Previous Shrewsbury Beer Festivals

2022

The 30th Shrewsbury CAMRA Beer Festival took place in September 2022 at St. Mary’s church. The festival’s main sponsor was Rad Beer. This was the first festival after a 2 year break due to the Covid pandemic.

The full list of beers, ciders and perries for the 2022 festival can be seen using the links below:

2019

The 29th Shrewsbury CAMRA Beer Festival took place in July 2019, and was held at a new venue, St. Mary’s church which was much nearer the town centre. This was the last festival to be held before the Covid pandemic.

The full list of beers for the 2019 festival can be seen using the link below:

2018

The 28th Shrewsbury CAMRA Beer Festival took place in July 2018, and was held again at the Wakeman Hall just past the English Bridge.

The list of beers for the 2018 festival can be found in the festival programme using the link below:

2017

The 27th Shrewsbury CAMRA Beer Festival took place at a new venue, the former Wakeman School by the English Bridge, as the festival had outgrown the Morris Hall.

The date of the festival was also changed to the summer to take advantage of Shrewsbury’s main tourist season. The festival’s main sponsor this year was the now closed Battlefield Brewery.

Over 100 beers were on offer this year allowing more old favourites, a wider range of ciders and a bar dedicated to dark beers. The full list of beers, ciders and perries for the 2017 festival can be seen using the link below:

2016

The 26th Shrewsbury CAMRA Beer Festival took place at the Morris Hall in Bellstone, Shrewsbury for the last time.

The main festival sponsor this year was the Six Bells Brewery in Bishops Castle (now closed). 

Over 80 beers were available, plus 10 ciders and 3 perries. The full list can be seen using the link below:

2015

The 25th Silver Anniversary Shrewsbury Beer Festival took place at the Morris Hall, Shrewsbury. The festival was brought forward this year to the friendlier time of late September.

80 beers were available, with a special selection from the North East. The full list can be found in the official programme using the link below:

Shrewsbury CAMRA Beer Festival 2015 Programme

Some pictures taken during setting up can be seen below.

2013

The 23rd Shrewsbury CAMRA Beer Festival took place in the Morris Hall on Belstone on the 7th to the 9th November 2013.

Around 70 real ales were on, plus ciders and perries. The branch’s early adoption of social media accounts is evident from the Facebook and Twitter addresses on the festival flyer.

Other Festivals

Details about other Shrewsbury beer festivals will be added here soon.

1997

The 8th Shrewsbury Real Ale Festival took place at the Music Hall in The Square on the 12th and 13th September 1997.

Over 80 real ales were provided, plus 18 ciders and perries. 

1996

The 7th Shrewsbury Real Ale Festival took place in 1996 at the Music Hall again. Around 80 real ales were provided, plus 14 ciders and perries. There was a special emphasis on beers from the West Country this year.

A full programme was not produced for the festival this year due to time being spent on developing a Shrewsbury Pub Guide instead.

1995

The 6th Shrewsbury CAMRA Beer Festival took place at the Music Hall in The Square on the 8th and 9th September 1995.

84 real ales were provided, plus 16 ciders and perries. As well as real ales, the programme also stated that “real food” was also available!

1994

 

The 5th Shrewsbury CAMRA Beer Festival took place at the Music Hall in The Square on the 9th and 10th September 1994. 78 real ales were provided, plus 14 ciders and perries.

An interesting feature in the festival programme is an advert for Hanby Ales brewery which had come out of the ashes of Wem Brewery when that closed in 1988. Hanby produced memorable ales such as Wem Special and Old Wemian Ale but unfortunately the brewery closed for good in 2010.

Shrewsbury CAMRA Real Ale Festival 1994 Programme

1993

The 4th Shrewsbury Real Ale Festival took place at the Music Hall in The Square on the 10th and 11th September 1993.

Over 60 real ales were available, plus 16 ciders and perries. Some form of live entertainment was also promised for the evening sessions.

1990

The very first CAMRA Shrewsbury Beer Festival was held in the Music Hall in the centre of Shrewsbury in September 1990. The festival flyer and a newspaper article from the time can be seen below.

Note that on the festival flyer, we were using a temporary name change for the branch – Shrewsbury and Wem, to show our solidarity with Wem members in our opposition to the Wem Brewery closing down in 1988.

Here’s a photo of branch member Pete Rae, dressed up very smartly at the first Shrewsbury Beer Festival.

Rumour has it that he was meant to be going on a romantic date but somehow found himself working at the festival instead!