The 2017 Southampton Beer Festival is less than a week away, and while this year sees an exciting change of venue to St Mary’s Stadium, one thing is constant – a fantastic selection of up to 93 real ales and 26 ciders.

Breweries from Southampton’s thriving craft brewing scene feature prominently, including beers from Unity Brewing Co., Dancing Man, Brewhouse & Kitchen, London Road Brewhouse, and the recently opened Tap It Brewing Co. Other local favourites include Vibrant Forest, Flowerpots, Red Cat, Fallen Acorn, Alfred’s Brewery, while Irving, Southsea Brew Co. and Staggeringly Good represent Portsmouth.

Hop Back Brewery have even chosen to launch a new beer at the festival. The name is under wraps for now, but the ‘copper-coloured brew made with the finest English hops’ sounds like it’s going to be an excellent addition to the brewery’s already impressive range.

Collaboration brewing – where two breweries work together to create a new beer – is becoming increasingly popular, and are a creative outlet for brewers who might want to try something a little outside the normal. As drinkers, we reap the rewards – and the festival has several of these unique, limited-time-only brews at the festival.

Southampton’s Unity Brewing Co. have two collaboration entries, one brewed at Broken Bridge Brewery, and the other at their premises with 40ft Brewery. Also from Southampton, Dancing Man have worked with 8 Arch from Wimborne, while Wild Weather Ales brewed with Elusive Brewing. Finally, Gosport’s Fallen Acorn teamed up with the Butcher’s Brew Club, a homebrewing club based in Southampton.

Members of the Butcher’s Brew Club will be manning a stand during the festival, and are able to answer your questions about all things homebrew. Local broadcaster Chesil Radio will also be hosting a live linkup with the festival during the Friday sessions.

Read more at source Eastleigh News