A much-loved August Bank Holiday tradition is returning to Hereford this weekend, The Barrels Charity Beer Festival.
The beer garden at The Barrels
There will be 30 beers, 18 ciders, live music every day, and food served throughout the weekend at the famous pub. And best of all, every penny from ticket sales and the festival bar goes directly to charity.
This year’s festival is more than just a celebration of great beer and community spirit. It also marks a new era for The Barrels.
After decades of being a leasehold pub, Wye Valley Brewery now proudly owns the freehold of the venue. To mark this milestone, the festival is doubling as an ‘Independence Day Celebration’.
“Back in 1987, we took on The Barrels as a leasehold from the Whitbread brewery,” said Wye Valley Brewery founder Peter Amor. “It has changed hands several times since, but this year Wye Valley Brewery has finally procured the freehold.
“So, we could call this the Independence Festival! From the outset, the festival has always been about fundraising for local causes, and together over the years, we’ve raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for Herefordshire charities.”
Eight local charities will benefit directly from this year’s festival:
- Arrive Alive Charity
- Art 4 Veterans
- Herefordshire Mind
- Lee’s Place
- Midlands Air Ambulance
- Phoenix Bereavement
- St Michael’s Hospice and
- The Cart Shed
Festival-goers can also look forward to two special festival brews from Wye Valley Brewery. Lock, Stock & Barrels (5% ABV) is a hoppy ale brewed exclusively for the festival, celebrating the brewery’s acquisition of The Barrels’ freehold. Heritage Honey Pale (5% ABV) is brewed with locally-grown Goldings hops, and honey from Herefordshire producer Bee The Keeper, and another from a member of the Amor family. Smooth and golden, it was created as the brewery’s 40th anniversary beer.
Food throughout the weekend will be provided by The Living Room, a Hereford-based café and community larder run by local charity Ethos, tackling homelessness and food poverty, and helping personal development. Proceeds from food sales will go directly to support their work.
Ian Forrest, manager of The Barrels
Ian Forrest, manager of The Barrels, said: “Resurrecting such a well-loved event in the Herefordshire calendar, following a six-year absence, was always going to be daunting, but it’s only possible thanks to our volunteers, local businesses, and the amazing generosity of breweries and cider producers who donated their products.
“Our hope is to build on their legacy while raising as much money as possible for local charities.”
