New link-up with independent brewers rings the changes this year
This year’s festival at Oxford Town Hall from October 10-12 is special in more ways than one. Not only is it the 25th year it has been held at the Town Hall, but a new collaboration with independent breweries will see craft keg beer available in addition to 140 cask ales, and 20 cask ciders and perries.
The festival was first held at the Town Hall in 1998, but as 2020 and 2021 were lost to the Covid pandemic, this year marks the Silver Jubilee. This is reflected on the glass design, with all being pint glasses this year marked for half and third pints for those wanting a smaller measure.
Craft keg – high-quality beers served cold using carbon dioxide – has never been served at an Oxford CAMRA festival before. Nor are there any plans to offer keg beers in future, but this year it’s different as Oxford CAMRA has teamed up with SIBA (the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates) to stage its Midlands regional competition.
SIBA is the voice of independent brewers, who are becoming increasingly important for all drinkers of quality, non-mass produced beer. It gives awards in a wide range of categories for both cask or real ale, and keg. The competition will be staged on the first day, with judges by invitation only, but all the cask ales and some of the keg beers will be available on other days until they run out.
This also means that all the beers this year will be from the Midlands, a large area stretching from Oxfordshire to Derbyshire and from Shropshire to Northamptonshire. SIBA members will provide 130 real ales, but another 10 from the local area will be sourced from non-SIBA members Barn Owl, Church Hanbrewery, Craftsman, Tap Social and new brewery Twisted Tree, from near Bicester.
Grahame Allen has organised the festival for Oxford CAMRA since it started at the Town Hall so is very proud of reaching this milestone.
“This is an achievement and I’m very pleased, but it has only been possible because of the loyal support of hundreds of volunteers, some of whom have been coming since the very start,” he said. “We are pleased to be joining SIBA this year as it’s a very important organisation.”
Anneli Baxter, general manager of Abingdon’s Loose Cannon brewery and a Midlands regional director of SIBA, said there was growing awareness among the public of the importance of supporting independent brewers.
“Incorporating our own competition into CAMRA events helps with awareness, and on the Thursday representatives from all the brewers will be at the Town Hall to chat to drinkers, decked out in their brewery’s tee-shirts. The average drinker probably isn’t aware of all the different styles of beer in each category, so if anyone says, ‘I don’t drink beer’, we say, ‘You’ve jut not found the right one’.
“SIBA members are currently experiencing a 14% increase in demand for cask ale, whereas the global and national brands are moving away from it as it doesn’t fit their business profile.
“Independent brewers are filling that void. Since Covid many more people are trying to support local producers including breweries, who have a more sustainable model.”
- The Oxford Beer and Cider Festival is at Oxford Town Hall from 3-11pm on Thursday October 10, 11am-11pm on Friday October 11 and 12-9pm on Saturday October 12. Entry will cost £18 (CAMRA members £15) including non-returnable glass and £10 of tokens. Online booking for Thursday and Friday only will be available – see back cover.
- Volunteers are still needed: contact@oxford.camra.org.uk