With there being no Winter Great British Beer Festival this year, the task of holding the final judging for CAMRA’s 2026 Champion Winter Beer of Britain has been taken on by the Liverpool Beer Festival, to be held from Thursday 19 to Saturday 21 February.
Festival visitors will be able to try around 50 examples of the very best in UK cask brewing. The beers involved are selected from recommendations by CAMRA’s Tasting Panel and votes from CAMRA members. They will have been through a regional level judging panel before arriving at this final judging.
The beers will include session and strong porters, plus stouts, brown, red and black ales, old ales, strong milds and specialities. The latter can be anything from lagers, rye beers, wheat beers, beers brewed with different yeasts (such as Kviek) to flavoured beers (think plums, coffee, ginger and honey); a cornucopia of tastes!
The Liverpool Beer Festival has been held since 1974 and for several years now in the crypt of the Metropolitan Cathedral on Brownlow Hill. It is about ten minutes’ walk from Liverpool Lime Street station. There are not many places where you can drink in a building designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, architect of the Cenotaph. It’s an easy day trip from London Euston, taking about two and a half hours. There are ciders and perries as well as beers. Entry is free for CAMRA members but it is still necessary to book a ticket for whichever of the five separate sessions you wish to attend. The tickets include £10 worth of beer tokens, plus a programme and a glass. Entry for non-members starts at £18.00. For further information and to book tickets, go to https://www.liverpoolcamra.org.uk/index.php/lbf.
Christine Cryne