Six of the best known and most influential beer writers in the UK took part in a virtual beer tasting in support of the First Virtual Cheltenham Craft Beer Festival, held to raise money for Cheltenham Samaritans on Saturday 6th June.
Organised by the ‘Friends of Cheltenham Samaritans’, their key fund raiser for the past fourteen years had been the annual Cheltenham Craft Beer and Cider Festival. With Coronavirus causing this year’s festival to be cancelled, the group came up with a novel Virtual Craft Beer Festival for beer drinkers local to Cheltenham and Tewkesbury.
They have asked six local breweries to provide a specific packaged beer for the festival. On the festival day, six of the most high-profile beer writers in the UK will each contribute a video tutored tasting of one of the beers. The video tastings are still online. The six beer writers were Pete Brown, Melissa Cole, Jeff Evans, Tim Hampson, Roger Protz and Adrian Tierney-Jones.
Key organiser of the Virtual Craft Beer Festival, Leigh Norwood said, “We are so grateful for the amazing support of the six local breweries who provided up to 200 cans or bottles of each beer, so that we can raise a significant sum from the event.” The beers included Arbor Ales, Cotswold Lion (with ‘Best In Show’), DEYA Brewing Co., Hillside Brewery, Left Handed Giant and Purity Brewing Co..
You Tube Link: First Virtual Cheltenham Beer Festival – YouTube Channel
To donate via the ‘Just Giving’ page please go to: Friends of The Samaritans Just Giving Page