It's a home brew as festival returns to its original venue

ORGANISERS of one of Yorkshire's top beer festivals are confident of brewing up a treat after securing a venue for this year's event.

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.

The college had been considered an ideal home because of its ground-floor location, but the institution declined to commit to future events after plans to redevelop part of the site stalled.

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Now festival organisers at the Hull and East Yorkshire branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) have confirmed the three-day event will be held in the Mortimer Suite from September 9.

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

Branch chairman Alan Canvess said: "The fact the city hall is central is the biggest plus. Not being able to get the college again is a shame because it was the ground floor and very airy.

"But the Mortimer Suite has beautiful rooms and the new manager at the city hall has accommodated us, which we are very pleased about."

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About 40 members of Camra are needed to work at the festival, which offers a dazzling variety of beer, perry, lager and cider.

Mr Canvess said he was hoping to be able to offer more than last year after stocks were drained by 5pm on the third day – including 85 firkins of real ale, 26 five-gallon boxes of cider and 17 crates of Continental bottled beers, plus a total of 7,318 pints.

The festival traditionally pits some of the champion beers of Britain against the best local breweries in Hull and East Yorkshire.