Bottoms-up! Portsmouth Beer Festival will return in December

A MUCH-LOVED city beer festival is set to return '“ and organisers say it will be bigger and better than ever.
Punters Amy Davies, Katie Mendonca and Emma Lawley enjoy drinks at Portsmouth Beer festival. Picture: Ian HargreavesPunters Amy Davies, Katie Mendonca and Emma Lawley enjoy drinks at Portsmouth Beer festival. Picture: Ian Hargreaves
Punters Amy Davies, Katie Mendonca and Emma Lawley enjoy drinks at Portsmouth Beer festival. Picture: Ian Hargreaves

Booze-lovers will descend on Portsmouth Guildhall once again this winter, as Portsmouth Beer Festival returns for its fifth outing.

Across three five-hour sessions on Friday and Saturday, December 21 and 22, revellers will be spoiled for choice by a selection of more than 120 cask ales – celebrating the talents of breweries in Portsmouth and beyond.

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Also among the mix will be an improved craft beer bar, harnessing the flavours borne of one of British booze’s fastest-growing trends.

Portsmouth Beer Festival organiser, Ben Miles, said: ‘The rise of craft beer has been phenomenal over the past few years, and it’s something we had to include in our offering.

‘We like to be able to offer all the traditional hallmarks of a beer festival, but with the addition of the modern expectations of the discerning beer drinkers.

‘The choice nowadays is huge and we like to celebrate that at Portsmouth Beer Festival as much as possible.’

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Beer won’t be the only offering at the festival however, as organisers look to appeal to their ‘wide-ranging’ fan base with bars flowing with prosecco, cider and gin.

The latter is set to be complemented by traditional tonic, expert insight and ‘all the matching botanicals’.

And for those feeling the effects of a few swift-halves, food stalls will be on-hand to soak up the tipsiness with scrumptious helpings of street cuisine.

Sessions at Portsmouth Beer Festival – which will take place from 6pm-11pm on the Friday, and midday until 5pm and 6pm until 11pm on the Saturday – will all feature live entertainment.

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Currently on the bill, with more to be announced, are acts The Bog Rolling Stones and The Silver Beatles.

Tickets for Portsmouth Beer Festival are £10 per person, per session and are available from the Guildhall’s box office, the Beer Musketeer store, and the Merchant House pub, both in Albert Road, Southsea.

The festival is for those aged 18 and over only, and tickets include a complimentary souvenir glass, a programme and beer.

Proceeds from the fixture will go toward the Thunder Foundation, which is committed to improving the lives of homeless and disadvantaged children in Kenya.

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