The first pints were pulled as the 42nd Durham Beer Festival was toasted by real ale enthusiasts in the city last night (Wednesday August 28).

Drinkers at Durham City Rugby Club’s Hollow Drift clubhouse, the festival’s venue for the fifth year, have a range of 30 beers, seven ciders, and a perry from which to choose over the four-day real ale celebration.

Paul Dobson, of event organiser, the Durham branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), said with, “the environment in mind”, many of the beers on the festival menu have not travelled far.

“A high proportion are from within the CAMRA Durham area and around the North East and thus keeping the beer miles low.

(Image: Durham CAMRA)

“We've noticed that drinkers are thinking more about the carbon footprint of what they're drinking and therefore look for local brews, which strangely enough, are usually harder to find around Durham than national brands.

“Therefore, we have the majority of our ales from within 30 miles of the festival, augmented by others from ‘exotic’ places like Orkney and Ossett, Malton and Chiswick.

“We even have two from a farm, Hopper House, near Sedgefield, and others from pubs with attached breweries.”

These include the Yard of Ale at the Surtees Arms, at Ferryhill Station, Durham CAMRA's reigning Country Pub of the Year, and Consett Ale Works, at the Grey Horse in the town, which was recently crowned CAMRA North East regional Pub of the Year.  

(Image: Durham CAMRA)

“Obviously, most of the cider comes from further afield, but we do have Cathedral Blend from Elvet Cider of Durham, which is made with apples of all varieties donated by the good folk of County Durham, added to some speciality cider apples from Northumberland.”

As a bonus for festival-goers there will also be a couple of rugby matches which can be viewed from the clubhouse balcony at no extra charge, and food will be available throughout.

The full list of beers is …

Beer                                                   Brewery

Adder

Allendale

Contour

Allendale

Bad Kitty

Brass Castle

Best Bitter

Brass Castle

Prince Bishop

Big Lamp

Evolution

Darwin

Dark Side of the Toon

Three Kings

Hay Bale Pale Ale

Hopper House

Dark Side of the Moo

Hopper House

Terminus

George Samuel

What the Ruck

George Samuel

21/14

Hill Island

Dreamcatcher

North Pier

Citra Special

McColls

Industrial Pale Ale

Consett

Red Dust

Consett

Consett Stout

Consett

Dunkel

Durham

St. Cuthbert IPA

Durham

Cloudbuster

Yard of Ale

Wolves at the Door

Yard of Ale

Chinook

Maxim

Idaho 7

Maxim

Maximus

Maxim

Voodoo Chocolate Orange Stout

Ossett

King Rat

Ossett

Ouseburn Porter

Hadrian & Border

ESB

Fullers

Schiehallion

Harviestoun

Red McGregor

Orkney

Dark Island

Orkney

 

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The festival runs daily until Saturday (August 31), with 12-noon opening time and last orders at 10.30pm.

Beer tokens and festival glasses can be purchased on arrival so no money changes hands at the bar.

Further details are available via www.durhambeerfestival.org.uk, the festival website.