Preparations have begun for the Oxford Beer and Cider Festival which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

This year's event, which attracts thousands of real ale fans every year, will take place at the town hall in St Aldate's from Thursday, October 10 to Saturday, October 12.

The organisers, the Oxford branch of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), will link up with independent breweries so there will be craft keg beer available in addition to 140 cask ales, and 20 cask ciders and perries.

READ MORE: Chinese university's expansion plans 

The festival was first held at the town hall in 1998, but as 2020 and 2021 were lost to the Covid pandemic, this year marks the Silver Jubilee.

The anniversary is included on the event's glass design, with all pint glasses this year marked for half and third pints for those wanting a smaller measure.

Craft keg – high-quality beers served cold using carbon dioxide – has never been served at an Oxford CAMRA festival before.

There are no plans to offer keg beers in future, but this year Oxford CAMRA has teamed up with SIBA (the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates) to stage its Midlands regional competition.

Grahame Allen, who has organised the festival for Oxford CAMRA since it started, said he was proud to reach the 25th anniversary.

(Image: Oxford Mail) He added: "This is an achievement and I’m very pleased, but it has only been possible because of the loyal support of hundreds of volunteers, some of whom have been coming since the very start. 

"We are pleased to be joining SIBA this year as it’s a very important organisation.”

The competition will be staged on the first day, with judges by invitation-only, but all the cask ales and some of the keg beers will be available on other days until they run out.

All the beers this year will be from CAMRA's Midlands, stretching from Oxfordshire to Derbyshire and from Shropshire to Northamptonshire.

SIBA members will provide 130 real ales, but another 10 from the local area will be sourced from non-SIBA members Barn Owl, Church Hanbrewery, Craftsman, Tap Social and new brewery Twisted Tree, from near Bicester.

(Image: SIBA) Anneli Baxter, general manager of Abingdon’s Loose Cannon brewery and a Midlands regional director of SIBA, said there was a growing awareness among the public of the importance of supporting independent brewers.

She added: "Incorporating our own competition into CAMRA events helps with awareness, and on the Thursday representatives from all the brewers will be at the town hall to chat to drinkers, decked out in their brewery’s T-shirts.

"The average drinker probably isn’t aware of all the different styles of beer in each category, so if anyone says, ‘I don’t drink beer’, we say, ‘You’ve jut not found the right one’.

“SIBA members are currently experiencing a 14 per cent increase in demand for cask ale, whereas the global and national brands are moving away from it as it doesn’t fit their business profile.

(Image: Oxford Mail) “Independent brewers are filling that void. Since Covid many more people are trying to support local producers including breweries, who have a more sustainable model.”

The Oxford Beer and Cider Festival is at Oxford Town Hall from 3-11pm on Thursday, October 10, 11am-11pm on Friday, October 11 and 12-9pm on Saturday, October 12.

Entry will cost £18 (CAMRA members £15) including non-returnable glass and £10 of tokens.

Volunteers are still needed. To express interest, get in touch with contact@oxford.camra.org.uk.

Help support trusted local news 

Sign up for a digital subscription now: oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe 

As a digital subscriber you will get:      

  • Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website    
  • Advert-light access        
  • Reader rewards       
  • Full access to our app 

About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.