Palmers, Bridport, Dorset palmersbrewery.com

200 5.0% & Dorset Gold 4.5%

Britain’s only thatched brewery with some of the machinery inside the plant dating back to the 19th century and still being used everyday. 200, brewed to celebrate 200 years of brewing, has a hoppy, fruity taste with a subtle caramel sweetness. Dorset Gold has a pleasant fruitiness and is lightly hopped.

Phoenix, Heywood, Lancashire

White Monk 4.5% & Wobbly Bob 6.0% Established as the Oak Brewery in 1982, which it still the company’s official trading name. Then a move into the premises of the former Phoenix brewery and it was decided to take on the name Phoenix. White Monk is more yellow than white. Hoppy in taste and finish. Wobbly Bob has a creamy texture, with a strong malt flavour and a battle between sweetness and bitterness.

Potbelly, Kettering, Northamptonshire potbelly-brewery.co.uk

Wicksteed Heritage Ale 4.2% & Crazy Daze 5.5%

Only beer brewing for since 2005 but this micro-brewery has already won over 25 awards for its beer include two gold awards.

Crazy daze is a light golden bitter, which hides its strength. Champion Strong Ale at SIBA National Beer Competitiion 2007 and runner up Supreme Champion at the same event.

Potton Brewery, Potton, Sandy, Bedfordshire potton-brewery.co.uk

Village Bike 4.3%

Potton had a brewery until 1922 when it was bought out by Newland & Nash. In 1998 plans were to start brewing in the original building but modern planning regulation put and end to that and a unit on a small industrial estate was used instead.

Village Bike was originally brewed for the Ashwell ‘On Yer Bike’ beer festival. It is a amber coloured, hoppy premium bitter.

Prospect, Standish, Lancashire prospectbrewery.org.uk

Silver Tally 3.7%

Set on top of Prospect Hill, which gives the brewery its name. You may recogonise the name as they appeared on the Oz and James drink to Britain series from 2009.

Do you remember the sight of Oz Clark striped down to his boxers in a fermentation vessel, whilst James May looks on?

All the breweries beers are named along mining or prospecting lines. Silver Tally is a very pale session ale with a full hop flavour.

Purple Moose, Porthmadog, Gwynedd. purplemoose.co.uk

Madog's Ale 3.7%

Situated in a former saw mill, Purple Moose has been brewing since 2005. Madog Ale, or Cwrw Madog if you want to use its Welsh name, is a well balanced, dry tasting, full bodied session bitter.

It was joint winner in the Bitters category at the SIBA West Beer Competition 2005.

Quartz, Kings Bromley, Staffordshire quartzbrewing.co.uk

Quartz Heart 4.6%

Set up in 2005 by an ex-Bass brewing engineer and an ex-Carlsberg master brewer, they also run a licensed visitor centre at the Heart of the Country Craft Centre in Staffordshire. Quartz Heart is dark amber in colour with a spicy hop finish.

RCH, West Hewish, Somerset. rchbrewery.com

Old Slug Porter 4.5% & Pitchfork 4.3%

RCH, so named as it started life in buildings behind the Royal Clarence Hotel in Burnham-on-Sea, but has since moved to a former cider mill. It is also a wholesaler who distributes nationwide, beers for small independent breweries

Old Slug Porter is a complex beer. Lots of chocolate, coffee, roast malt and dark fruit flavours vying for space in this rich beer.

Pitchfolk is almost complete opposite, being a pale coloured bitter with hints of grapefruit and a slight sweetness to it.

Rebellion, Marlow, Buckinghamshire rebellionbeer.co.uk

Mutiny 4.5%

The story of the Rebellion is one of a brewery needing to find a home. Their website has the full story. Luckily it has a happy ending. Mutiny is a full-bodied best bitter with a predominate fruit flavour.

Roosters, Knaresboro, North Yorkshire. roosters.co.uk

Outlaw 4.7%

Run by a very enthisatic brewer Roosters also have a experimental plant which brews beer under the name Outlaw. I have no information on the beer that is due to be at the Bournemouth Festival

Rudgate, Tockwith, Yorkshire rudgate-beers.co.uk

Viking 3.8%

Located on a disused World War II airfield, in an old armoury building. Viking is a malty full-bodied beer, with a fruity aftertaste.

Salopian, Shrewsbury, Shropshire salopianbrewery.co.uk

Golden Thread 5.0%

An old dairy provides the home for this brewery, founded in 1995. Golden Thread is a strong, bitter ale which as the name suggests is golden in colour.

Saltaire, Shipley, West Yorkshire saltairebrewery.co.uk

Cascade Pale Ale 4.8%

Housed in the former generating station from the long gone Shipley tram system. A visit to the bar at this brewery is recommended at it overlooks the brewing facilities..

Cascade Pale Ale is an American style pale ale with a strong bitterness.

