Hundreds flock to join Portsmouth Beer Festival opening

Hundreds of punters poured into the venue to join the opening evening of the Portsmouth Beer Festival.

Now in its third year, the event saw people from across the city arrive to enjoy a brew.

Ruth Lihou, of Southsea, travelled with her husband Colin and friend Dave Thomas.

She said: ‘Tonight has been brilliant. We normally go to the pub on a Friday night but we just fancied something different.’

This year’s festival – which continues today – is gearing up to be one of the biggest yet.

More than 120 cask ales will run through the taps for hundreds of beer fans during the two days.

And new to the festival this year is a keg bar, with eight different beers that aren’t brewed in the traditional cask way.

A cider bar with varieties from around the country will also be on offer.

And there will be a prosecco bar for those who don’t fancy a cider or beer.

As well as all the delicious brews, there are also a host of tasty treats on sale, including freshly-cooked sausages and a hog roast.

There is also a host of live music, with last night seeing performances from the likes of The Racketeers, Strumpet Town and The Flicks.

Today’s actions kicks off from noon to 5pm, when there will performances from Mark Morriss, the singer from The Bluetones, and other acts.

Then the final session takes place tonight from 6pm to 11pm, and will feature a gig by The Silver Beatles.