39th Colchester Real Ale and Cider Festival
Back for its 39th edition, our very own Colchester Real Ale and Cider Festival.
Keep up with all things Colchester, Beer & Festival at colchesterbeerfestivals.co.uk
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Colchester Arts Centre, Church Street, Colchester CO1 1NF |
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Wed 27 May 2026 until Sat 30 May 2026 |
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This festival is organised by the Campaign for Real Ale |
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https://colchestercamra.org.uk/festivals/39th-colchester-real-ale-and-cider-festival |
Information is provided to the best of our knowledge, but please check with the festival organiser before attending as the details here may be inaccurate.
Map
GeoLookup of location provided by OpenStreetMapBeer List
This beer list is tentative, please check at the festival for available beers as changes can occur before and during the festival.
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Daily Bread GF
A take on a classic English bitter: copper coloured, well balanced, malty flavours and a smooth bitter finish, using British grown Fuggles hops
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Sunforge V
Bright, tart raspberries meet a crisp farmhouse saison in this refreshing, fruit-forward ale
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Basque Cheesecake
Imperial stout with heaps of chocolate malt and a burnt caramel flavour
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Affogato
Brewed with a coffee roastery - full off coffee, vanilla, and creamy as heck
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Bitter V GF
Crystal malts take the lead and create a classic base, whilst Ernest hops play second fiddle with apricot, citrus and spice notes
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Pink Pale
Session pale ale showcasing the new American hop Pink. Expect grape and citrus flavours leading to a dry finish
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Heatwave
A relaxing, refreshing pint with notes of lemongrass, mango, and passionfruit, launched to combat the heat with "sun-blushed" flavours
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Big Brown Bear
Brewed to celebrate 20 years of Brentwood beer; this was their 2nd ever recipe!
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Here Comes the Sun
A light golden ale with grapefruit, ripe passionfruit and orange peel tones
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Single Hop Jarrylo
An ever-changing beer brewed with a single hop variety selected from around the world. Always the same base recipe, this one’s purely to let the hops shine! We work closely with our hop suppliers, Charles Faram, and like to use their trial hops which are produced in small numbers. This is the Jarrylo edition with juicy pear, ripe banana, and a hit of gentle spice.
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The Knights Ale
A dark red, malty premium best bitter with earthy hops and a smooth, lingering malty finish.
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Kentish Best
A classic Kentish Best Bitter. Amber best bitter with well-balanced hoppiness and honey malts.
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The Wife of Bath
An American style crisp, spicy golden bitter with grapefruit and citrus hops and a long dry finish.
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Preservation
Well-rounded with some residual sweetness and balanced with resinous hop character
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Pogonophobia
Floral flavours from Centennial hops form the backbone of the beer with further complexity from Cascade, Chinook and Summit
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Jack Spitty
Golden easy drinking summer ale. Full of hop flavour with delicate bitterness and light aroma
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Metropolis
A superb golden session beer, with enormous depth of flavour and a long floral, spicy finish from U.S. Cascade hops
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Jack O' The Green
Lovely floral hop aroma from the Czech noble hop Saaz. English malted oats and barley provide a smooth mouthfeel
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Oatmeal Mild
Easy drinking dark mild. Smooth mouthfeel from the oatmeal and full of flavour
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More Than 600
Brewed in collaboration with The RAF’s 600 Squadron to celebrate their 100th anniversary
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Chemtrail Conspiracy
This red IPA uses a blend of Crystal and Carafa special malts to give a deep red colour and a rich malty backbone with lashings of Centinnial, Chinook and Citra
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Goldhanger V
Hopped with Challenger and East Kent Goldings for a spicy, floral finish
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The Eagle’s Jester
Well balanced, fruity hop flavours from Jester hops with balanced malts leading to a refreshing, modern style ale
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The Eagle’s Talon
An Old English Bitter made with Marris Otter and and some Crystal Malt to create a luscious malty mouthfeel
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The Black Eagle
Made with 5 different grains – Marris Otter , Flaked Oats , Roast Barley , Chocolate Malt , Flaked Barley. Big chocolatey smooth oaty flavours and very moreish
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The Eagle of Darkness
A deep ruby porter with chocolate and coffee flavours and a balanced bitter finish
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Cockleboats GF
Deep copper-coloured, brewed using five malts, including some German malts. Two American hop varieties make this a palate-filling session ale
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Amber
Traditional amber coloured bitter, with a dry floral hop bitterness from East Kent Goldings, Fuggles and Willamette hops and a sweet finish
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Oligo Nunk V GF
Gentle hints of dark berries, balanced by subtle notes of citrus and apricot
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Vectis Venom
Easy drinking because of its deceptive character and darkness of colour, with an underlying smoothness that enables it to penetrate and deliver its potion in the most satisfying of ways, malt and hops personified...
