BEER FESTIVAL
DRINK IT IN
Cambridge Beer Festival is finally back for another boozy extravaganza this year – Miriam Balanescu catches up with festival organiser Anthony Mobbs A Storm
A s one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the city’s calendar, many were gutted when Cambridge Beer Festival was forced to cancel last year. In its well-known and much-loved form, it has been on hiatus for three years, after the pandemic slammed the brakes on the events and hospitality industry as a whole. A dedicated team have been toiling away to keep the festival ticking along nonetheless, with online sessions held by local breweries and cider makers in the fateful year of 2020, and a virtual festival – merging online and in-pub beer tastings – going down a storm in 2021. “We are all volunteers keeping the beer festival alive,” says organiser Anthony Mobbs. This year’s event has been in the works since August. “It will be the same
beer festival with a ‘we’re back!’ theme,” explains Anthony. “We are trying out a few new things, such as advance ticket sales.” Unfurling on Jesus Green, 22 to 27 May, expect the beloved knees-up to be back to its former glory – it’s a given that drinks will be flowing. “We want the festival to seem familiar, friendly and back to normal,” insists Anthony. “We will have a few extra hand wash stations around, but it is the festival everyone knows and loves.” Boasting roughly 200 beers from around 100 breweries, it’s your opportunity to sample beverages from far and wide – with many flavours. “Our beer selection team focuses on getting a great range of local beers, while covering the best the British Isles has to offer,” he explains. “Smaller brewers often do not know which beers they will be making more than
Unfurling on Jesus Green, 22 to 27 May, expect the beloved knees-up to be back to its former glory
52 MAY 2023 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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