We love a good beer festival here at TBL. The latest to catch our eye is ABV – a new boozy event taking place this May all about local breweries selling local beer to local people.
While much has been done over the past few years to encourage and nurture the stream of independent craft breweries that have transformed the Northern Irish beer scene, its easy enough for local brewers to get lost in the plethora of good ale available from across the UK, Ireland and beyond.
What's more, one of Northern Ireland's biggest boozy events, the Belfast Beer & Cider Festival, is run by CAMRA, and as such has a habit of excluding local breweries on the basis that they won't supply cask beer.
While the Campaign for Real Ale has done much to help the local beer scene – for which they must be praised - drinkers and brewers alike can often feel frustrated at its insistence on narrowly-defined prerequisites for the beer being sold at its events, and the fact that this precludes many smaller, local breweries from taking part.
How refreshing, then, to hear that this latest venture, put together by four hop-heads, home brewers and craft enthusiasts – will feature all 20 of Northern Ireland's breweries on the same stage, for the first time.
From the giants of Whitewater and Hilden, to young pups Pokertree and Farmageddon, to new kids Red Hand Brewing, Clearsky and co-op Boundary, ABV promises to promote and showcase the best N.I. has to offer when it comes to brewing.
However, it's not all about local beers. The presence of 8 Degrees, Trouble Brewing, Manchester Marble, Tiny Rebel, Galway Bay and The Kernel is a sign that the festival is already attracting some absolute giants of the craft beer scene.
Organisers have also confirmed that a number of cider producers – including County Armagh's Long Meadow – will be making an appearance at the event.
The venue for the festival is to be the old Titanic Drawing Offices in Belfast's newest-emerging 'quarter', transforming the disused building into a centre stage for independent brewing and craftsmanship for the last time, before its insides are transformed into a new "luxury" hotel.
It's a shame that such historic and culturally relevant buildings inevitably get the tourism treatment, rather than remaining as spaces for local people to utilise and enjoy, but if ABV lives up to its name, it's safe to say local beer enthusiasts will give it one last blow out.
With more breweries TBC and a beer list to follow, keep an eye on the details as they emerge over at abvfest.com. As is to be expected, the festival organisers will also be looking to enlist the help of volunteers for the event.
Tickets are £12.00 for the day, or £30.00 for the weekend.
