All set for Big Oxford Beer Bash!

One-day event tops the bill of local beer festivals planned for this autumn

There are just over three weeks to go until the Big Oxford Beer Bash on Saturday September 18 at TOAD (The Oxford Artisan Distillery) at the top of South Park, close to Cheney school. Tickets cost only £10 (link below) for eight hours of beer, gin, food and live music, with 13 breweries confirmed as being in attendance. Here you can enjoy locally brewed beer while meeting and talking to the brewers, gin produced on the premises, artisan food and music from local bands and DJs.

This is the second time that the Big Oxford Beer Bash has been held, last year’s event having been cancelled due to the pandemic. It is an initiative of the Oxford Brewers Alliance as it works to build the profile of Oxford as a “beer city”, and with CAMRA’s own Oxford Beer and Cider Festival cancelled for a second time this year, the Bash is set to be the biggest event of a truly grim year and, hopefully, a pointer to a brighter future.

Hook Norton boss James Clarke, one of the main organisers, said: “We will have over a dozen brewers there, and we are very grateful to TOAD for once again hosting us. It will be a great opportunity for people to meet their local brewers and sample their wares, as well as allowing brewers to meet some of their local customers.  We haven’t organised any Beer Week events other than this, as we were unsure how the exit from Covid would go, and conscious that pubs are still in many cases finding their feet, and many were unable to open until quite recently.

“We will have a wide range of beers on sale, and it will showcase what a wonderful brewing scene we have in the city and county.  As well as beer, the distillery will be selling their spirits, and we will have a range of street food and music.  With many festivals and events having been cancelled this year, we are delighted the Bash will be going ahead, and we hope to have a good attendance, and some sunshine!”

Russ Taylor, of XT Brewing, added: “This is the biggest beer festival in Oxford this decade, showcasing all the best local brewers and a whole range of artisan foods, great music all day long and of course loads of great beer. The Beer Bash is a whole immersive experience – with each brewery dispensing their beers from their own stall in the unique ‘beer street’. After a challenging year, it’s a chance to catch up with what’s been happening in the world of beer and try the latest creations.

“Get to try the beers and meet face-to-face with the people who create the magic. It’s a real chance for drinkers to meet up with the brewers and find out what’s been brewing and for brewers to get feedback from drinkers on what you want to see in your local pub and to drink at home in the future. We have an amazing 13 different breweries attending and bringing beers across the whole range from super modern craft to more traditional offerings, from session beers to strong specials. The event is all outside, and with the street style of different brewery stalls there is plenty of room for everyone to feel safe.”

Local brewers attending the event are:

Tickets here. https://www.ticketarena.co.uk/events/big-oxford-beer-bash

#beer #beerfestival #oxford #oxfordshire #brewery #local

The Maybush has a lovely riverside location

Although the Oxford Beer and Cider Festival had to be cancelled for a second year, on CAMRA’s advice and because we would have had to commit funds back in June during very uncertain times, there are plenty of other local events to look forward to. These include:

On Bank Holiday weekend, starting on Friday August 27, the Thames-side Maybush at Newbridge (OX29 7QD, on the A415 Witney-Abingdon road) is having his first beer festival with 12 ales and three ciders. On Bank Holiday Sunday August 29 from noon, Minster Lovell Beer Festival and Fun Day will be held at Wash Meadow, Minster Lovell, OX29 0RN, near Witney – with beer, cider, food, music, events, stalls, etc. (free entry). Over the same weekend, the Duke of Monmouth in Abingdon Road, Oxford is holding a local beer festival, with ciders from Lilley’s.

On Saturday September 4, Littlemore Rugby Club is hosting a ‘Pitch-up for Rugby/Open Day” to try and attract new members, with events going on throughout the day including a mini-beer festival with beers from White Horse Brewery. On September 10-11 from 11am, the North Cotswold CAMRA Beer Festival is at Moreton Cricket Club, Batsford Road, Moreton-in-Marsh, GL56 9QA (accessible by rail). About 40 real ales and 20 ciders will be offered with £2 entry, souvenir glass £2, and sales by tokens. Drinking areas are not covered so come prepared. On September 25, the Chadlington Beer Festival is at the Memorial Hall, OX7 3NA.