Sample The Ales At Wandsworth Beer Festival

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Halloween event promises some drink surprises

Around 90 beers will be on tap for sampling at the forthcoming Wandsworth Halloween Beer Festival, housed in the historic Le Gothique building.

The event, which takes place from Thursday October 27- Saturday October 29, is the second festival hosted this year by Le Gothique.

It will showcase the entire output of several "featured" breweries - including glass sponsor Sambrooks from nearby Battersea, Thornbridge from Derbyshire and Dark Star from Sussex.

The Sarah Hughes brewery also will be providing all their beers, including Snowflake, an 8% ultra-rare barley wine normally only sold at Christmas at the Beacon Hotel in Dudley, but in London for first time ever in October

Shepherd Neame will be providing a one-off beer brewed especially for this Halloween season called Spooky at 4.7%.

And to round your evening off, Artbrew and Arbor have collaborated to produce Double Trouble (12.0%), which will be sold at near cost in order to be brought to the festival.

There will also be 20 ciders available as well as a full wine list. There will be live entertainment on the Friday and Saturday evenings.

The building itself - the Grade II-listed Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, off Windmill Road - provides a splendid setting and drinkers can reflect on its history, which includes its uses as an orphanage and a hospital. It's most famed for housing 20,000 refugees during the World War II, with Rudolph Hess being held in the cellars for several days.  

Wandsworth Beer Festival costs £4 to enter (£2 for CAMRA members) and runs each day from 1pm to 11pm.

• On Saturday at 4pm there will be a special tutored beer tasting with Melissa Cole (Author: Let Me Tell You About Beer and beer blogger at Taking the Beard Out of Beer) where you can sample five beers plus a book signing... Tickets for that are £10 on the door, first come first served basis, spaces limited.

October 17, 2011