It was a tough job, but someone had to do it...
Celebrating its 40th anniversary and back in the place where it all began, the Stoke Beer & Cider Festival this weekend did not disappoint. Advance tickets for many of the sessions were sold out, meaning queues outside, so I was pleased that we had planned ahead. Utilising the Kings Hall, but also spreading into the neighbouring Windsor Room to ensure that gin and rum were also accommodated, we had a brilliant Friday night!
With live music in both rooms, plus a wide variety of beers, ciders, gins and rums, the atmosphere was buzzing. Craft beer has grown over the years from a hobby into a serious business, and one that I like to think we've locally taken to heart, given the success of assorted breweries including Stoke-on-Trent-based Titanic, and North Staffordshire-based Joules amongst many others, who were represented at the Festival.
Needless to say, I tried to best to sample a good range, ensured the bands were suitable (there may even have been a bit of dancing...) and caught up with quite a few other people who I'm also sure were there purely for work purposes!
