Shrewsbury CAMRA Beer Festival

15/10/2026

Tuesday evening saw Festival Working Party Convener Norrie Porter's Brave The Shave at The Prince of Wales, Shrewsbury. It makes a bit of a difference, doesn't it? Norrie thinks he'll need a beanie for pub crawls for a while 🤣 Thanks to everyone who donated, including Salopian Brewery, RAD B**r, Festival Sponsor Start Tech, and Shropshire Festivals., and to Charleigh, Di and Craig for all that they did on the night. And of course everyone who turned up and drank the b**r!
There is still money to add to the total, which is currently more than £5,300, and there will be yet more because the folks at The Prince of Wales are still running events, there will be another sponsored cask courtesy of Magic Dragon Brewing, and people can still donate at https://bravetheshave.macmillan.org.uk/Shavers/d8de120f-4eb2-4057-8501-56c1a229c56a/
Everyone who has or will donate has Norrie's undying gratitude, and that of all the cancer patients and families the money will help support

13/10/2026

I'm back in our amazing b**r festival venue today, this time as a volunteer steward. I've been back once a week since the first Shrewsbury CAMRA B**r Festival here, because it's so beautiful.
If you would like to pop back to have look around (and perhaps visit some of Shrewsbury's great pubs, too) you will be pleased to hear that local business Brews & Bites have reopened the café

11/10/2026

We still have copies of the new Good B**r Guide 2027 available for £16.99* or at a discounted price of just £13* for Camra members! Please let us know if you would like a copy!
* plus P&P if not local to Shrewsbury

09/10/2026

Tomorrow is Drop the Pint Day, initiated by Society of Independent Brewers - SIBA. Taprooms and pubs around the country will be taking 50pm off the price of a pint to pour at Germany's lower tax rates to show the potential benefits that a lower tax on b**r might bring - in anticipation of the Budget later this month.

German duty is 5p for a pint of b**r, compared to 55p in the UK

There's a Drop the Tap Tax campaign which has a petition you can sign if you want to support the campaign - I'll bob the link in the comments.

If you want to support the campaign (and the pubs and breweries) then the list is currently as follows:

East
Legra Tap & Kitchen, Leigh-on-Sea, SS9 2SF
Leigh on Sea Brewery Taproom, Leigh-on-Sea, SS9 5PR
Other Monkey Brewing The Taproom, Colchester, CO1 1LB
The Billericay Brewery Taproom, Billericay, CM12 9LS
Wildcraft Tap,Coltishall, NR129NB

Midlands
20 Arches, Brackley, NN13 7DS
Blue Monkey Brewery Taproom, Giltbrook, NG16 2UZ
Bulls Head, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 3AJ
Burton Bridge Inn, Burton-on-Trent, DE14 1SY
Cheshire Cheese, Buxton, SK17 6HA
Greyhound, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 1JT
Hobsons Brewery Taproom, Cleobury Mortimer, DY14 8RB
Old Poets Corner, Ashover, S45 0EW
Roebuck, Leek, ST13 5AB
Royal Exchange, Stone, ST15 8DA
Sun Inn, Stafford, ST17 4JX
The Beacon, Lichfield, WS13 6JJ
The Crafty Dragon Whitchurch, SY13 1SE
Vat and Fiddle, Nottingham, NG2 1NB
The White Horse, Clun, SY7 8JA
bod Alsager, ST7 2ET
bod Lichfield, WS13 8FT
bod Matlock, DE4 3LT
bod Newport, TF10 7NE
bod Stafford, ST17 0EF
bod Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2AA
bod Stone, ST15 8AU
bod Trentham, ST4 8GG

North East
Abbeydale Brewery B**rworks, Sheffield, S7 1FL
Brass Castle Brewery Taphouse, Malton, YO17 7AB
First & Last Brewery Taproom, Bellingham, NE48 2DA
Rooster's Brewing Co. Taproom, Harrogate, HG2 8QT
The Firebrick at The Grainger Market, Newcastle, NE1 5QQ

Northern Ireland
Bullhouse East, Belfast, BT4 1HJ

North West
Jennings Brewery Taproom, C**kermouth, CA13 9NE
The Neptune B**rhouse, Maghull, L31 2HB
The Witch Tap House, Atherton, M46 0EQ
West Walls Brewing Taproom, Carlisle, CA3 8UB
Wincle B**r Taproom, Macclesfield, SK11 0QE

Scotland
Sulwath Brewers Taproom, Dumfries & Galloway, DG7 1DT

South East
Elusive Brewing Taproom, RG40 4RF
Langham Brewery Taproom, Petworth, GU28 9BU
Off the Rails, Alton, GU34 5HN
Royal Blenheim, Oxford, OX1 1PT
Siren Craft Brew RG1, Reading, RG1 1HP
Siren Tap Yard, Wokingham, RG40 4RF
The Market Tap, Oxford, OX1 3EQ
The Montefiore Arms, Ramsgate, CT11 7HJ
The Tite Inn, Chadlington, OX7 3NY
Unit 4 Taproom, Windsor, SL4 1SE

