2019 Beer & Cider Festival

People enjoying last year’s festival.

Swansea Bay Beer & Cider Festival will showcase most exciting ales from all over UK

Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, 22, 23 & 24 August 2019

NEW!! 2019 festival beer list and tasting notes announced – read it HERE

Cider and perry list and tasting notes are HERE

Real ale fans are counting down the days to Swansea CAMRA’s beer and cider festival at the Brangwyn Hall.

The Swansea branch of the Campaign for Real Ale has sourced the most exciting new brews from up and down the land, many never before seen in this area, for their 33rd annual festival.

Up to 100 real ales, plus ciders and perries, will be on offer at the event from 22-24 August. They include beers from our main festival sponsor for 2019, Gower Brewery.

It also includes ales from elsewhere in the vibrant Swansea and south Wales brewing scene, which has been transformed over the past few years with dozens of new microbreweries being launched to quench a consumer thirst for new and original beers.

“The Swansea Bay Beer and Cider Festival 2019 will be one of the biggest, most exciting and highly anticipated events in Swansea,” said Chris Freestone, one of the festival organisers. “It will be hosted in the iconic Brangwyn Hall with over 100 beers of every conceivable style, hue and strength served across three bars.

“There will be beers from all over the UK with as well as a large selection of Welsh beers, meaning you can taste the best from around the nation. The festival will also be hosting two Champion Beer of Wales categories (Best Bitter and Speciality) meaning some of the best beers brewed in Wales will be available.

“There will also be a wealth of local ciders to try at our Cider Bar. The wonderful team of volunteers serving the brews will be bringing their wealth of experience and knowledge on beer, making sure you get a perfectly poured pint and can offer excellent recommendations based on your taste buds.

“If that wasn’t enough, entertainment is also included as part of the ticket price with live music in the afternoons and evenings. This includes a performance from the Welsh Singer Lowri Evans, alongside some other amazing Welsh acts.

“There really will be something for everyone – whatever your taste in beer or cider!”

Festival goers enjoying last year’s festival.

Ale categories on offer will include bitters, strong bitters and barley wines; golden and blond ales; pale ales; milds, porters and stouts; and speciality beers including lagers, wheat beers, fruit beers, gingers beers and sours. A good range of hot food will also be available in the Brangwyn Hall bar. See the festival beer list and tasting notes HERE

Opening times

The Swansea Bay Beer & Cider Festival will be open from 5pm-11pm on Thursday, 22 August; and from noon to 11pm on Friday, 23 August and Saturday, 24 August. It is being held in the Brangwyn Hall, St Helen’s Road, Swansea, SA1 4PE.

Admission

Admission is £5 for non CAMRA members and £3 for CAMRA members. The price of admission includes a programme and a souvenir half pint glass. To save time and queues we also sell the first £5 worth of tokens with the admission tickets so have £10 or £8 ready at the door. More tokens are available inside the hall at the token stall.

Our sponsors

This year’s festival is sponsored by Gower Brewery, Mumbles Brewery, Tomos Watkins, Beer Riff, The Pilot, The No Sign Bar and Inspiration.

For more information about the festival, see our Frequently Asked Questions.

Music at the festival

We have got a great line-up of bands on the main stage in the hall throughout the festival.

Thursday 22nd August
9pm – Shelone Rangers – four guys steeped in Americana, Roots and all things jingle jangle. With tunes ranging from modern classics like The Coral and the La’s to the 60s and 70s sunshine sounds of the Byrds, Neil Young, The Beatles and The Band.

Friday 23rd August

5-6pm – Eleri Angharad – Country artist from Swansea. Inspired by a North American road trip, where she performed in Nashville, Greensboro, Chicago and New York, Eleri combines traditional Country Music storytelling with Celtic folk and catchy pop melodies, drawing influences from James Taylor, Mary Hopkin and Kacey Musgraves.

9pm – Thin White Dukes, a three piece acoustic band covering classics from the 60s to the present day.

Saturday 24th August

2pm and 4pm – Alan ‘Tweke’ Lewis – awesome guitarist and a festival favourite.

6-7pm – Lowri Evans and Lee Mason – Described by Bob Harris (BBC Radio 2) as ‘One of his absolute favourite artists’, bilingual singer-songwriter Lowri is blessed with a voice capable of wide emotional power, her songs taking their musical colours from a broad palette that includes Americana, Folk, Country and Blues, all beautifully knitted together through her innate musicality and heartfelt delivery.
Lee’s beautifully judged guitar playing and subtle harmonies have been integral to Lowri’s music from the outset. Together they have released 7 albums, toured the USA, performed sessions for Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2, opened for Seth Lakeman, Glenn Tilbrook, Martin Simpson and Cara Dillon, playlisted on BBC Radio and regularly perform in venues across the UK and in festivals such as Cambridge Folk, Underneath the Stars, Wychwood Festival, Greenman Festival and Hay Festival.

9pm – Andy and Gos – Acoustic awesomeness.