HUNTINGDONSHIRE CAMRA's 'BOOZE ON THE OUSE' BEER & CIDER FESTIVAL 2024 - ST NEOTS

Thu 14 - Sat 16 March 2024

Venue: Priory Centre, Priory Lane, St Neots PE19 2BH

FESTIVAL OPENING TIMES

Thu 14 Mar .... 11:00 am to 10:30 pm
Fri 15 Mar ...... 11:00 am to 10:30 pm
Sat 16 Mar .... 11:00 am to 10:30 pm

Main Festival Sponsors:

PHX Mortgages St Neots are the BOTO 2024 glasses sponsor, and we are happy to have their support. We have many other opportunities for festival sponsorship, if you are interested in promoting your business/organisation to the wide variety of festival goers, please contact us at ku.gro.armac.stnuh@pihsrosnops

81 Real Ales, Keg Beers & Real Ciders n' Perries

Cask & Craft Beer List - St Neots 2024
Cider & Perry List - St Neots 2024

NOW AVAILABLE - Booze on the Ouse 2024 Full Printable Programme

Want to keep up to date with the latest availability of all our Beers and Ciders throughout the Festival: Booze on the Ouse Beer and Cider List & Status

A Selection of Gin & Tonics and a selection of Wines will also be available.

ENTRY PACKAGES

£7 for non-CAMRA members
£3 for CAMRA members
Entry packages include a non-refundable glass.

Bring your own CE (or UK CE) marked glass; reduce the cost of your entry package by £3.

Tickets available on the door only - No advance sales

Please Note: No entry or re-admission after 10.00 pm

HOW TO PAY

# NEW FOR 2024 # CARD TRANSACTIONS ONLY - Booze on the Ouse 2024 will be a Card Payment Only Festival - There will be no facility for Cash Payments

SOUVENIR FESTIVAL GLASS

Once again there will be a Pint Glass option or a Half Pint Glass option. Gin drinkers can select a Gin Glass.

# NEW FOR 2024 # NON REFUNDABLE FESTIVAL GLASS IN ENTRY PACKAGE - At Booze on the Ouse 2024 you will get a non-refundable festival glass included in your entry package. There are NO Glasses Refunds this year, however you can still choose to return your glass on exit and we will donate £3 to the festival charity (Sue Ryder). You are still welcome to bring your own CE (or UK CE) marked glass; if you do we will reduce the cost of your entry package by £3.

BEER & CIDER

Real Ales

Over the course of the festival we plan to serve 60 cask conditioned beers and 5 craft keg beers, from both well-established independent breweries and the newer 'craft' micro-breweries. As usual, we will have a wide range of beers sourced from local and regional breweries from across the UK. We also plan to have some vegan and gluten free beers and to feature beers that are winners and runners up in the Champion Beer of Britain Competitions held at the Great British Beer Festival at Kensington Olympia in August.

Cider & Perries

The traditional cider bar will be serving a selection of tasty traditional cider and perry, sourced from quality producers, locally and elsewhere in Britain. There will be 16 ciders and perries available.

Beer and Cider Lists

Click the links below to see the DRAFT St Neots 2024 beer & cider lists. There will be some further additions may be some alterations up until the festival due to unavailability, but we will do our best to keep these lists up to date.

Cask & Craft Beer List - St Neots 2024
Cider & Perry List - St Neots 2024

A Summary Festival Programme will be provided in the festival entry package; however if you would like a copy of the Full Festival Programme, click the following link.

NOW AVAILABLE - Booze on the Ouse 2024 Full Printable Programme

Keep up to date with the status of each of our beers and ciders throughout the festival with our Real-Time listing. Login to the site as a CAMRA member or non-member to mark your favourites and keep a record of your scores:

Booze on the Ouse Beer and Cider List & Status

Gin & Wine

A selection of Gin & Tonics will be available at the festival, and these will be available to buy from the Gin Bar located next to the Cider Bar. Red, White & Rose wine will be available to purchase from the cider bar.

Alcohol Free Beer

By popular demand we will have a selection of Alcohol Free Beers in Bottles and Cans. These will be available from the Gin and Cider Bars.

Other Drinks

Soft drinks will also be available from the Cider Bar. You may bring in soft drinks purchased from outside the venue (but please do not bring in alcohol purchased elsewhere).

FOOD

By popular demand, we will be welcoming back The Cheese & Pie Man as the main festival caterer. A selection of hot and cold food will be on offer at all sessions.
Tea, coffee, soft drinks and a selection of cakes and snacks can be obtained from the Cafe Bar at the Priory Centre.

Snacks including crisps and pork scratchings will be sold at the real ale and cider bars.

Paying for Drinks
Purchase of all beer, cider, perry and snacks from the CAMRA bars will be by card payment only. Volunteers serving behind the bars are not authorised to take cash.

