Beer & Cider Festival is taking over the Bombed Out Church this weekend

A big Beer and Cider Festival is taking over the Bombed Out Church this weekend, with up to 100 different beers, ciders and real ales to sample.

The team at the Bombed Out Church have worked with independent brewers and makers from across the UK to create a four-day event combining drinks, street food and live entertainment.

And the marquee is up, so it’ll be great whatever the weather!

There will be six sessions, starting on Thursday evening and going through to Sunday daytime, with two each day on Friday and Saturday.

Included in the ticket price is entry to the festival which will have dedicated beer and cider sections plus an alternatives bar with gins, prosecco, non-alcoholic beers and soft drinks.

Organisers have sourced up to 100 different beers from almost 40 breweries including some local ones – Liverpool Brewing Co and Top Rope Brewing, Pied Bull from Newton Le Willows, Chapter from Runcorn, Spitting Feathers who are Chester-based, and Warrington brewing companies 4T’s and Coach House.

Vocation craft brewery in Hebden Bridge is the main sponsor for the event, which is over-18s only.

Ticket holders will also get their own half pint glass to take home with them, access to a digital programme with all the tasting notes, and live music at every session except the Friday daytime which is a quiet one, where the focus is solely on enjoying the drink and chatting to friends.

For anyone feeling hungry in between drinks, street food will be available each day from vendors Dough Bros pizza and the Thai Pie Company.

To make sampling the beers and ciders simple, the festival works on a token system. A full token sheet is £16 and drinks start from £2 a half, but you can share a sheet if you don’t want them all, or top up if you want more!

Inside the church, there’ll be a covered seating area where the live music is on, and then you just headout into the gardens where the pints are pulled (also under cover) to exchange tokens for drinks.

Ticket prices vary depending on the session – evening sessions are from 6pm-10.30pm and daytime from 12-4.30pm. The Sunday daytime is the cheapest at £5 because, being the final one, the selection of beers could be slightly smaller although still be plenty to choose from.

The Beer & Cider Festival is the start of a busy spring/summer season for the Bombed Out Church. On Friday April 19 there’ll be more live music with an evening of Americana, folk and bluegrass. Liverpool-based band The Jesse Janes will be performing a live set including heartfelt originals and much-loved covers from legendary artists like Dolly Parton, Fleetwood Mac, and The Eagles. They’ll be supported by local singer-songwriter, Liam Cromby.