Sarah Hughes, Sedgley, West Midlands sarahhughesbrewery.co.uk

Pale Amber 4.0%.

Opened originally in the 1860’s, the brewery was bought by Sarah Hughes in 1921 and brewed a beer which is now called Dark Ruby Mild. Brewing ceased in the 1950’s but revived by Sarah’s grandson John Hughes. Their website is only just being set up.

Skinners, Truro, Cornwall skinnersbrewery.com

Ginger Tosser 3.8% & Betty Stogs 4.0%

Founded by Steve and Sarah Skinner in 1997, they have gone on to win numerous awards for their fine beer.

Ginger Tosser has a hint of ginger in it, together with Cornish honey to produce this hoppy golden ale.

Betty Stogs is an easy drinking ale with hints of citrus, apple with a slight bitterness.

Springhead, Newark, Nottinghamshire springhead.co.uk

Liberty 3.8%

A pale coloured ale, hints of lemon with a dry fininsh.

St Austell, Cornwall staustellbrewery.co.uk

Tribute 4.2%

One of the oldest breweries represented at this festival. St Austell started breweing in 1851 and is still family owned.

Tribute is a premium ale. Medium bodied, balanced bittersweet brew.

Stewart, Edinburgh, Lothian stewartbrewing.co.uk

Pentland IPA 3.9%

Founded in 2004 by Steve Steward. Pentland IPA is a golden dry ale, with slight fruit taste and a slight bitterness

Stonehenge, Netheravon, Wiltshire stonehengeales.co.uk

Sign of Spring 4.6%

The former electricity generating mill on the River Avon is home to this brewery. Formally called Bunce’s Brewery, after its founder Tony Bunce. It was bought by Dane Stig Anker Andersen in 1994 who renamed it Stonehenge.

Sign of Spring is only brewed for four months of the year, Feb to May and is a light green in colour with a rich malt and hop aroma. Bronze award winner at the SIBA South West Region Beer Competition 2009.

Strathaven Ales, Lanarkshire strathavenales.co.uk

Old Mortality 80/- 4.2%

As with Stonehenge brewery above. Strathaven is based in an old mill on a River Avon. Only difference is that it is a different River Avon. Old Mortality has a full balanced flavour and a sweet malt finish.

Summerskills, Plymouth, Devon summerskills.co.uk

Hopscotch 4.1%

Adam Summerskill started his brewery in his vineyard in 1983. In 1985 he moved to his current location and purchased the brewing equipment from the former Penrhos Brewery, which was owned by ex-Monty Ptython Terry Jones.

Production stopped in 1988 before being bought by messers Wilson and Beeson in 1990. Since then it has gone one to win many awards.

Hopscotch has been brewed since 1999 and is a mid to light brown, malt with underlying hoppiness.

Three B's , Blackburn, Lancashire threebsbrewery.co.uk

Stoker’s Slake Mild 3.6% & Doff Cocker 4.5%

The brewery was designed and built by Robert Bell whilst still working full time at the Corus Steel Works. Brewing at that stage was just a hobby.

However, redundancy from the steel works in 2001, meant that Robert decided to commit to the brewing trade full time.

Stoker’s Slate Mild is a dark mild with malt aromas and creamy chocolate notes. Winner of a Gold Award at the Clitheroe Beer Festival 2009 and Silver at the Peterborough Beer Festival 2004. Doff Cocker is a straw coloured beer with a flowery taste.

Tirril, Penrith, Cumbria

Thomas Slee’s Academy Ale 4.2%

A lot of breweries first premises have a former life, such as ex mills, factories etc. However Tirril Slee’s building are rather different. They were a former toilet block behind the Queens Head pub. Thomas Slee’s Academy Ale is a strong hoppy red coloured ale.

Titanic, Burslem on Trent, titanicbrewery.co.uk

White Star 4.8%

Edward John Smith, the captain of the Titanic was born and bred in the Potteries. Hence the nautical name for this brewery. White Star is a zesty brew with hoppy taste and a bitter finish.

Tom Wood, Barnetby, Lincolshire tom-wood.com

Old Timber 4.5%

Started brewing from a converted Victorian granary on the family farm in 1995. Production has increased over the years. Old Timber is a well balanced bitter, chestnut brown in colour. Slightly nutty finish.

Tower, Burton on Trent

Tower Pale Ale 4.8%

Established in 2001 by ex-Burton Bridge Brewer John Mills. Their first award was from the Civic Society for the restoration of the derelict water tower than they use for the brewery.

Triple FFF, Alton, Hampshire triplefff.com

Stairway 4.6%

Founded in 1997 this brewery has increased production ten-fold to keep up with demand. Stairway is a pale brown ale with a flavour of summer fruits, well balanced bitter with a hoppy finish.

