This year's St Albans Beer & Cider Festival has something for all tastes. With an array of showcase bars, you'll get to sample the extended ranges of our featured brewers as well as chat to the people behind the beer. In addition to these, our traditional festival bars - arranged in a brand new layout for this year - will feature specially-curated selections of beers and ciders from across the UK and the world.
We'll be publishing a full beer and cider list ahead of the Festival, including a function to create your own personalised list - so watch this space for that, coming soon.
Beer bars
Main/Stage Bar – Offering the Festival's largest and most diverse selection of cask ales, our Main Bar is moving to a new location for 2023. Situated on the stage for the first time in our 26-year history, this bar features a range of beer styles, from breweries all over the UK. Not sure what you're looking for? Head straight here and our enthusiastic volunteer bar-tenders will help you find something to suit your palate!
Hertfordshire Bar – Also moving to a new location, taking pride of place in the main auditorium, is our Hertfordshire Bar. Here you'll find a fantastic selection of locally-produced beers, featuring many brewers based in our home county. Sponsored by Hoddesdon's New River Brewery, the bar will also be showcasing an extended range of their celebrated and award-winning "beer from the riverbank".
International Beer Bar – Downstairs in the basement is our dedicated mecca for international beer fans! We'll be offering up to 70 bottled beers from around the globe, plus no- and low-alcohol options. Additional seating is also available on this level, so settle in, browse the menu, chat to our expert staff, and enjoy some delights from overseas!
Brewery bars
Crossover Blendery - Interested in trying something a little different? North Hertfordshire's Crossover Blendery are joining us for the first time, specialising in beers spontaneously fermented using only wild yeast. So expect a range of complex, intriguing and above all, delicious beers to sample!
Mad Squirrel Brewery – Located upstairs in their own dedicated area, here the focus is on delicious, cold and refreshing key-keg beer, but there'll be traditional cask ale offerings too. Mad Squirrel really do offer something for every beer lover, so if you're not acquainted with the crazy rodent from the Chilterns, now's the time. This area also features additional seating and an outdoor terrace / smoking area.
Ossett Brewery – Ey up! Yorkshire-favourites Ossett Brewery are back by popular demand for a second year, hosting their own bar in the main auditorium. A progressive and passionate independent brewery located near Leeds, they'll be showcasing the best of their highly regarded beers - as well as some very special collaboration brews in celebration of their 25th anniversary. Not to be missed!
Tring Brewery – For the first time in the main hall, longstanding festival supporters and 2023 pint glass sponsors Tring Brewery will be hosting their own bar exclusively featuring Tring products. Expect to find many exciting brews that you won't have seen in local pubs, but all featuring that wonderful flavour profile you've come to expect from Tring beers.
Vale Brewery – Also in the main hall, Buckinghamshire's Vale Brewery will be offering a wide range of their cask beers. The mineral content of the water at Vale's rural location gives their beers a beautifully balanced, clean, and crisp taste. They're based in a place called Brill, and we think their beers are... yes, brill (sorry).
Brewery sponsors
We'll also be offering extended ranges of beers from our other brewery sponsors on our Festival bars:
McMullen's - Hertford’s Brewery has been run by the McMullen family since Peter McMullen established it in 1827. Today, the "Whole Hop Brewery" remains in the town centre and has been designed to ensure consistent ales meeting stringent high standards that delight their pub regulars and reassure cask ale connoisseurs. Mac's are sponsoring our token cards this year and you can find beers from their "authentic heritage" range on the Hertfordshire Bar.
New River Brewery – Established in 2015 on the banks of the New River in Hoddesdon, New River are sponsoring our Hertfordshire Bar, where you'll find a wide selection of their delicious beers. Famed for their brewing skills, meticulous processes and fabulous recipes, New River have gained a strong reputation for brewing the kind of beers people love to drink, and as a go to brewery for reliable, honest, great tasting cask ales.
Oakham Ales - Oakham were amongst the very first UK brewers to pioneer the use of hops from the USA and the New World in this country back in the early '90s. Fast forward to today and they are well known and loved by hop-lovers nationwide, living up to their slogan as "craft brew legends". It's Oakham's exuberant styles that make their award-winning beers so distinctive and you can find a selection of them on the Stage Bar.
Rivertown - Part of the McMullen's business, Rivertown was launched in 2017 to produce more experimental craft beers of a very different style to the classic, traditional flavours of its parent brewery. With a more hop-forward profile and brewed to be vegan friendly, Rivertown's modern beers can be found on the Hertfordshire Bar.
Woodforde's - Woodforde's story began in the 1960’s during the new-wave revolution of home brewers creating authentic flavours and crafting their own beers. From those humble beginnings the commercial brewery was established in Norfolk in 1981, and has always stayed true to its values by using the best locally grown malt, carefully selected fresh whole hop flowers and water from its ancient aquifer. We're delighted to welcome Woodforde's as new sponsors of our half-pint tankard glasses, and you'll be able to find their beers on the Stage Bar.
Cider bars
Cider & Perry Bar – In response to customer feedback, this year we're making our cider and perry bar bigger than ever, and promoting it to a more prominent location in the main hall. As always, dozens of products will be on offer, sourced from all over the UK but featuring a strong presence from local producers.
Gluten free, vegan
Gluten-free and vegan beers will be clearly labelled at the bars and more detailed allergen information available on request. All cider and perry is gluten free and vegan-friendly.
