The first ever Exeter Beer Weekend has been announced and will take place over the May Bank Holiday from May 3-5. It will be a celebration of the city’s growing craft beer scene with special beers and events happening in a selection of bars and brewery tap rooms, including The Pursuit of Hoppiness, Topsham Brewery Tap, the Iron Bridge, the Beer Cellar, The Oddfellows and a special pop-up bar run by Powderkeg Brewery; there will also be a brewery history walk around the city centre and various other events.
‘Exeter is fast becoming a vibrant hive of beer and brewing excitement,’ says one of the organisers, award-winning beer writer Adrian Tierney-Jones, ‘and the weekend aims to celebrate this. It is an autonomous event with pubs, bottle shops and tap rooms organising their own events under the banner of the Weekend. For instance, The Pursuit of Hoppiness has collaborated with Topsham brewery on a special beer.
‘The modern beer scene is exciting and exuberant across the country and we wanted to reflect this in Exeter — the city now has three breweries with several on the outskirts and new ones popping up all the time. There is also the excellent bottle shop in Fore Street, Hops + Crafts. There will also be beers from elsewhere in Devon including New Lion in Totnes, Stannary in Tavistock and Many Hands in Dunkerswell. There are IPAs, amber ales, milk stouts and lagers being brewed, I don’t think beer has been this exciting in Exeter since the late 19th century!’
A programme, sponsored by Exeter brewery Powderkeg, will be available in April, giving details of all the events.
‘We are starting off small,’ says Tierney-Jones, ‘but we hope to demonstrate that Exeter is fast becoming one of the most exciting places to drink and enjoy craft beer in the south west.’
For more details email atierneyjones@gmail.com