Crowds queue up for annual beer festival at Rooster's Brewing Co in Harrogate
Queues of more than a 100 people built up at a beer festival in Harrogate half an hour before the doors opened.
The third annual Suds with Buds invitational beer festival at Rooster's Brewing Co was already sold out well before the gates were due to open on Saturday at 2pm.
But that didn’t deter avid fans of pale ales and everything craft beer arriving early at the independent, family-owned business’s brewery located on Fifth Avenue at Hornbeam Park.
Held in Rooster’s gleaming state-of-the-art brewery plant and taproom, not to forget the sample room and brewery yard, Suds with Buds served as a social occasion for Harrogate’s award-winning independent brewery sector, a coming together of the town’s craft beer community amid the hand-pulleds, live music and street food.
Among those spotted mingling in the packed crowds were Simon and Sharon Colgan of Harrogate’s Blues Bar, Tara Stagman of Ake & Humphris wine merchants, Rachel Auty of Women on Tap and Vincent Staunton of Daleside Brewery.
The feast of beers on offer to event-goers at Suds with Buds in terms of geography ranged from Ilkley to Cornwall, Macclesfield to London.
Just a few of the many highlights included the fantastic Haze Machine, a hazy pale by Signature Brew, North London; Under the Manhole Cover, a hazy pale by Bini Brew Co, Ilkley; Less Cowbell, a Strata double-hopped pale by Fell Brewery, Cumbria, and G&P, a Juniper pale by Daleside Brewery, Harrogate – not to forget a selection of eight different cask and eight different keg beers by Rooster’s.
The beer garden played host to live music with performances by the likes of Sheffield-based rock'n'soul duo Hot Soles, York-based rootsy covers band Hyde Family Band, Halifax-based singer songwriter Ellis Best, Harrogate-based singer-songwriter Biz Denton and DJ Trainer Trouble.
Rooster’s Brewing Co was established in 1993 by pioneering Harrogate brewer Sean Franklin, before Ian Fozard and his sons, Tom and Oliver took over after his retirement in 2011.
Rooster’s moved into its 18,000 sq ft headquarters on Hornbeam Park in 2019.
Its most renowned beers include Baby-Faced Assassin, YPA and Yankee.
Information: https://www.roosters.co.uk/