Pub of the Year Presentation 2023

ByRob Coldwell

Jun 29, 2023

Cheltenham Branch Chair Rob Coldwell presented Ben, manager of Sandford Park Alehouse, with the 2023 branch Pub of the Year award on Wednesday 28th June.

Congratulations once again to Ben and all at the Sandford Park Alehouse who now go forward to the South West regional competition.

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Event Details

The 2026 Exeter Festival of Beer at the Exeter Corn Exchange is taking place from Thursday 15 January until Saturday 17 January. Organised by the Exeter and East Devon branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), it will run from 1600 to 2200 on Thursday and 1100 until 2200 on the Friday and Saturday.

The festival, which has been held in Exeter for 36 years, moved to its current venue, the Exeter Corn Exchange, in 2023 and is a celebration of real ales and real ciders. It is situated close to the main city centre and is a superb venue for this type of festival and provides an excellent opportunity to sample a diverse range of approximately 70 beers from British breweries far and wide and ten ciders/perry over the three days. The beer festival was such a great success last year that the amount of casks of beer has been increased.

In addition, there will be three tutored tasting sessions, two for beer and one for cider: “Understanding the difference between bitter beers and pale ales: Past present and future” and “Beer instead of Heineken – an illustrated history of the Dutch brewery revolution” both presented by Devon-based beer writer Tim Webb, co-author of The World Atlas of Beer. “Meet the Cider Makers”, will be presented by Barny Butterfield of Sandford Orchards and Claire Daniels of Rull Orchard. Entry to these sessions are by ticket only which is available on the website. An additional charge applies to each session.

For cider lovers there is the opportunity to sample a number of quality West Country ciders which are not usually found in local establishments. A full list of the beers and ciders will be available on the Exeter and East Devon CAMRA website nearer the event. Alternatively, you can pick up a copy with your festival glass on the door.

In addition, hot and cold food together with wine and spirits will also be available from the Corn Exchange bar.

Entry is ‘on the door’ but a number of advance tickets are also available to purchase on www.exeter.camra.org.uk.

For more information see www.exeter.camra.org.uk, email efob@exeter.camra.org.uk or phone Ray Dwan on 07800 920901.

FAQs

Don’t you just love those FAQs?! They never seem to answer the question you want answering so if I have overlooked anything, please email me and I’ll have a bash at answering it (if I’m not in a pub!) or you may send an email to efob@exeter.camra.org.uk.

How easy is it to get to the festival? The Corn Exchange is situated centrally in Exeter. FROM EXETER CENTRAL TRAIN STATION: It takes approximately 10 minutes to walk there from Exeter Central train station (but probably longer on the way back, depending on how much of our lovely beer you have had to drink!) and is fairly flat – come out of the main entrance into Queen Street and turn left, when you reach Marks and Spencer turn right into High Street, go past the Chevalier (Wetherspoon) on your left, ignore the back alley on the left and turn left into Market Street (around the side of Hospicare charity shop). FROM EXETER BUS STATION: This takes approximately 15 minutes to walk to the festival – you will see the British Heart Foundation charity shop, go around this into Sidwell Street and turn left, walk down towards John Lewis (on your right) then Next (the shop as opposed to another John Lewis!) on your left into High Street, carry straight on past Boots on your right then Marks and Spencer on your right, go past the Chevalier on your left, ignore the back alley on the left and turn left into Market Street (around the side of Hospicare charity shop). Alternatively there are buses opposite John Lewis which stop outside the Chevalier. FROM EXETER ST DAVIDS STATION: This is the main train station in Exeter and you could walk from there but it will take you about 20-25 minutes and there is a lot of uphill (but it’s mainly downhill on the way back – isn’t it always after a beer festival?!). There are buses that could take you up to Sidwell Street from Exeter St Davids which will drop you just past John Lewis (see instructions above). https://www.exetercornexchange.co.uk/about-us/finding-us/
What about accommodation in Exeter? There are plenty of hotels in Exeter and there is a Premier Inn just opposite Exeter St Davids Railway Station. Another alternative could be Exmouth – the trains from there come directly into Exeter Central Railway Station (which is closer to the festival than Exeter St Davids).
Do I need to buy a ticket in advance? Tickets will be available on the door but I would recommend you buy your tickets in advance to avoid disappointment.
Is entry free for CAMRA members? Yes but you will need to buy a glass and programme for

£10 which includes £6 in tokens. Beer contains nutrients. Some people consider beer is a suitable lunch. There’s no such thing as a free lunch!

What should I ask Santa Claus to bring me for Christmas? I would recommend a ticket to EFOB (Exeter Festival of Beer?)!

… and finally:

HOW TO DO EFOB:

Your first step is to arrive at EFOB (Exeter Festival of Beer) on 15th, 16th and/or 17th January 2026 and purchase your entrance ticket (if you haven’t already done so online).
Buy some beer tokens, then peruse the excellent beer and cider list and make your initial choice (out of approximately 70 beers and nine ciders/perry). Our friendly volunteers are on hand to help if required.
Whilst enjoying your first beer, have a look at the ales/ciders on the beer list and make your next selection.
Continue sipping and selecting your next beer/cider and repeat the process until you have a warm glow, having spent a wonderful few hours drinking marvellous beers in superb company (excellent), are feeling you have enjoyed your day (very good) but drunk a little more than you intended (not quite so good), have fallen over (bad) or the room is spinning and you cannot work out which is the floor and which is the ceiling (very bad) – hint the floor is probably that thing you are lying on.

You then leave EFOB, making a mental note to ensure you attend next year’s festival, take the bus/train/Starship Enterprise home and wake up in the Outer Hebrides (extremely bad – unless, of course you actually live there – in which case, ten out of ten for effort!).

Time

January 15, 2026 4:00 pm - january 17, 2026 10:00 pm(GMT+00:00)

Location

Exeter Corn Exchange

Exeter EX1 1BW

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Pub of the Year Presentation 2023

ByRob Coldwell

By Rob Coldwell

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