If you are looking for an Essex beer festival, you’ve come to the right place. This is a list of beer festivals in Essex and within easy reach of Essex, both major CAMRA beer festivals and those held in pubs.

If you know of a festival that you think should feature here, use our contact form or email me. And for some Essex Days Out reviews of previous beer festivals – click here. And there is also our new Essex Days Out Real Ale Map – googlemap your way around the county’s real ale! And make sure you don’t miss out on anything by following us on Twitter @EssexDaysOut, and signing up for our monthly newsletter.

January 2012

Live and Let Live Winter Sausage and Beer Festival
Live and Let Live, 12 Millers Lane, Colchester CO3 0PS
Friday 13th January 2012 – Sunday 15th January 2012
We popped in on Sat 14th : click here for details (and pix).

Colchester 5th Winter Ale Festival
Colchester Arts Centre
Thursday 19th January 2012 – Saturday 21st January 2012, 12:00am – 11:00pm daily
Read our article on our visit to the 3rd Winter Ale Festival.
more details

Winter Beer Festival – White Horse Bar and Lounge
White Horse Bar and Lounge, Townfield Street, Chelmsford CM1 1QJ.
Thursday 26th January 2012 – Sunday 29th January 2012
16 ever-changing beers and ciders.
more details

Station Arms Winter Beer Festival
Station Arms, Station Road, Southminster, CM0 7EW.
Friday 27th January 2012 – Sunday 29th January 2012
“Seasonal specials, old favourites, and new beers to the Station Arms including a 2009 Adnams Tally Ho! Traditional Cider and Perry. No Music”
Beer List

February 2012

Chelmsford Winter Beer and Cider Festival 2012
Essex County Council Social Club (Triangle Club), Duke St, Chelmsford CM1 1LX
Wednesday 1st February 2012 – Saturday 4th February 2012
I did a pub crawl in Chelmsford prior to descending into the Stygian gloom of the Triangle Club the 2011 festival, so if you’re visiting Chelmsford and want to try some local pubs, read that article!

Winter Ale Festival
Edwardstone White Horse
Friday 10th February 2012 – Sunday 19th February 2012
Great pub, great beer.
Click here for more about the White Horse on Essex Days Out.

5th Blue Boar Beer Festival
Blue Boar, Maldon
Thursday 23rd February 2012 – Sunday 26th February 2012
What a location for a beer festival – read our short article about the 3rd beer festival, with a short video.

White Hart Winter Beer Festival
The White Hart, Grays, RM17 6HR.
Thursday 23rd February 2012 – Sunday 26th February 2012
20 real ales.
click here for a short report on a visit to the pub in 2011 – drop into the nearby Theobald Arms for more real ale!

3rd Chappel Winter Beer Festival
East Anglian Railway Museum, Chappel
Friday 24th February and Saturday 25th February 2012
Ticket Only!
more details
Photos and pix from our vists to the 2nd and the 1st winter beer festivals at Chappeo.

Ridgewell White Horse Winter Beer Festival
White Horse, Mill Road, Ridgewell, CO9 4SG
Wednesday 29th February 2012 – Saturday 3rd March 2012
Read our report on their 2011 Dark Ale Festival

March 2012

Old Courthouse Beer Festival
The Old Courthouse, 39 King Street, Stanford Le Hope, SS17 0HJ.
Friday 2nd March 2012 – Sunday 4th March 2012

2nd Alma Inn Beer Festival
Alma Inn, 25 King’s Head Street, Harwich, CO12 3EE
Friday 2nd March 2012 – Sunday 4th March 2012
We went to the first beer festival under the new ownership in 2011 : click here to read our article – definitely worth thinking about a trip on the train to Harwich for the festival, a visit to other pubs nearby, and a wander round the town.
pub website

Spring Ale Festival
The Purple Dog, 42 Eld Lane, Colchester, CO1 1LS
Thursday 29th March 2012 – Wednesday 4th April 2012
Another beer fest for this town centre pub. Haven’t been there for a long time, and certainly not under the new regime, so will try to get to this one.

April 2012

7th East Mersea Beer Festival
East Mersea Vineyard
6th April 2012 – 9th April 2012
Here’s our review, with video, of the very windy 5th Festival in 2010. It was much, much warmer at last year’s festival!

10th Maldon Beer Festival
Town Hall, Market Hill, Maldon, CM9 4RL
Wednesday 11th April 2012 (4:00-11:00) – Thursday 12th – Saturday 14th April 2012 (11:00-11:00)
“Over 50 real ales and ciders will be available, many of which will not have been seen in Maldon before. Food is available at all sessions and we will have live music from the Mighty Boss Cats on the Saturday night. Free admission with a special Festival Glass available for £3 to mark the 10th festival. Our festival is normally in the week after Easter and is probably one of the best in the area as it’s big enough to offer lots of choice but small enough to be friendly!”
more details

The St. George’s Beer Festival Weekend at The Hare and Hounds
The Hare and Hounds, Layer Breton, nr Colchester
Friday 20th April 2012 – Monday 23rd April 2012
15 real ales and music that matches the Essex Days Out team’s demographic!
more details
Click here for our article on the pub.

May 2012

16th Annual Dark Ale Days Festival
Edwardstone White Horse
4th May 2012 – 7th May 2012
30+ Milds, Stouts and Porter – a ‘must’ for us dark ale afficionados.
more details

Music and Beer Festival
Layer Marney Tower
Sunday 20th May 2012, 12:00 -5:00
Music and Beer in the Courtyard.
Read our article on the 2011 festival.
more details

Thurrock Beer Festival
Thurrock Civic Hall, Blackshots Lane, Grays, RM16 2JU
22nd May 2012 – 26th May 2012
more details

*there will be many more pub beer festivals over the bank holidays in May which we’ll add as we find out about them – click here to sign up for our monthly newsletter, and you’ll get a reminder!

nb the Spring Bank Holiday is pushed to early June in 2012, to go with an extra BH for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, so we’ll have the 4th and 5th June as Bank Holidays. I would imagine a number of regular pub beer festivals for the late May BH will be pushed to early June.

