Weymouth Octoberfest is just days away now, showcasing more than 65 real ales and traditional cider, and offering some of the best coast views of any beer festival.
Alistair Burrell, owner of Copper Street Brewery. Photograph: Rich Gabe
This year’s festival is sponsored by the local Dorchester brewery Copper Street, which has provided six new experimental brews which customers will have not have tasted.
Owner Alistair Burrell wanted to try out some new ideas for recipes and has named each beer after the Roman numerals I-VI. They range from session ales and bitters, and golden and pale ales, to a vanilla stout.
Octoberfest bar manager Rich Gabe said: “I am really looking forward to trying these one-off experimental brews. Hopefully they will get good feedback and Copper Street may decide to add them to their already award-winning range.
“It is always important to give good support to local breweries and pubs, and the committee would like to thank Alistair for his continued support and generosity.”
The festival, now in its 20th year, is going back to its origins, with beers from Cornwall, Devon, and Dorset. The 2027 event will focus on Bristol, Somerset, and Wiltshire, alongside Dorset.
Some of the highlights include, from Cornwall, Blue Anchor brewery’s Spingo Middle, a traditional example of a Cornish smooth malty ale. From Penzance Brewing Co comes 2025 Champion Beer of Britain, Mild. From the north coast, near St Agnes Driftwood Spars Brewery is sending gluten-free beers in the form of Sea Shanty Pale Ale and Stippy Stappy, a 5.5% ABV English IPA. Further westward is St Ives’ Mine Brewing Co, who will be represented by their oatmeal stout In Vein.
From Devon’s Branscombe Brewery comes 7.3% ABV Norman’s Olde Ruby, while Summerskills provides Plymouth Porter and Tamar Best. From one of Devon’s oldest microbreweries, Barum, in Barnstable, there’s a welcome return of their Breakfast beer.
Alongside Copper Street, Dorset is represented by Apex, near Sherborne, Poole’s Barking Cat with a 3.4% ABV Catacombs Stout, alongside beers from Cerne Abbas, DBC, Hattie Brown’s, Piddle, and Palmers.
If you’re a cider drinker, the selection is 100% traditionally made, including Wyldlands, which was named supreme champion at the Royal Bath And West Show. Temple Perry is one of the few real perries in Dorset, while Sweet Maid cider, from Devon, is keeved, fermenting naturally for a long time to make it sweet and sparkling cider.
Find out more about the festival — on Friday and Saturday, 15th and 16th October — and buy tickets here.