London
40ft Brewery Taproom, London, E17 5RB
Hammerton Tap, London, N7 8XH
House of Hammerton, London, N7 8LT
Orbit B**rs Brewery & Taproom, London, SE17 3HD

South West
Exeter Brewery Taproom, Exeter, EX4 4NX
Flow & Tracks, Lostwithiel, PL22 0HG
Mason Brewing Co Taproom, Threemilestone, TR4 9LD
Siren Cheltenham, GL50 4FA
The Fallen Tree, Clevedon, BS21 7PD
The Hour Glass, Exeter, EX2 4AU
Treen's Brewery Taproom, Ponsanooth, TR3 7JW

Wales
Bunch of Grapes, Pontypridd, CF37 4DA
Magic Dragon Brewery Tap, Wrexham, LL13 8BT
The Little Bar on the Bridge, Bridgend, CF31 1JH
The Market Tavern, Haverfordwest, SA61 1NH

It's worth checking on your local taproom too, to see if they are participating. I know Ludlow Brewery is getting involved, for example, but they aren't on this published list. The Midlands list looks massive because all of the Titanic Brewery pubs are participating, from what I can see. But the Midlands does, of course, also rule.

09/10/2026

We love pushing the limits on b**r and have since the day we opened, especially when it is very special. One of our favourite brewers of some of the more "extreme" styles is Torrside Brewing
They produce barrel aged, smoked, imperial and a pile of styles that may not be your hazy IPAs but are some of the most stunning drinks you will ever try.
So, we give you, new on tap:
Torrside Dogs Of War Shinobi Shiba 2025 Imperial Blonde aged on Gooseberries in White W**e Barrels. 10.4%

It. Is. Stunning.

07/10/2026

October mood 🍂

This month, the spotlight is on our award-winning Castle Embers, a seasonal ruby porter-style ale brimming with rich character. Full-bodied and velvety smooth, this glowing ale features delicious notes of roasted coffee, dark cocoa, and dried fruits for a deeply comforting sip to enjoy throughout the autumn.

If you're yet to try the b**r, be quick; it's here for a limited time only.

Shop now - https://www.threetunsbrewery.co.uk/products/castle-embers-case-of-12-bottles

07/10/2026

📣🍺 Drop the Pint Day - Friday 9 October - 50p off every pint of LUDLOW GOLD! £3.40 instead of £3.90.

We'll be pouring pints of Gold at Germany's lower tax rate this Friday and ALL weekend.

Tax on UK pub b**r is too high.

The UK headline b**r duty rate sits at 55 pence a pint compared to just 5 pence a pint in Germany, with breweries paying roughly 40% of their turnover in tax

We're supporting the Drop The Tax Campaign, led by SIBA Society of Independent Brewers, to cut the "Draught Relief" rate to support local community pubs and independent brewers.

The Drop The Tax Campaign is a national campaign led by SIBA, asking the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer to lower b**r tax on pub draught drinks in the upcoming Autumn Budget on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.

We would urge you to sign the petition and contact your MP.

*Please note this applies to pints of Gold only - - purchased between 11am Friday 9 October and 5pm Sunday 11 October.

**r **r

07/10/2026

We are so sorry to her that our good friend, colleague and volunteer Dave Grainger has died. Dave worked hard at every Shrewsbury CAMRA B**r Festival and attended many more so lots of you will know him (at Shrewsbury he was latterly mostly behind the sponsors' bar and for the last few years that meant pulling Salopian Brewery pints). Memories welcome in the comments

I've been holding off on posting this for a few days, hoping for more details, but now it's time. I'm sad to have to pass on the news that Shrewsbury and West Shropshire CAMRA legend Dave Grainger has died. I will submit an online obituary for the next National Members' Weekend in Chester in April 2027, so if you have any great stories or information about Dave, please comment below.

Dave was a true stalwart, a member since the early days and a volunteer at the very first Shrewsbury CAMRA B**r Festival in 1990. As far as I know he only missed attending one event before his death. He always asked for a Kelly Green volunteer's shirt and while he was king of the water spray in the days before mechanical cooling, latterly he loved working on sponsors' bar. Dave also spent many years are Branch Social Secretary, organising trips and visits to survey and monitor pubs and breweries, and was an absolute fixture at b**r festivals in the The Prince of Wales, Shrewsbury.

Dave was getting more frail recently and had had two spells in hospital following falls. However, he still mostly managed to get out to the Three Fishes, Salopian and Wetherspoons in town during the week and the Harlescott Club at the weekend. When he was fit, he liked to have six pints or so, then a port and a wh**ky at home, usually without any visible effect. Then he would have a long period drink-free in the Spring to give his liver a rest and stabilise his weight for the Summer (which he used to spend walking between pubs, sometimes over long distances in the Shropshire Hills). I had also hope to be able to tell you exactly when Dave joined CAMRA, but his joining date is before the membership system was computerised, so it's not immediately available.

He was found at home a few days ago. I don't know an exact date, or cause of death, but I am grateful to his neighbour who called for a welfare check after noting that a light had been on for a while. Dave was not in frequent contact with any family, so between that and the need for a post-mortem it might take a while to sort out funeral arrangements. I'll let you know as soon as I do.
The photo is from 2011, because that's how he will always look in my mind.