Biggest ale and cider festival in return to 'spiritual home'

The Hull Real Ale and Cider Festival is returning to the Mortimer Suite at Hull City Hall after two years at Hull College's Horncastle Building.

Organisers of the Hull Real Ale and Cider Festival have selected 80 real ales, with half on handpumps, 27 ciders and perries, and 20 Belgian and German bottled beers for three-day event starting on September 9.

For six years, the festival had been held at the City Hall, but a clash in bookings meant it was cancelled in 2007 for the first time in its history.

The event traditionally pits some of the UK's champion beers against the best efforts of local breweries in Hull and East Yorkshire.

Alan Canvess, chairman of the Hull and East Yorkshire branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), said: "We are delighted to be back at our modern-day spiritual home.

"It's a lovely building and the new City Hall manager has been absolutely fair and helpful."

The most popular night of the event is ticket-only, with a 500-person limit, which should also help stop the beer from running out too early.

Organisers have also increased the amount of real ale to 92 firkins.

This year, real ales start at 2.40 a pint – up 20p since last year as venue and taxation costs have increased.

Mr Canvess said: "We do our best to keep the prices down.

"We always see the festival as a promotion of beer, not a profit-making exercise, but at the same time the profits go to headquarters for the running of Camra."