MIDDLEWICH residents and those from further afield enjoyed the taste of more than 40 beers, wines and ciders as the town held its 12th annual beer festival over the weekend.

The event, held at Middlewich British Legion, took place on Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25.

John Humphreys from Middlewich Round Table, who organised the event, said it was another good turnout with more than 600 attending over the course of the three sessions.

“The bands were really good and we didn;’t pour a lot of beer away which suggests we had a number of people through the door but also that we got the beer order just about right,” he said.

“When you lift the casks down you know immediately what is left in them and there weren’t too many that were heavy.

“The Coach House Blueberry beer was popular, as was the Acorn Blonde.

“I know the raffle, which goes to the Poppy Appeal, raised around £1,100 but I’m not sure how much we’ve raised. It’s the 12th year that we’ve done it and there’s lots who come every year. A few people came up to me and said it was the first time they’ve come and they liked the beers and the music.

“It has become a real event in the town calendar.”

The Beer of the Festival was Titanic Chocolate & Vanilla Stout.

Jonathan Willams, town clerk at Middlewich Town Council, told the Guardian that with the Makers Market an the Floating Market taking place on the same weekend as the festival, there was certainly lots for residents and visitors to do.

“It was a busy weekend but we have quite a lot of busy weekends,” he said.

“It was nice that the different events came together and complemented each other. There was a good attendance at all of the events and lots of people saying they were going to all three.

“With all three happening people wanted to stay around longer. We support the Makers Market as a council manning the road closure but the Canal and River Trust ran the Floating Market and we helped them with bits of advice.

“It is nice that everyone is working together with the bigger thing of getting people in to the town. The reason we do so many events is to try and support the local businesses.”