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!
Large events such as this bring an important spotlight to small and medium sized businesses both in our area and beyond, as well as the hospitality sector that is currently experiencing significant difficulties. It's great to see Stoke-on-Trent continuing that legacy of bringing people together, long may it continue.
