Stonegate and Young's announce autumn beer festival plans

Stonegate is running its second beer festival, following on from a successful one earlier in the year, while Young’s is has launched its first Festival of Beer.

The Stonegate event will run across three of its brands, Great Traditional Pubs, Locals and Classic Inns, and comprises 130 outlets in total – up from 120 in the spring.

Pubs taking part will stock a minimum of 20 beers for the period of the festival, which will include national beer brands such as Marston’s Pedigree as well as regional brands such as Elgood’s Black Dog or St Austell’s Proper Job.

In a bid to help pubs stock local brews Stonegate has also signed deals with 35 microbreweries across the country, said head of purchasing Miles Selby.

The Young’s festival is taking place across all its of its pubs in London, each offering up to 40 beers including a Young’s ale brewed especially for the event, Young’s Sundown Festival Ale.

In selected outlets beer and food tastings in partnership with Meantime Brewery will be taking place and customers will also get the chance to win a free night out in a Young’s pub of their choice.

Last week, JD Wetherspoon announced details of its winter beer festival, which included 10 overseas brews for the first time, while the Cask Ale Report revealed that cask ale volumes have gone up for the first time in 20 years.