BEER lovers are once again brewing up a programme of events to celebrate the best in locally-made pints.
Events for Oxford Beer Week have been announced with a 1,000 person fair at The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD) the highlight of festivities for this year.
The annual week-long event aims to celebrate all that's good in the local beer scene and raise the profile of drinks being brewed in the county.
This year's beer week runs from Friday, May 3 to Sunday, May 12 and features beer festivals, comedy nights, beer trails and live music events.
Organisers the Oxford Brewers Alliance have said they are aiming to establish Oxford as a 'beer city', similar to Sheffield, Bristol and Manchester.
New this year is the 'Big Event' at TOAD in South Park which aims to celebrate the best food and drink being made in Oxford and the surrounding area.
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This will run from 11.30am to 8.30pm and tickets are priced at £10 each which buys a programme, a beer map, a glass and one drink.
Producers will be given a stand each in the 'beer village' and guests will be able to sample products while chatting to the people who made them.
A programme of music and family-friendly sideshows will run alongside.
This year's Oxford Beer Week has the NFU Mutual as its major sponsor while.
Christian Aldridge, senior sales executive at NFU Mutual, said: “As someone who enjoys the occasional pint of beer, it didn’t take much to convince me that Witney & Oxford NFU Mutual should help to organise a festival showcasing the best of Oxfordshire’s brewers.
"Craft beer brewing is a tremendous growth industry in Oxfordshire which I believe is home to some of the best quality ales in the country.
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"The partnership is an excellent match for us with our specialist knowledge of food and drink manufacturing, so I’m delighted to support an exciting industry in which our local customers are already heavily represented."
The Oxford Brewers Alliance includes members such as the Wychwood and Hook Norton Breweries, which have served Oxfordshire and the whole of the UK for decades, alongside newer names including Tap Social and Oxbrew.
The Perch Beer Festival
Last year these brewers combined to create a 'perfect pint' for sale throughout the event.
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Other beer week events this year include the ever-popular Perch Beer Festival in Binsey on May 4, a 'vertical beer tasting' night at the Jolly Postboys in Florence Park on May 10 and a meet the brewer night at the Isis Farmhouse in Iffley, also on May 10.
See oxfordbrewers.org to find out more.
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