BIGGEST BEER FESTIVAL IN WALES MOVES TO CIA

The Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival, organised by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, will this year be held in June in the larger surroundings of Cardiff International Arena. The 3-day event has moved from the usual autumn date to the summer, but festival goers will not have to worry about their real ales being too warm as a state-of-the-art cooling system will be used to ensure that all the beers will served at the correct temperature. Over 250 real ales, ciders, parries and foreign beers will be available at the 3-day event.

The 2008 Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival will be the biggest event of its kind in Wales and one of the largest beer festivals in the UK. CAMRA will aim to have every Welsh real ale brewery represented supplemented with other breweries from across Britain.

Entertainment will also be available at the CIA this year, apart from Thursday night which will be a quiet night. Friday night will see Sheelanigig who offer an eclectic blend of folk, jazz and world music as well as an outstanding 7-piece UK soul band called Soul miners. Saturday will see the Fore Shadows and later on in the early evening the Treorchy Male Voice Choir will be raising the rafters of the CIA with their renditions of old favourites.

Highpoint of the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival for the breweries in Wales will be the Champion Beer of Wales competition which will be announced on Friday afternoon. All 35 real ale breweries, who between them produce over 250 different real ales throughout the year will be hoping to win this prestigious award. Last year the winner was Rhymney dark and the brewery will be hoping to repeat that success.

According to James “Arfur” Daley, CAMRA publicity manager for the festival, “All the CAMRA volunteers are looking forward to this new venue and we are grateful to the financial help we have received from the Welsh Assembly Government to help us create not just the biggest but what we hope to be the best beer festival in Wales. With more breweries now in Wales than we have had for 80 years this is going to be the showcase event for beer in Wales”.

Festival Facts:

· Over 28,000 pints of real ale, cider and perry will be sold at the festival, all at cellar temperature.

· That’s over 15 tons of beer, cider and perry!

· Over 5000 customers will be attending the 3-day festival.

· 170 different real ales will be available at the Festival.

· An average of 13 pints every minute will be sold when the Festival is open.

· Around 50 ciders and perries (pear ciders), many from Welsh producers, will also be available to complement the real ales.

· Over 100 staff, all CAMRA volunteers, will be staffing the Festival.

· A range of beers from Germany will also be on sale.

· Pub games, stalls and food will be available at the Festival.


The Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival

Cardiff International Arena, Mary Ann Street, Cardiff CF10 2EQ

Open Thursday 12th June 11-11,

Friday 13th & Saturday 14th June 11-11

Admission £5 includes souvenir glass and programme

This event is supported by the Welsh Assembly Government

Further Information:

www.gwbcf.org.uk

James ‘Arfur’ Daley, CAMRA Publicity, 0794 185 9902

arfurdaley@hotmail.com