Wetherspoon beer festival set to be biggest yet

 Managed pub company JD Wetherspoon (JDW) will stage its largest-ever beer

 festival next month as part of its campaign to double real-ale sales.

 The two-week festival begins on St George's Day, 23 April, and will feature 30 real ales, mainly from smaller brewers and microbreweries, including one each from Belgian brewer Anker and St Georgen Brau from Germany.

 The festival showcases 14 beers never featured before at a JDW festival and seven new beers produced in 2007.

 Beer styles vary from traditional spring ales with hoppy notes and elements of citrus, through to dark milds, golden ales and imported products.

 The festival will herald the first use of third-of-a-pint glasses by JDW. The new measure is aimed at encouraging customers to sample more drinks.

 During the celebrations, customers will also be encouraged to vote for their favourite ale via the pubco's website.

 Two weeks ago, the MA revealed that JDW boss Tim Martin had set his sights on doubling sales of real ale throughout the 650-strong estate.

 Martin said: "I think it is a market that you have to create - it's unique to pubs and I think it's a worthwhile goal.

 "We must improve in every area - but the main area is the quality of traditional ale."

 The pubco has also joined with the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) to promote membership of the consumer organisation.

 Anyone filling in a special Wetherspoon's entry form will be entitled to a free

 copy of The Big Book of Beer, which has a retail price of £14.99, when they apply to join Camra.