THE Winchester Beer and Cider Festival 2024 has kicked off at the University of Winchester Students’ Union.

It opens on Friday, June 7 from 6pm until 10.30pm and on Saturday, June 8 form 11.30am until 4pm and from 6pm until 10.30pm.

There are more than 69 beers and 18 ciders, both locally sourced and from further afield, and the organisers hope to encourage revellers to throw off their prejudices and open themselves up to new flavours.

Customers can buy vouchers which can be exchanged for drinks. They also get a free Flower Pots brewery glass and a brochure for the £10 entry fee.

One of the volunteers, Alan Ford, said: “When people say they don’t like beer because they don’t like the bitterness or the hops, they maybe haven’t tried the right beer yet.

“Here they have an opportunity to do that.”

The festival has returned to the university in Sparkford Road following a four-year hiatus after it was cancelled due to Covid. The event was previously held in Winchester Guildhall.

Bar and ticket manager Vinay Narang was delighted with the new location: "This is the first festival since 2020, and we're really happy with the new venue."

While the proceeds of the event will go to the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), members of local charity Go LD, which helps adults with learning disabilities, were there collecting donations.

Volunteers with Go LD (Image: Owen Borseti)

Betty Chadwick, who works for Go LD, said: “This event is great for us on a lot of levels. It means we can get the people we work with out there, get them involved and really get them into the community so they can be considered as adults, not as children.”

Dave Hoggett, another volunteer, explained how the donations are made: “Any vouchers which might be left when someone walks out will be left with Go LD. Then we give them the value of those vouchers back in cash.”

The venue was teaming with people, with the kegs in the main hall, a canteen upstairs and a spacious terrace for those seeking fresh air.

Alex Macarthur, a volunteer serving drinks behind the bar, was enthusiastic about encouraging people to try new varieties of beer, and offered us a glowing-blue beer which he said was "Hawaiian-flavoured".