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Dri!ki!" i! t+e +istory o& Derby o! a Real Ale ,reak
The city which boasts the UKs one-and-only Beer King will host its Summer Beer Festival from
July 9
th
to !
th
"
#oet-turned-Beer King $es Baynton can tell you %ust about everything you need to &now about real
ale in 'erby - from how many brews it is now (ossible to sam(le on any visit to the city )9*+,
through to the name of -adonna.s favoured (int )/$andlord/+"
The only Beer King in Britain, $es will himself be mar&ing his tenth year on the crown during this
years Beer Festival, and will be using the occasion to launch both a Beer King Beer, and a boo& of
0oyal 1erse"
2The 3uestion most often as&ed,4 he says, 25s 67hat does a Beer King do8 9e must obviously
develo( a &een (alate for real-ale and be able to address halls full of drin&ers" The 'erby Beer
King also has a duty to (romote 'erby as 6The :a(ital ;f 0eal-<le and according to beer writer
0oger #rot= - 6The (erfect (lace for a (ub crawl"4
There is, he adds, an entirely new generation of drin&ers who are e>(ressing an interest in real ale"
<nd around ?,??? of them are about to converge on 'erby from July 9
th
, to !
th
, for one of the
biggest :<-0< Beer Festivals of the year"
/The latest <B: figures @ that.s <nnual Beer :ensus @ showed that 'erby has 9* different beers
on offer,/ he begins" /So, head-for-head, that ma&es 'erby the Beer :a(ital of the -idlands/"
$es will be holding court in the -ar&et #lace, in 'erby, inside a mar3uee that will be showcasing a
selection of the best real ales from 'erbys very own micro-breweries and from around the UK"
<lso on offer will be a full range of ciders, (erries and meadsA a variety of continental beersA and a
lively line-u( of live music"
<nyone tem(ted by the (ros(ect might also be interested in the way in which 1isit'erby has
teamed-u( with some of its city centre hotels to offer accommodation from as little as BCD"*? (er
(erson, (er night, including fast-trac& admission to the Festival" For a full list of (artici(ating
hotels, visit www"visitderby"co"u&Esummerbeerfestivalhoteloffers"
<ccording to the :am(aign for 0eal <le, British (ubs - some of them hundreds of years old - are
currently closing at the rate of around F (er wee&" 'erby, however, a((ears to be at the forefront
of a real ale revival"
The real ale heritage of 'erby can be found in some of the most historic (ro(erties in the city"
'ubbed one of the Beer :a(itals of Britain, 'erby is able to boast the largest number of real ales
(er head of (o(ulation, more than C? real ale (ubs, several micro-breweries, and two annual
:<-0< Beer Festivals @ not to mention Britain.s first and only /Beer King4" Gven Lonely Planet
maga=ine was moved, not so long ago, to describe the city as the /Best (lace to drin& real ale in
the world/"
For full details of the !H
th
annual 'erby Beer Festival, visit htt(IEEwww"derbycamra"org"u&Esummer-
beer-festivalE" <ll other tourist information about 'erby can be found at htt(IEEwww"visitderby"co"u&
[Ends]
'or &urt+er i!&ormatio!, -lease co!tact:
-ichelle Booth -ichelle"BoothJderby"gov"u& Tele(honeI ?!!C-DK!KK
-aggie Tillson -aggie"TillsonJderby"gov"u& Tele(honeI ?!!C-DK!KK