Doncaster Dome gears up for CAMRA's 27th Beer Festival

This week sees the return of Doncaster CAMRA's annual beer festival to The Dome after a 12-year absence. '¨

This week sees the return of Doncaster CAMRA’s annual beer festival to The Dome after a 12-year absence. 
The event, which was last held at The Dome in 2006, opens on Thursday June 7 and will continue until Saturday evening.

Doncaster CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) has held beer festivals in several venues across the area since the first one at Bentley Pavilion in 1991.

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During that time, it has become a major public occasion in Doncaster, usually attracting around 2,000 visitors over its three days.

This festival, the 27th, promises to be the branch’s biggest in years.

Visitors will have the opportunity to sample beers from a range of 86 cask ales from local and national breweries.

Generally, there will be two beers per brewery.

In addition, there will be 22 real ciders and perries and 40 foreign bottled beers on offer.

All our local breweries will be represented.

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Aire Heads Brewery has produced a special ale for the event called Smoke On The Wat-Aire which was brewed by a team including CAMRA members and Dome staff.

The festival will even feature a “new” old favourite. Stocks’ Old Horizontal, which was last brewed in the 1990s, will be making a return thanks to Julian Clark, who recently took over and re-launched the Hallcross pub on Hallgate.

Julian has called on the services of Welbeck Abbey Brewery who took the original recipe and produced a new version of a beer which is fondly remembered by local real ale enthusiasts.

But it won’t all just be about beer and cider.

Thanks to connections with The Dome, the festival will also include live entertainment by two well-known local bands.

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On Friday night, starting at 8pm, The Groomlake Fugitives will be playing for festival-goers.

Then on Saturday evening at 7pm it’s the turn of The Smoking Beagles to provide the entertainment.

In addition, some local acts will be playing on Saturday afternoon. Food will also be available, courtesy of The Dome.

The partnership with The Dome, has been very productive and CAMRA, particularly our branch chairman Ian Jones, has worked closely with them.

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As well as being our headline sponsors, they’ve been supportive with everything we’ve done to ensure this festival is a real success and helps to put Doncaster firmly on the Real Ale map.

The festival opens on Thursday at 5pm until 11pm. On Friday and Saturday it will be open from 11am until 11pm.

Admission to all sessions will be free for CAMRA members and £2 or £3 (Friday after 6pm only) for non-members. It all promises to be a great occasion. 
Visit Doncaster Beer Festival for more information.

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