The clocks have moved forward, and April's beer festivals have predictably started to adopt a more spring-like attitude. We've rounded up the best.
1 April: London Brewers' Market
Regular as clockwork, it's time for the spring instalment of the London Brewers Market at Old Spitalfields Market. Running from 11am until 6.30pm, it's selling beers from 25 London brewers, for consumption on and off the premises. As usual, the festivities will be accompanied by music from the Independent Label Market.
21-22 April: Hook Beer Fest
Another regular fixture: the annual Hook Beer Fest returns to its Surbiton scout hut for three four-hour sessions on 21 and 22 April (although the 21 April session has now sold out, so if you don't already have a ticket then you probably shouldn't turn up then). Tickets for the Saturday session are still available online, or from a few local pubs, and cost £5 (or £12.50, including five beer tokens). The provisional beer list includes more than 50 real ales, from an interesting range of UK brewers, as well as 18 real ciders. Try them all at your peril.
21-23 April: The Sultan Spring Beer & Cider Festival
The Sultan — Hop Back Brewery's only London pub — conduct their Spring Beer & Cider Festival over the weekend of 21-23 April. 16 beers and six ciders from around the UK, as well as barbecued food, morris dancers, and live jazz are set to feature.
27-29 April: 'One Brew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest' at The Hope
Once again, Carshalton's CAMRA-beloved pub The Hope are hosting a groansomely-named beer festival. We can always find it in ourselves to forgive them though, as it's a stupendous pub. This month’s event is, as usual, quite light on advanced details, so keep an eye on their website for more information.
Also…
Further afield in Surrey, but still within the all-important M25 boundary, there are a couple of beer festivals that could also be worth a look:
- Chertsey's Thyme at the Tavern pub is staging their St. George's Beer Festival from 20-23 April. 22 real ales, tasty food and live music are promised.
- The Weybridge Vandals Beer Festival (named after the local rugby club) will feature 22 beers from a handful of interesting UK brewers (as well as some English wines and ciders), accompanied by live music from several bands. Festivities kick off at 6pm on 21 April and run until the end of the following Saturday. £13 early-bird tickets are available until the end of today, after which you’ll be paying £17 for a session (or £20 for a weekend ticket).
If you’re a lover of beer or pubs, check out our ever-expanding database of the best pubs in London.
