FARNHAM Beerex is back and looking forward to welcoming back visitors from Thursday, April 7, through to Saturday, April 9, at the Farnham Maltings to enjoy its usual great range of over 60 real ales, 20 ciders, great entertainment and food and of course the opportunity to meet friends old and new.

The Beerex team had hoped in 2020 that apart from being a great event it would raise enough charitable funds to take it past having raised £1m since its first event 44 years earlier, every penny of which has been spent by Farnham Lions Club supporting local good causes. Sadly, we all know what happened next!

A big change this year is the introduction of a Friday afternoon session from 11am to 3pm to offer another opportunity to those not able to purchase tickets for other sessions or wanting something different.

The capacity for all sessions has been reduced, extra seating space will be available in the upstairs rooms and there will be more standing space in the Courtyard and a number of other Covid-related measures have been introduced.

More details can be found at www.farnhambeerex.org.uk by downloading the Q&A document.

The Friday afternoon session with a capacity of just 750 will be a little more relaxed and a great new opportunity for groups to get together that might not normally be able to do so whether they be family, friends, colleagues or employees.

If there is a group or employer that would like to come and maybe do something  special then they can email [email protected] to share their ideas.

Ian Johnson, chairman of the Surrey and Hants Branch of CAMRA, has led the choice of beers which include a number of local breweries and many from further afield with Yorkshire beers being the themed bar for this year.

The Maltings team will be introducing a new Beerex menu which includes 6oz burgers supplied by the highly regarded Turners of Aldershot, Hair of the Hog premium sausages, a range of pies, meat baguettes, a gourmet vegan burger, vegan baguettes and at different sessions there will also be chilli, curries and fries.

Other new feature this year is the introduction of Token Cards to replace the often abused token strips and which will be sponsored by Michael Conoley Associates. The preferred method of payment for tokens and food will be contactless. Cash can also be used.

Tickets are available for Friday afternoon only, 11am to 3pm. Aged 18-plus only. Tickets are £12 each and include a complimentary glass and programme. See www.farnhambeerex.org.uk

  • A few tickets are still available for the new Friday afternoon session – priced at £12 each. But for those holding out for an evening session with a group of pals, the Herald and Petersfield Post have also been given four sought-after Friday evening tickets to give away to one lucky reader. See the coupon in this week’s paper to stand a chance of winning...