Robin Hood Beer and Cider Festival kicks off with selection of 600 ales (2024)

Drinkers were saying cheers to the beers with thousands set to descend on Nottingham's biggest booze-up. Brews from down the road, ales from the USA, vegan, gluten-free, a super-strength 26 per cent beer and 140 ciders - Nottingham's annual Robin Hood Beer and Cider Festival has them all.

The colossal list has more than 600 beers - with something for all tastes, from stouts and pale ales with zesty notes to session ales and malty porters. Cider drinkers are equally well looked after with 140 to choose from, amongst them a crisp, floral drink made with Lincolnshire apples, one with hints of strawberry and sherbet, and a classic full-bodied Somerset cider.

The flagship event of Nottingham's Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is expected to attract around 15,000 ale aficionados, cider connoisseurs, and just anyone who enjoys a tipple from October 9 to 12. It's the fourth year the 47-year-old festival has been staged at Trent Bridge, the home of Notts County Cricket Club in West Bridgford.

A new layout, designed to ease crowding, includes a real ale bar on the turf in front of the pavilion for the first time. As well as 18 brewery bars, mainly Nottinghamshire-based, there will be the Nano Bar for small producers.

The man responsible for ordering the beer is CAMRA head cellar man Andy Sales. Chairman Steve Westby said: "Andy orders them all except for the brewery bars, a good half of them. He's very, very knowledgeable - he goes out of his way to get really difficult-to-find beers and breweries. There's a good percentage of new ones, just to make it interesting for the public.

"Everybody's taste is different and what some people like, it's not for others. It's a great community event that the beer lovers of Nottingham look forward to every year - and people from further afield, as some do travel some distance. We've been organising this since before the last one started. It's an ongoing process. We are already talking about next year."

Sue and Simon Thomas were visiting the festival for the first time, from Melton Mowbray, where they're both volunteers at Round Corner Brewing. They were drinking their first half, Crich Brewery's session strength pale ale Electric Avenue, from the new outfield marquee.

Simon said: "We've been to events in Melton Mowbray, they are very small. We came on the bus today and were doing some shopping when we heard somebody talking about a beer festival. I didn't know it was on, so I listened, and that's why we're here. I thought it sounded a good idea.

"It's a gorgeous venue. It's set up really well. It's nice out here. We've got a few hours until the bus is due."

Dave Green - the man attributed with saving the beer festival when its home, Victoria Leisure Centre in Sneinton, closed down - was looking forward to sampling the brews. He was the general manager at Nottingham Castle in 2010, who waived the rules to allow the festival to take place in the castle grounds.

"When I left, CAMRA very kindly gave me a gold card and said I'll always be welcome back so I always try to get back no matter where I'm working in the country. They are such a great team to work with, it's just lovely to come back and say hello.

"It's great Nottingham CAMRA have remained my friends all these years. It's fantastic here. I am a huge cricket fan, it's probably my biggest passion in life after beer so it's nice to combine the two."

Whereas Nottingham's famous outlaw Robin Hood enjoys a nice mead, the man who plays him, Tim Pollard, prefers a dark beer. He said: "I love being here. It's the highlight of my Robin Hood year. I'm looking forward to seeing what we've got and enjoying as much as possible.

"It's really nicely suited to here. You've got that mix of indoors and outdoors which is nice so if the weather is slightly inclement, which you can never rely on this time of this time of year, you've got enough coverage. and it's good for travel routes, getting in. It's grand. Don't get me wrong, I loved it when it was at the castle because it was beautiful and and atmospheric but here is just as good and the enthusiasm of the people here proves it."

The 18 brewery bars include locals Castle Rock, Hollowstone, Lenton Lane, Lincoln Green, Black Iris and Two Matts. Drinkers will be able to try the strongest-ever beer to feature at the festival - the 26 per cent Terror from the Sky brewed by Liquid Light. Only 140 pints have been made as it is pushing brewing limits to the extreme. Just four 36-pint casks will be at the festival with one tapped at 3pm every day.

Making history at the festival is No Half Measures, a bar staffed by enthusiastic female beer drinkers, offering ales produced in breweries owned or operated by women. Member Alice Henley said: "It's been an absolute delight working with the local CAMRA team. I'm a local person and I've been coming to the festival for years and it's nice to do a little bit of a fresh take and celebrate the role of women in the brewing industry. It's been excellent so far.

"We've got 30 beers on at the moment and we have a lot on reserve and a good selection of breweries including three of the American casks, which is quite exciting, as well as local ones. I'm really excited about the Batham's best bitter. It's quite difficult to get a cask of that outside the Black Country. It's a fantastic example of a good bitter."

Although 99.9 per cent of the visitors come for the ales, there's prosecco on sale and tea and coffee as well. All the ideal foods for soaking up a beer are there - one stall sells nothing but bags of crisps. For something more filling there's curry from MemSaab, or pies with mushy peas and gravy, while if you've got a sweet tooth, look out for the crepes stand.

You can't go wrong with a cheese toastie from the Big Melt, which this year has a festival special with hotdog sausages and baked beans. Stallholder Chris Hayes said: "I like the people, they're really, really friendly, everybody is up for a good time. It's a bit of a naughty midweek treat. The atmosphere is amazing and the Trent Bridge cricket ground is a really good venue to hold a beer festival.

"I'm not just saying it because we do cheese toasties but sourdough bread and cheese is probably the ultimate survival food - people tell us that the next day."

As well as keeping drinkers fed and watered, the festival has entertainment, a mix of live music and DJs, ending with a party on Saturday night. CAMRA branch secretary Andrew Ludlow said the new layout would help to spread out the crowds. "Where we had a big central bar in the main marquee the problem with that was it tended to concentrate everything so we have subdivided it so you have little bits all over.

"During the day it's a lovely atmosphere, easy to walk round and enjoy the view and in the evening you get a really great atmosphere because it's dark and pleasant. By having a marquee with a clear view at night-time it's as though you're in the open air completely."

Tickets are still available. Opening times can be found here.