Alma Inn Beer Festival
The Alma Inn, Copford Green, CO6 1BZ.
31st May 2012 – 5th June 2012
pub website
Click here for a short report on a visit to their beer festival last year.

June 2012

George Inn Beer Festival
George Inn, Shalford
Friday 1st June 2012 to Sunday 3rd June 2012
“14 real ales plus cider. Live music.”
more details

The Hoop Beer Festival
Friday 1st June 2012 to Wednesday 6th June 2012
The Hoop, High Street, Stock CM4 9BD
Long-standing (20 yrs+) beer festival, with over 150 real ales!
Read our article about our visit to the pub in 2011.
more details (when available)

Sun Inn Feering Summer Beer Festival
Sun Inn, Feering
1st – 5th June 2012
Two great beer festivals in 2011 – we reported on the the summer one, and the winter one, which featured their Shed of Beer.

27th Colchester Real Ale & Cider Festival
Colchester Arts Centre
Tuesday 5th June 2012 – Saturday 9th June 2012
more details

Fox and Hounds Beer Festival
Fox and Hounds, Church Road, Ramsden Heath, Essex, CM11 1PW
21st June 2012 – 26th June 2012
more details

8th Braintree Real Ale Festival
Braintree Institute
Thursday 14th June 2012 to Saturday 16th June 2012
Popped into the 2011 festival and had some great beers (Goose Eye ‘Over and Stout’, Naylors Brewery ‘Pinnacle Mild’ and ‘Pinnacle Stout’ and finally ‘Pinnacle Porter’)
more details

4th Beer in the Gibberd Garden
The Gibberd Garden, Marsh Lane, Old Harlow, Essex. CM17 0NA
16th June 2012 – 17th June 2012 (to be confirmed)
25+ Beers and Ciders.
more details

3rd Billericay Beer Festival
Billericay Town FC, New Lodge, Blunts Wall Road, Billericay CM12 9SA.
Friday 29th June 2012 – Sunday 1st July 2012
Organised by the Lions Club of Billericay, we went to the 2nd one, and supped some great beer on the hallowed turf of the mighty Billericay Town FC, sitting in the sun with some live music.
more details

July 2012

Brentwood Beer and Music Festival
Friday 6th July 2012 – Sunday 8th July 2012
more details

34th Chelmsford Beer Festival
10th July 2012 – 14th July 2012
More details when available.

The Royal Oak 1st Summer Beer Festival
The Royal Oak, East Street, Braintree, CM7 3JJ. Tel:01376 618033.
July 12th 2012 – July 15th 2012
40 Beers over 4 Days. Hog Roast and BBQ

The 3rd Stortford Beer Festival
British Legion Club, 28 Windhill, Bishops Stortford CM23 2NG.
26th July 2012 – 28th July 2012 (to be confirmed)
more details

3rd Beer Festival at the Redoubt
Redoubt Fort, Harwich
Thursday 26th July 2012 – Sunday 29th July 2012
Organised by the Harwich Town Brewing Co., great beer and great food, a lot of it local!
more details
Click here for our review of the 2011 event – great location for a beerfest!

August 2012

17th Clacton-on-Sea Real Ale and Cider Festival 2012
end August – more details when available.

Eddyfest 2012
Edwardstone White Horse
24th August 2012 – 27th August 2012
“70+ Real Ales and Ciders, Non-stop Live Music, Camping (please book well in advance).”
Click here for our report on Eddyfest 2011.
more details

September 2012

26th Chappel Summer Beer Festival
East Anglian Railway Museum
4th September 2012 – 8th September 2012
One of the first things to go into our diary each year, we’ve been to virtually every one! Read our reviews of the 24th and 23rd Chappel Beer Festivals.
more details

3rd Grange Barn Beer Festival
Grange Barn, Coggeshall
Friday 14th September 2012 – Sunday 16th September 2012
more details

October 2012

Sawbridgeworth Beer Festival
Sabridgeworth Memorial Hall
Last week of October 2012 (to be confirmed)
more details

Oktoberfest
Thatcher’s Arms, Mt. Bures
to be confirmed
Article on the 2010 Oktoberfest

Cider and Ale Festival
Edwardstone White Horse
22nd October 2012 – 31st October 2012
I am led to believe you can create an alcoholic beverage from the humble apple, and there will be 15 examples to try. Whatever. I’ll be there for the 15 ales.
more details

November 2012

Novemberfest
Five Bells, Colne Engaine
to be confirmed
Read our articles on the 2010 Novemberfest, and on a meal we had at their beer festival in May 2011.

1st South Woodham Ferrers Beer Festival(to be confirmed)
1st November 2012 – 3rd November 2012
more details

Rochford Beer Festival
November dates to be confirmed.

The Royal Oak 2nd Winter Beer Festival
The Royal Oak, East Street, Braintree, CM7 3JJ. Tel:01376 618033.
November 23rd 2012 – November 25th 2012
20 Beers over 3 Days.

December 2012

Harwich & Dovercourt Beer Festival
Kingsway Hall, Dovercourt
date (very late Nov/early Dec) to be confirmed.
Tweeted about several great beers at the 2011 event (Oakham Ales ‘Hawse Buckler’, Green Jack Brewery ‘Lurcher’, Spire Brewery ‘Twist and Stout’, Dove Street Brewery ‘Underwood Mild’). I braved the snow to get to the 2010 festival – read a review with a video here.
And read our review of the 2009 event here.

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