Accompany your beer drinking with liberal measures of double-fried chips, jazz, and nudity this month.
1-2 June: Ales Tales Belgian Beer Festival
June kicks off with a celebration of Belgian beer as the Ales Tales festival returns to Bethnal Green’s Oval Space. 20 Belgian brewers are set to showcase 70-ish beers from Friday evening until the end of Saturday, accompanied by live music and beer-friendly Belgian food (including, of course, double-fried chips and mayonnaise).
The festival is split into three five-hour sessions (Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday evening); tickets for each session cost £42 and include unlimited ‘tasters’ of beers. As we’ve noted before with beer festivals that follow the ‘high-entry-cost-with-unlimited-tastings’ model, whether or not the entry fee represents good value will largely depend on how much you want to drink, what size ‘tasters’ of beer are served, and how long you want to spend queuing for them.
21-24 June: The Naturist Foundation Jazz & Real Ale Festival
As you might expect, clothing is optional at the Naturist Foundation’s annual Jazz & Real Ale Festival, which takes place in their 50 acre grounds near Orpington. Here's what happened when we went along last year. The festival’s publicity focuses much more on the extensive jazz lineup than the beers (and ciders) being served, but there are also plenty of other activities included in the ticket price, with access to the Foundation’s facilities, including a swimming pool, sauna, sports facilities (petanque, table tennis, volleyball, badminton, and more), and a 2km woodland walk. Day tickets cost £16 or £22, or a ticket for all four days can be purchased for £60 in advance.
23 June: London Brewers Alliance Beer Festival
For the first time in many years (since 2011, by our reckoning), the London Brewers Alliance — a collective of London-based brewers — is holding a festival to showcase the excellence of beer brewed in the capital. Representatives from no fewer than 40 London breweries will be in attendance, all keen to share their beers.
The event takes place at the Fuller’s brewery in Chiswick, and an all-inclusive ticket for the single six-hour afternoon session will cost £35 (all beer included).
Also…
- Catford Bridge Tavern (with support from CAMRA) will be hosting the Catford Beer Festival from 8-10 June. More than 40 beers, ciders and perries, live music, and ‘street food’ are promised.
- Hampton Beer Festival returns for its fourth year from 15-16 June, serving “mostly local” beers and ciders in a scout hut close to Hampton Station. As with last year’s festival, entry to each of the three four-hour sessions costs £5 in advance.
- The Forester in Ealing will hold its 11th beer festival from 20-24 June, offering 27 ales (while stocks last).
- Following several months of extension works, the Hope in Carshalton looks set to revive its monthly beer festivals from 28-30 June. Keep an eye on the festival holding page for details to emerge.
If you’re a lover of beer or pubs, check out our ever-expanding database of the best pubs in London.