TSA, Throsk, Stirlingshire traditionalscottishales.co.uk

Glencoe Stout 4.5%

Traditional Scottish Ales was set up in 2005 with the brewery located in a former torpedo factory. Glencoe Wild Oat Stout, to give it, its full name is a sweet stout, the roast malt balanced by fruit and hops. The brewery claim is its ‘arguably better than the best Guiness.

Vale, Brill, Buckinghamshire valebrewery.co.uk

Black Beauty Porter 4.3%

Black Beauty Porter is roasted malt, very dark ale. With some sweetness in the heavy malt flavour and a hoppy dry fininsh.

Wem Brewery, Wem, Shropshire,

Cherry Bomb 6.0% & Joybringer Ginger 6.0%

In 2008, Steven Woodland bought Hanby Ales and renamed it Wem. Hanby Ales head brewer Jack Hanby remains as head brewer for the plant. This location has seen brewing for over 200 years. Cherry Bomb is a rich beer with a hint of Cherry. Joybringer Ginger is a strong beer with a ginger taste.

Westerham, Edenbridge, Kent westerhambrewery.co.uk

British Bulldog 4.3%

The Black Eagle brewery in Westerham was closed in 1965 by its owners Ind Coope. Two of their yeast strains were deposited at the National Collection of Yeast Cultures but have been revived in Westerhams brews. British Bulldog is a full-bodied best bitter, rich with fruit and malt overtones.

Wickwar Brewery, Wickwar, Glouchestershire

Station Porter 6.1%

Establish in the former Arnold Perrett Brewery in 1990, this brewery has seen great expansion over the years. Station Porter is a dark red beer. Coffee and chocolate with a bittersweet spicy feel to it.

Williams, Alloa williamsbrosbrew.com

Celildh 4.7%

Bruce and Scott Williams started brewing in 1993. Celildh is a gathering of ingredients from around the world. Hops from the Czech Republic, US and Belgium malt and German yeast produced this lager. It’s similar to European lagers e.g. Budvar.

Wold Top, Driffield, North Numberside woldtopbrewery.co.uk

Falling Stone 4.2%

Micro-brewery based at Hunmaby Grange, a family farm which grow their own barley and some of the hops used in their beer. The Chalk-filtered water comes from their own borehole. Falling Stone is named in respect to the UK’s first recorded meteorite which fell on a neighbouring farm in 1795. A malty premium best bitter

Wood, Shropshire woodbrewery.co.uk

Shropshire Lass 4.1%

Set up next to the Plough Inn, Wood have increased production over the years and inn 1991 took over the Sam Powell Brewery. Shropshire Lass is a golden zesty bitter.

Woodforde’s, Woodbastwick, Norfolk woodfordes.co.uk

Wherry 3.8%

Please allow me to indulge. If I had to pick a favourite brewery it would be Woodforde’s and a favourite beer of theirs, Wherry. Next to the brewery is their shop and pub, which I have visited on numerous occasions.

Their pub has the occasional beer that they are testing out. Last summer I spent a lovely afternoon sat in their beer garden drinking ‘brew 255’ (Each brew is given a number and only given a name when released) and it was lovely.

As are all their beers. Wherry, named after the sailing ships that used to transport goods around the broads is a well balaned beer. Malty , hoppy but with a gentle finish. I’m not alone in loving this beer.

Wherry was Supreme Champoin Beer of Britain (Bronze) 2005 and Supreme Champion Beer of Britain (Gold) in 1996 as well as numerous other awards.

Yates, Wigton, Cumbria yatesbrewery.co.uk

Sun Goddess 4.2%

Established in 1986, but bought out by ex-High Force Brewery owners Graeme and Caroline Baxter in 1998. This brewery shouldn’t be confused with Yates’ Brewery on the Isle of Wight. Sun Goddess is a lager style cast ale.

Yeovil Ales, Yeovil, Somerset yeovilales.com

Stargazer 4.0%

Established in 2006 and has increased production ever since. Star Gazer is a copper coloured bitter, rich and hoppy. Winner of the 2009 SIBA National Gold award.

York Brewery, Yorkshire york-brewery.co.uk

Guzzler 3.6%

Designed as a show brewery with a visitor’s gallery, bar and gift shop overlooking the brewing plant. They were bought out by the Mitchell’s Hotel & Inns in 2008. Guzzler is a refreshing hop and fruit golden ale.

In summary

Having looked through the whole provisional beer list, remember not all the beers will be available. There might even be some late additions to the list. But on the whole I think it is a really good selection of beer.

All the styles and strength seem to be catered for and many of the beers are award winners in one way or another. I’ve already produced a short list of the beers I want to try and I am really looking forward to the festival.

Let me know what beers you try. What you liked and what you didn’t like. Remember to drink responsibly and keep hold of your beer glasses.

They may become collector’s items in the future.