Have Yourself A Merry Winter Ale Trail

Pubs and bars in Shrewsbury have rolled out a winter welcome ahead of the Shrewsbury Winter Festival this weekend and are asking beer enthusiasts to choose their best shrewsbrew.

Shrewsbury’s first Winter Ale Trail, sponsored by Hobsons, invites enthusiasts to sample a range of local brews and tastes this week. It has been organised alongside the Shrewsbury Winter Festival taking place in the Quarry Park on 10th and 11th December to encourage people to explore what the town has to offer across its diverse range of venues.

Tickets cost £6.50 with participants given a tasting card, lanyard and souvenir glass which they can use for a taster of each pub’s designated ‘Winter Ale Trail’ beer. They can get their form stamped, rate the beers, vote for the best one and also receive a free bottle of Hobsons Ale when they visit eight or more venues from the list of 13 participants.

Beth Heath, organiser of Shrewsbury Winter Festival and Ale Trail Founder, said: “We are passionate supporters of Shrewsbury’s growing real ale community and this is a great way for enthusiasts to discover local brewers, including our sponsor, Shropshire’s leading brewer, Hobson’s brewery.”

James Hitchin, owner of The Alb and Shrewsbury BID Board Member, said: “Interest in real ale continues to grow and this new winter trail makes it easy for locals and visitors to explore the variety of venues Shrewsbury has to offer. The Winter Ale Trail runs all this week but we also want visitors to the Winter Festival to explore the town and find out for themselves what makes Shrewsbury different.”

Tickets are available online at www.shrewsburychristmas.co.uk and at participating venues. Overall sales will be managed by The Armoury at Victoria Quay, one of the pubs taking part. Participants who have visited eight or more venues can collect their free bottle of beer from the Hobson’s Stand within the Shrewsbury Winter Festival on the 10th and 11th December.

For more information find Shrewsbury on Facebook www.facebook.com/originalshrewsbury and Twitter @originalshrews or visit www.originalshrewsbury.co.uk.