ALL eyes were in York as Yorkshire's biggest ever beer festival began on Knavesmire.
More than 1,000 enthusiasts from around the country gathered on Wednesday afternoon and evening for the start of the four-day York Beer and Cider Festival, the seventh to be held on Knavesmire.
The York branch of the Campaign for Real Ale, which organised the event, said it was confident the festival would be the best yet.
Nick Love, the branch’s communications officer, said: “We look forward to welcoming as many people as possible to Yorkshire's biggest and friendliest beer festival.
"There is a record number of beers this year to reflect Yorkshire's booking brewing scene - we have more than 200 beers from Yorkshire breweries alone.
"And for the next four days, we have the longest bar in Europe - at 285ft."
There were 461 British beers available, as well as more than 100 ciders, around 20 foreign beers, soft drinks and, for a small minority, selected wines from English vineyards.
After several rounds of intense judging and deliberation, the beer of the festival was declared as Raspberry Red by Bad Seed and North Riding breweries.
The champion beer
Chris Waplington, from Bad Seed, said: "It's a beer that was fun to brew and we are really glad with this result.
"We had a great day making it, and it's exactly the sort of flavours we enjoy.
Stu Neilson, from North Riding, added: "I'm absolutely thrilled to bits. I had a fantastic day with Bad Seed and it's great that we are both pushing creative innovative beers for Yorkshire."
LocAle judging before the festival. Picture: David Harrison
The Society of Independent Brewers Association (SIBA) also hosted its North East Beer competition at the event, with more than 140 breweries competing for a series of awards.
The festival continues until Saturday, from noon to 11pm each day. Admission to the public is £4 on Thursday and £5 on Friday or Saturday. Camra members can claim a £2 discount on any of those admission charges, and readers of The Press can gain half-price entry on Thursday if they present the voucher that was on page 34 of Wednesday’s printed paper.
James Tipping, left, Gillian Rackham, and Neil Kemp. on the York Brewery stand ready for the rush. Picture: David Harrison
Category winners:
Speciality beer, and overall winner: Raspberry Red by Bad Seed & North Riding
Pale & amber, under 4%: Whiter Shade of Pale by BAD Co
Pale & amber, 4.1%-4.4%: Mosaic by Brass Castle
Pale & amber, 4.5%-5%: Class 2CV by Tigertops
Pale & amber, 5.1%-5.9%: Sunshine by Brass Castle
Pale & amber, 6% and over: New World IPA by Northern Monk
Dark, up to 5%: Porter by Hop Studio
Dark, over 5%: Black Voodoo by Fernandes
Jonathan Churchill, left, James Sykes and James Henderson checking the beer. Picture: David Harrison.
A display of hops on the Brass Castle bar
Stewards prepare for the opening day crowds
Beers ready for judging
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here