THE doors to a popular beer festival in Ulverston have opened welcoming a flurry of real ale lovers. 

Organised by the Furness branch of Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) this is the 27th Furness Beer Festival, 20 of which have been held at the Coronation Hall.

The annual Beer Festival invites people from all over to sample a selection of more than 80 beers. 

Stephen Lewis has been the organiser of the festival for the past ten years.

He said: “The staff and the cheery volunteers really make it a success as well as it being in fantastic venue, it’s iconic.

“We have a vast range of beers and we are very well established. When the train arrives there will be people from all over the place. We always get a lot of new faces and there has also been a lot of young people turning up which is terrific.” 

24-year-old David High from Askam was among the dozens of people who turned out to sample some of the beers on offer. 

“I really like real ale a lot more than I like beer so I wanted to come and see what options were available. At the moment I’ve got one called Green Bullet.” 

Brett Torkington from Ulverston, said: “Obviously we come for the beer. It’s an annual event and we just try to come out to it every year.” 

With a whole host of beers lined up across the wooden bar, people were sure to find one to enjoy. 

Many of the ales came from breweries all over the country, but keeping it closer to home were a number of beers with a Cumbrian postcode. 

Red Bull Terrier from Barngates Brewery in Ambleside, Barley Blonde from Beckstones Brewery in Millom and Bluebird from Coniston Brewery were just a few of the local tipples on sale. 

From 7pm tonight there will various local talent getting the crowds going, while hot food such as pie, peas and gravy will be served. 

As well as a large selection of real ales there will also be a vast range of ciders and perries on sale.

Volunteer, Graham Donning, said: " We encourage people to not only come along to the event, but to also take a look at all the other pubs and venues. It is a good boost for the local economy.

"We get a lot of people coming from all over such as Millom, Broughton and Foxfield. It is a nice boost for the town of Ulverston."

Top Ten ales available at the beer festival

THE Furness Beer Festival will be offering 86 real ales this year and the chairman of the Furness branch of CAMRA, Dave Stubbins, has told us his top ten to watch out for. 

1. Tarn Hows Puddled Duck

2. Hawkshead Dru Stone Stout

3. Healey's True Brit

4. Hardknott Azimuth

5. Ulverston Royal Reserve

6. Barngates Goodhew's Dry Stout

7. Fell Brewery Nectar

8. Unsworths Yard Last Wolf

9. Stringers Sweet Gale

10. Greenodd Slow Worm

Mr Stubbins was also keen to offer advice to people who are maybe visiting the beer festival for the first time.

He said: "I would recommend that people start with a beer under four per cent and gradually work up the beer strengths.

"We also sell third pints to help people take it slow and give them chance to sample more.

"If you drink smaller quantities you can sample a larger range of beers and ciders."