BEST ALE IN THE WEST AT SHAM FEST?
REAL ales from across the South West will be competing in Bideford for the title of ‘Sham Fest Champion’ this weekend.
The annual Sham Fest beer festival kicks off at the Pollyfield Centre in Avon Road, Bideford, this Friday (17th October) and continues on Saturday.
There will be 21 ales on offer, plus ciders, craft gin and rum, live music and hot food at the event, which raises money for the local Food Pantry and other community causes and charities.
But before the doors open to the public, a panel of judges will be sampling each ale and picking the festival champion, plus handing out a silver and a bronze award.
Organiser Huw Thomas said: “This is Sham Fest’s third year and thanks to wonderful support from all our sponsors, this will be our biggest beer festival by far.
“We’ve got ales coming from across Devon, plus beers from several Cornish breweries and a couple from Wiveliscombe in Somerset.”
The competition to choose the best beer is being organised with help from members of the North Devon branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). Judges given the tough job of picking the best beer will include local MP Sir Geoffrey Cox, volunteers from among the sponsors, the Mayor of Bideford and trustees from the Pollyfield Centre.
Huw said: “We’ve got a wide range of beers, from quite light ‘session’ ales, to IPAs and stronger bitters, plus stouts and other darker beers. Top of the list in terms of strength will be Keltek’s award-winning Grim Reaper, which is 6.0% alcohol, and Grizzly from Somerset’s Black Bear, which is a 6.2% English strong ale.
“Luckily for the judges, they don’t have to drink a pint of each one!”
He added: “But it’s not just about the beer. Sham Fest is growing into a real community event. Admission is free and we’ve got a wide variety of live music over the weekend, from Dixie jazz to sea shanties, acoustic covers, reggae and rockabilly”.
Doors are open from 6-11pm on Friday and 1-11pm on Saturday. For more information, look for Sham Fest on Facebook or Instagram.
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