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Tennyson
Using a harmonious blend of Simcoe and Cascade hops to create a beautiful traditional IPA.
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Earls RDA
A rich, dark ale (R.D.A). Made with crystal and chocolate malts along with roasted barley. An ale that tastes superb and is extremely moreish with a glorious cappuccino aftertaste. Named after 'Earl' the sunflower emblem of the Earl Mountbatten Hospice. 10p for every pint sold will be donated to the Hospice by the Island Brewery.
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Bloom
A well-balanced, crisp, floral spring ale with a delightfully silky mouthfeel and pale straw hue
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Falcon GF
Balanced with charming complex flavours that are lightly spiced. The finish is fruity and bitter
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Yarmouth Strong
Overflowing with heritage, this rich bitter has been brewed with malt from the 1800s. Notes of berries and figs enhance its complexity
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Unsinkable Sam
Rich maple and biscuity maltiness with a crisp, bitter finish and orangey/marmalade aroma from the UK-grown hops
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Mole Trap
A well-balanced session beer. Crisp hoppy bitterness with a late malty flavour coming through
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Suffolk Pride
Full-bodied, strong bitter. Light in colour with a powerful bouquet of hops, developed fruit and a dry finish
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Oyster
Three dozen freshly shucked oysters are added to this ale to create a rich flavour
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Yo Boy
A session bitter with Cara malt for a smooth flavour and cascade hops for bitterness
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Venture
This light amber session ale is built on a foundation of pure water sourced from the brewery's own 100ft well, which provides a crisp, clean canvas for a trio of American hops to shine
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Old Growler
Expect indulgent layers of dark chocolate, treacle, and liquorice, all carried by a smooth, creamy texture
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White Stout
Looks can be deceiving. White Stout is pale in colour but rich in flavour — a smooth, velvety ale brewed with real vanilla pods and cocoa nibs
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Mary's Ruby Mild
A deep ruby mild, the aroma is full to the brim with chocolate, smoke and malty notes with just a hint of hop
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Chadwell V
Light copper coloured ale - full rounded flavours with German speciality malts
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Gunner's Daughter
An extra special bitter, Gunner's daughter is dark and dangerous with chocolate notes
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Saison d'Etre V
A modern English take on the old Belgian saison style. A lightly spiced aroma emanates from esters produced by the warm-fermenting yeast
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Hop on a Punt V
Bursting with fresh hop flavours and with a light body, this pale summer ale is designed to be a thirst quencher
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Old Riverport V
This traditional stout is silky smooth and ouses flavour, with rich cocoa, coffee and caramel notes in abundance
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Karmaraderie V
Brewed for the International Women's Collaboration Brew Day (IWCBD). A complex fruity pale, with tropical flavours from Karma, Cascade, Galaxy, Mosaic and Harlequin hops
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Gold Star
Traditional English blonde ale, crisp and bright with an exceptionally balanced character
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Red Star
This red amber ale pays homage to brewing heritage and is inspired by the iconic 1961 Foden dray
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Irish Cream Dark V
Dark and decadent with notes of chocolate, coffee and vanilla. Malty smooth, delicately hopped with cascade and finished off with the sweetness of Irish cream
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Texas Jack
This moreish beer has a subtle malty bitterness, hints of sticky plum with a refreshing crisp finish
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Polly on the Shore V
Seasonal pale ale brewed for International women's day by Fiona and Alli Barnes
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Black Wolf V
A light brown hoppy traditional beer with a German twist and hints of sweet blackcurrant aromas
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Poacher on the Broads V
Blonde ale with citrusy hops and a fruit aroma. Gives an intense burst of Elderflower which makes it very refreshing
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Silver Fox V
A golden straw ale with citrus notes, a lemon twist and a refreshing zesty flavour
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Brewery Map
Map tiles are unavailable offline, but the beer list and festival details still work.
Initial data sourced from aletalk.co.uk
This website is not endorsed by the festival organisers, it's just something I put together which I thought might be useful. Bear in mind that the information provided here may be inaccurate.
