Cheers! Shrewsbury Beer Festival returns in style at St Mary’s Church
Thousands of beer and cider enthusiasts have poured into Shrewsbury this week for the return of the much-loved CAMRA Beer Festival.
Running from Wednesday to Saturday (September 27), the festival - organised by the Shrewsbury and West Shropshire branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) - has once again transformed the historic St Mary’s Church into a vibrant celebration of beer, cider, and local brewing talent.
The festival, now in its 33rd year, has taken full advantage of its striking venue. The church’s stunning stained-glass windows, carved wooden ceilings, and intricate tiled floors provided a unique and atmospheric setting for the event.
This year’s offering included 96 beers, many sourced from Shropshire and the surrounding regions, alongside a wide variety of ciders, perries, country wines, and a gin and rum bar.
"We’ve been here at St Mary's Church since 2019," said festival organiser Dave Ricketts. "It’s just amazing, as the sun goes around and illuminates all of the windows, it’s stunning."
Salopian Brewery returned as main sponsor and has run its own dedicated bar, offering up to six exclusive cask ales, brewed specially for the occasion.
Dave, who has been running the event for a decade, said the festival prides itself on offering something new each year.
"We start the ordering process about three months in advance to get as many new beers as possible," he added.
"We always aim to have beers that are not seen around. We also run the Shropshire brewers challenge where we invite brewers to enter a beer of choice and we do blind judging.
"The winner was Stonehouse Brewery’s Saturnalia. It was a lovely beer.
"We have had 96 different beers this week. We have also had a full range of ciders and perries, and country wine as well. We’ve got the gin and rum bar too."
A new feature for this year's festival is a live beer list available via the its website. The real-time, searchable guide allows visitors to check availability and tasting notes for each drink on offer, helping them plan their perfect tasting experience.
Beyond the drinks, the festival is also supporting a good cause. A tombola stall, run by Dave’s partner Rebecca Ransley, is raising funds for Severn Hospice - a charity close to her heart.
"Half of the proceeds from the tombola will be going to Severn Hospice in memory of my mum who passed away last March," she said.
"She spent the last week of her life at Severn Hospice and before she passed away she had run the tombola store for many years. So we are raising funds for the hospice through the tombola."