Sponsors
We will be inviting companies, pubs and individuals to sponsor a cask or Keg of beer or a box of cider. For £35 per beer or cider sponsored, you will receive 2 free entry tickets, 2 free festival glasses and 2 free pints.

If you sponsor a cask, you will be able to select which beer or cider you would like to sponsor; this will be on a 'first come first served' basis. Names of companies, pubs or individuals will be displayed above the product(s) they are sponsoring and will also feature on the beer and cider listings on our website and real-time status. You are also welcome to bring along advertising flyers, beer mats etc. to put on the tables and the bars in the hall.

The Volunteers
The Festival is organised and run by members of CAMRA who are all unpaid volunteers. We are always looking for more more helpers, so if you're not already a member, why not join at the festival's CAMRA stand. If you can help at any session, please see Volunteering to help at 'Booze on the Ouse' or contact the Volunteers Coordinator at volunteers@hunts.camra.org.uk.

Please see Volunteering to help at 'Booze on the Ouse' or contact our Volunteers Coordinator at volunteers@hunts.camra.org.uk.

CAMRA Membership Stand
Come along and chat to our volunteers and learn more about CAMRA, beer, brewing and pubs.

There will be an exclusive special offer for those joining CAMRA at the festival. You will get your entry fee back by way of a free pint, plus 2 additional free pints.
* * * A GREAT reason to join CAMRA at the Festival! * * *

FESTIVAL CHARITY PARTNER

Each festival Hunts CAMRA partners up with a local charity to help raise funds for a good cause. For 2024, we have partnered up with Sue Ryder, who do fantastic work providing palliative care and support to individuals and families going through very difficult periods of their lives. We are really happy to be supporting this great work, and encourage festival goers to donate what they can afford. Hunts CAMRA will donate to Sue Ryder the £3 value of festival glasses that are returned on exiting the festival.

SIX TOP TIPS for a great festival

1. Come early! - You will get the best selection of beers and ciders on Thursday and Friday afternoon. Friday evening is always our busiest session; space, seating and tables will be limited.
2. The beer and cider lists are posted online - Check them out in advance and you can plan what you would like to try. You can also get more information by following us on Twitter (@HuntsCAMRA) or Facebook (HuntsCAMRA), or using the Booze on the Ouse Beer and Cider List & Status
3. The volunteers are real ale and cider/perry enthusiasts - If you are unsure what you would like, please ask them for their recommendations. Our volunteers will be delighted to offer you a couple of 'tasters' so you can try before you buy. You are unlikely to be disappointed!
4. Drink responsibly - Pace yourself and drink thirds or halves. You can then try more different beers and ciders. Start with lower ABV (alcohol by volume) products. There is no need to try everything in one session!
5. Keep hydrated - As well as beer and cider, please drink plenty of water or soft drinks.
6. Bring your friends - Even if they don’t normally drink real ale or cider, we think that most people will enjoy the atmosphere and find something new that they really love. And there is gin and wine available if beer and cider really isn't their thing.

Venue

The festival will be held at the Priory Centre, Priory Lane, St Neots PE19 2BH

Getting There
The Priory Centre is located in the heart of St Neots beside the attractive riverbank of the Great Ouse. The Centre is around a 15 min walk or 5 min taxi ride from St Neots Station, which is on the Great Northern rail line linking London Kings Cross / St Pancras and Peterborough, via Stevenage. See www.greatnorthernrail.com
You can take a Stagecoach bus (alight at St Neots Market Square) with regular services linking Cambridge, Bedford, Milton Keynes and Oxford. There are also some local bus services within the St Neots area. For more details, see stagecoachbus.com

OTHER DETAILS

Families are welcome until 8 pm each day
Whilst lunchtime is the ideal time to bring the family to the festival, we do allow children into the hall until 8 pm. Under 18s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.

Please remember that it is against the law to purchase alcohol if you are under 18,
or to purchase alcohol on behalf of someone who is under 18.
If you are lucky enough to appear under 21, you can expect to be asked to prove your age

Assistance dogs are welcome in the festival at all times. Other well-behaved, supervised dogs are welcome, but please avoid peak times (e.g. Friday evening) and show consideration for other customers who may be eating nearby.

CONTACT DETAILS

Festival Organiser (Christopher Bee): festival@hunts.camra.org.uk
Volunteer Coordinator (Juliet Ferris): volunteers@hunts.camra.org.uk

More information
If you have any questions about the 'Booze on the Ouse', please contact ku.gro.armac.stnuh@lavitsef

Photos of Previous Festivals

Other local CAMRA festivals
CAMRA Festivals Nearby
Cambridge Beer Festival
Peterborough Beer Festival
National Festivals
National Winter Ales Festival (NWAF)
Great British Beer Festival Held in London in August