Win tickets to Sheffield's BeerAlive! festival

A record number of craft ales are entered into a competition as part of this month's major beer festival in Sheffield - and we have twenty pairs of tickets to give away to readers.

Some 400 ales created by independent breweries, using speciality hops and malt from all over the world, are in the running to be named Champion Craft Keg Beer as part of The Independent Beer Awards hosted by the Society of Independent Brewers at the BeerAlive! beer festival, part of SIBA’s annual BeerX Trade Show in Sheffield from March 16-19.

Almost a week of judging will whittle down the different beers from a range of categories to a list of 72 national finalists before the overall winner is named. Cask and bottle winners have already been decided.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Local breweries hoping for success in the prestigious competition include Thornbridge, Abbeydale, Acorn and Bradfield. SIBA’s craft keg competition only started in 2011 when just 50 beers were put forward nationally.

Managing director Mike Benner said: “We’ve seen a huge growth in the number of independent craft brewers producing quality beer in a range of formats including the increasingly popular craft keg.”

Beer Alive, the public festival arm of the trade show, will take place in a huge pop-up beer hall overlooking Don Valley Bowl for the first time when BeerX 2017 returns to Sheffield for its fifth year.

It will feature bottle bars and eight regional bars serving SIBA gold award-winning cask and keg beers - as well as live music and all final Six Nations rugby matches on a giant screen on the Saturday.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

On the Sunday only under 18s are welcome with a responsible adults and under 14s get in free.

Street food traders and snack stalls will be on offer, and Sunday is a new brunch style event with a relaxed family atmosphere.

Organisers have teamed up with the Sheffield Telegraph to give away twenty pairs of tickets - worth £14 a pair - to readers.

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets, email [email protected] with your name, contact details, date of birth and answer to the following question:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Q: How many beers were put forward to the The Independent Beer Awards in 2011 when it began?

The closing date for entries is noon, next Thursday March 9. Johnston Press terms and conditions apply. Over 18s only. Visit www.johnstonpress.co.uk for full details.

n BeerAlive! tickrtd are on on sale at beerx.org, priced £7 , with a free glass.