Portsmouth pub gears up to host champions beer festival

A festival showcasing the best beers in Britain is coming to Portsmouth.

Ten tipples that have clinched awards from the Campaign for Real Ale for quality and taste will be on offer all in one place for hardcore supporters.

The Champion Winning Beers of Britain spectacle is coming to The Rose in June, in Milton Road, Copnor, from Monday until Sunday, November 20.

Well-known names of beers ranging from Oakham’s Citra, to last year’s Supreme Champion Gold Cwtch from Tiny Rebel, are part of the highly-celebrated line-up that hopes to wow crowds.

Each beer in attendance enjoys either bronze, silver or gold accolades awarded by London’s Great British Beer Festival last August for clarity, taste and aroma.

The local was awarded Community Pub Hero of the Year in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and is one of the few in the south to host such an event.

Only two other pubs, in Southampton and the Isle of Wight, can claim that honour.

Paul Saynor is co-landlord of the pub, which features in the Campaign for Real Ale Good Beer Guide, and has Cask Marque accreditation for the quality of the beers it serves at the pumps.

He said: ‘We’ve got a reputation for being a 
good real ale pub over the number of years we’ve been here.’

Mr Saynor is bristling with excitement at the prospect of showcasing double their normal beer list, from five to 10.

And he is looking forward to giving revellers the opportunity to expand their drinking horizons.

Mr Saynor said: ‘We put these on in the hope that we encourage not just real ale drinkers and Camra members.

‘We hope that there are those that maybe haven’t tried it before, which is what beer festivals are all about.’

If the turnout is healthy and new drinkers flock to the festival as hoped, The Rose in June is well equipped for them with a spacious interior, large marquees and a 250-person capacity garden.

Used to hosting at least two beer festivals a year, The Rose couldn’t pass up the chance to feature the event.

‘We run a very large one in the summer and we have a winter one in February,’ Mr Saynor said.

‘We normally do two a year but this is an extra one as it’s something special.’

The Rose in June can be found on Facebook (The Rose in June), Twitter (@theroseinjune) and on the website, theroseinjune.co.uk.