Hucknall Beer Festival to return in a fortnight after two year hiatus

The Hucknall Beer Festival returns next month for the first time in three years following a two-year hiatus due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The festival couldn't take place in February 2021 due to Coronavirus related lockdown restrictions and with future rules still uncertain, the proactive decision was made to move the 2022 event to the summer to attempt to safeguard it from cancellation.

However, incredibly warm temperatures in late June and early July which were forecast to continue leading up to the date of the planned festival, meant that the quality of the beer couldn't be guaranteed so the reluctant decision was made to cancel it for a second straight year.

When the announcement was made the organisers were bullish that the 2023 event, back in its usual February slot, would take place come what may.

And so, in just under two weeks' time the festival will return in its usual venue, The John Godber Centre, on Ogle Street and will run from Friday 10 February to Sunday 12 February. There will also be a special preview evening held on Thursday 9 February.  

One of the key aims of the festival, as well as to bring the community together is to raise funds to help further develop the John Godber Centre's facilities which will benefit the large amount of local people who use the venue on a regular basis.  

Kim Pears, Centre Manager at The John Godber Centre, said: "This is now my tenth festival and twelfth year on the beer festival committee, organising the Hucknall beer festival at the Centre and I'm really looking forward to seeing both new and regular faces again. Nottingham CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) do a wonderful job of selecting the beers and ciders for the festival and visitors are never disappointed with the choice on offer.

"COVID has hit our charity hard as do the ongoing rise in costs, as we know it has for many so fundraising activities such as the Hucknall Beer Festival are more important than ever to us but equally the wish is to host a great town event for Hucknall that so many people look forward to and get to enjoy."

Andrew Ludlow of Nottingham CAMRA is placing the beer orders ensuring a great choice will be available for the real ale drinkers with ciders chosen by local cidermaker Ray Blockley of Torkard Cider based in Hucknall.

There are set to be over 80 different ales to sample, including some from Hucknall based Lincoln Green Brewing Company.

Speaking exclusively to Hucknall Nub News, Mr Ludlow, Nottingham CAMRA LocAle Officer and branch secretary said of the festival's return: "It's a wonderful feeling, because we're back now as we were, we've been doing the event for numerous years and February has been the time.

"We know the sort of conditions, we know that people look forward to the event and we know that we can get a good range of beers and ciders because of the local contacts we have. It's a bit like coming home, having the festival will seem a little odd when it first kicks off but I'm sure within about an hour it will just feel as though it never went away.

"The fact that very few other people do one at this time of year we have the advantage that you have all the celebrations through December leading up to Christmas. Then you have this rather quiet January and then I think people are hopefully coming out of hibernation and sort of think actually that February event's on again let's go down to Hucknall and really start the year off with a really impressive beer festival."

New for 2023 is The Spyke Golding (Shield) Challenge. This is a new competition to celebrate the Nottinghamshire brewer with the best new beer produced for and judged at the festival by the public.

The judging and therefore voting for this competition, named after late CAMRA stalwart Peter 'Spyke' Golding, will be open to all who attend the 2023 Hucknall Beer Festival.

The ten entries will be marked "A" to "J" with no brewery name noted, full tasting notes for each beer plus ABV will be listed and customers can then score the beer with the winner being announced during the weekend.

These ten beers will be exclusive to Hucknall Beer Festival first before being sold to trade. 

Of this competition, Mrs Pears added: "We're excited that this Nottingham CAMRA challenge is being held at the Hucknall Beer Festival for the first time and will feature ten never before tried beers to be enjoyed and judged by real ale fans. Only a few of us have seen the entry list and we are really excited for them to be enjoyed first at this event and the blind judging by not announcing the brewer in advance."

Mr Blockley, meanwhile has put together a wide ranging selection of 12 ciders which includes two of his own 'Straight Outta Hucknall' and 'Whyburn'. Nottinghamshire cider will be well represented at the festival with two ciders from Eastwood cidery Sisson and Smith also available.

Speaking exclusively to Hucknall Nub News about the recent rise in popularity of real cider, Mr Blockley said: "I think as much as anything people want something that is pure and wholesome and by that I mean that it's just made from apples.

"You will always have the people who want something sweet, something they can just swiftly neck a pint of at a pub, that's low ABV and sweet. But somebody (passionate about real cider will be) looking for something that's a bit more natural, a tighter link to the orchard, a tighter link to the ground, a tighter link to things that are grown in this country and taken direct from the tree.

"That's the sort of thing that people are picking up and saying I want a third or a half that I can smell, taste and feel something about where it's from and understand how it's made from the type of apple which is why we have quite a wide range of styles."

It is clear Mr Blockley's selections have been made to get people talking rather than to just please the masses which makes for an intriguing prospect for cider samplers.

He has also designed the festival's commemorative glass. This year's design is a nod to Hucknall born 19th-century bare-knuckle boxer Ben Caunt who went on to become heavyweight champion of the world. There will only be 576 glasses this year so they will be a limited edition piece to add to any true festival fan's collection. 

The opening times of the Hucknall Beer Festival will be:  

5pm – 10pm on Thursday 9th February – Preview evening advanced ticket only

11am – 11pm on Friday 10th February   

12pm – 11pm on Saturday 11th February   

12pm - 3pm on Sunday 12th February   

There will be live music on the Saturday from 7pm with Blurred Mondays, and there will be hot and cold food available from Peacock Catering throughout the weekend. 

Mrs Pears concluded: "The last nine years we've closed the festival on the Sunday with beer and cider still available and we're going to keep that record going, there's always so much choice.  Each year the event becomes more and more popular and we hope after a two year break festival fans will be ready for its return. The Hucknall Beer Festival attracts real ale and cider drinkers from all over the Nottinghamshire area with some customers travelling in the past from as far as Cornwall and Manchester to visit our event. We love that this is a town event as well with more visitors to the area across the weekend and to many of the local establishments."

For more information about Hucknall Beer Festival, please click here.