipated necessitating additional supplies of beer and glasses. Originally planned as a one-off event, it has taken place every year since at the Farnham Maltings in late April or early May, still organised by the same three organisations. The 2018 event will be the 42nd and once again take place at the Farnham Maltings April 12–14.
It is organised and staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers. Admission is by advance ticket only, which generally sell-out within hours of release, some months before the event. [5] The event has raised in excess of £900,000 for mainly local charities and good causes through the Lions Club of Farnham, and has been instrumental in raising awareness of traditional beers in the Farnham area which can now boast a number of independent breweries including the longer-established Hogs Back Brewery.
Special half-pint glasses have been issued each year, and limited edition pint glasses for the 10th and 21st Exhibitions; these are very collectable and some reach high values. Since 1978 the Souvenir Programme has carried a front-cover cartoon by Bill Tidy and a booklet of these cartoons was published in 2006.
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, England, which promotes what they designate as "real" ale, "real" cider, "real" perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. With just under 165,000 members, it is the largest single-issue consumer group in the UK, and is a founding member of the European Beer Consumers Union (EBCU).
George Gale & Co. Ltd was a Hampshire brewery with a distinctive range of, mainly, bitter beers. Founded in 1847 it was bought by the London brewers, Fuller's of Chiswick in 2005. The brewery was closed in 2006 with production transferred to Chiswick.
Farnham is a market town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is 36 miles (58 km) south-west of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire. By road, Guildford is 11 miles (17 km) to the east and Winchester a further 28 miles (45 km) along the same axis as London. Farnham is the largest town in Waverley, and one of the five largest conurbations in Surrey. It is of historic interest, with many old buildings, including a number of Georgian houses. Farnham Castle overlooks the town. A short distance south-east of the town centre are the ruins of Waverley Abbey, Moor Park House and Mother Ludlam's Cave. Farnham is twinned with Andernach in Germany. It is drained by the River Wey which is navigable only by canoe at this point.
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The Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) is an annual beer festival organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). It presents a selection of cask ales and other alcoholic drinks from the UK and beyond. The festival is also home to the Champion Beer of Britain awards and is held in August of each year. 2017 marked the 40th anniversary of the GBBF. GBBF's sister festival, the Great British Beer Festival Winter concentrates on beer styles such as porter and stout and is usually held in February each year.
A beer festival is an event at which a variety of beers are available for purchase. There may be a theme, for instance beers from a particular area, or a particular brewing style such as winter ales.
Jennings Brewery was established as a family concern in 1828 in the village of Lorton, between Buttermere and Cockermouth in the Lake District, England. The brewery was started by John Jennings Snr, son of William Jennings. Jennings brewed exclusively in Lorton until 1874 when its present home, the Castle Brewery in Cockermouth, was purchased. The Lorton brewery closed some five years later.
Triple fff Brewery is a small independent brewer of real ale based in Four Marks, Hampshire, England, founded in September 1997. They produce award winning beers of styles including bitters, milds and stouts. They own three pubs, the Railway Arms in Alton, The White Lion in Aldershot and The Artillery Arms in Portsmouth.
The summer Cambridge Beer Festival is the longest-running CAMRA beer festival in the United Kingdom, having started in 1974. It is held at the end of May just before the Whitsuntide Bank Holiday. The winter beer festival is a smaller, indoor event at the University Social Club, and since 2018 has been held in November. Both festivals are run by Cambridge & District CAMRA. The 2020 festival was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Otley Brewing Company Limited, colloquially Otley Brewery, is a brewery located in Pontypridd, Wales. Established in 2005, it has won several awards, including the Champion Beer of Wales in 2006. The head brewer is Charlie Otley. In October 2016, the brewery was put up for sale by its owners. In February 2018 the brewery ceased trading.
The European Brewery Convention (EBC) is an organisation representing the technical and scientific interests of the brewing sector in Europe. The EBC defines itself as the scientific and technological arm of The Brewers of Europe. Among brewers, EBC is perhaps best known for the EBC units measuring beer and wort colour, as well as EBC units for quantifying turbidity in beer. Equally, the EBC congress is recognised globally as a significant meeting event for the world's brewing, malting and beer fermentation scientists and technologists, taking place every two years.
The Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood (SPBW), founded in 1963, is the oldest consumer-based group interested in stimulating the brewing of, increasing the awareness of, and encouraging the drinking of traditional cask ale. The Society also supports and encourages the use of wooden casks for beer dispense.
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