Everything you need to know about the Calderdale Beer and Cider Festival ahead of the event's return next weekend

The festival is organised and run by the Halifax and Calderdale Branch of CAMRA and will serve 62 beers, 21 of which will be served from wooden casks, and 13 ciders and perries, including one pider.

In total 42 breweries will be represented including new breweries and there will be commissioned ales and beers in unusual styles.

The festival serves some of the rarest beers in the UK and there are some that customers will never get the chance to taste again if they don’t visit the festival.

The ABVs of the beers in wood range from 3.4% to 12.2% with a number of new beers on show, many of which are appearing in wood for the first time ever, others are rare or limited edition ranging from an oatmeal stout, a black IPA, two milds, two porters, an old ale, an IPA and a blonde ale and varying types of specialised ales including four stouts, four porters, two brown ales, a pale ale and a German-style beer.

All these beers have been matured in wood, some for a considerable amount of time. The ABV range for the festival as a whole is 3% -12.2%.

There are eight gluten free beers and vegan, vegetarian, unfined and fined beers are all available. There will be six bitters, four milds, 25 pale and golden ales, six stouts and porters and 21 speciality ales, 14 of which are dark. All local breweries with an AWRS license will be represented.

Ciders and perries have been sourced from local cider and perry producers and other producers from throughout the UK and all these will be ‘real’ in line with CAMRA’s policy.

There are eight traditional ciders/perries, four modern flavoured ciders and one pider ranging from dry to sweet.

All beers, ciders and perries will be sold from the outset and will sell until they run off. None will be held back.

In addition the Foras Bar will also be open throughout the event and will provide tea/coffee, soft drinks, wines, prosecco, cocktails and spirits.

Foras Bars Ltd, based in Todmorden, will also provide a wholesome range of festival food at reasonable prices including various types of burgers, pies and deli meals with accompaniments and gluten free and vegan options will be available.

Customers will also be able to purchase various snacks. In addition, the venue’s restaurant, True North, will also open during the event.

Entry prices are low. CAMRA members can enter the festival free of charge on Thursday and for £1 on Friday and Saturday and non-CAMRA members for £2 on all days. Entry is free to all after 5pm on Saturday.

The only additional entry fee is £3 to hire a glass, but glass payments are fully refundable on the return of the glass if customers don’t want to purchase it. No entry tickets are sold in advance; it is payment on the door only.

Payments on the door are in cash only to ensure there is enough change to return glass hire fees, but payment for all other things is by cash or card.

This year’s festival charity is the Noah’s Ark Centre based in Ovenden and an article on their work can be found in the free festival programme. They will run a charity stall on Thursday from 12 noon to 5pm and this may continue over to Friday if items are still left unsold.

The items sold have been acquired from breweries and will include bottles and cans of beer (to drink at home only), items of brewery clothing including t-shirts, polo shirts and hats and a range of other brewery-related items.

Customers will have the opportunity to support Noah’s Ark by donating unused beer tokens and refunded glass hire fees and there will be opportunities for customers to enlist as volunteers to support Noah’s Ark’s work for those who are interested.

On Friday and Saturday customers are given the opportunity to attend the festival’s talks and tastings if they wish. These are free by booking a ticket in advance through the Halifax and Calderdale CAMRA website or by obtaining a ticket on the day at the beer tokens stand, if still available.

These include:

Friday 1pm: Changes in Running a Pub in the Last 35 Years, Good and Bad, with Chris Swift.

Friday 2.30pm: Tutored Beer Tasting with Richard Lee

Saturday 1pm: Two-Pour or Not Two-Pour - The Strange World of Beer Marketing with Kirsty Walker

Saturday 2.30pm: Tutored Cider and Perry Tasting with Ian Priddey

Additional details, including the festival beer, cider and perry list, can be found at www.hxcalderdalecamra.org.uk.