Beer and music lovers are gearing up for one of the biggest parties of the year as preparations take place for the acclaimed St Austell Brewery Celtic Beer Festival on Saturday (November 28).

Real ale fans are in for an extra special treat this year as St Austell Brewery head brewer Roger Ryman and his team have created more than 20 special brews to tickle the taste buds of visitors to the event.

Together with the Brewery’s range of award-winning regular ales, they will be among more than 100 great beers from across the UK at the festival, which also features a line-up of eight fantastic live bands from midday to 11 pm.

Included among Rogers special brews are tantalisingly named tipples such as:

• Paola’s Zingi Ginger Beer – Fruity hoppy aroma with some spice. Well balanced with a subtle ginger farewell.
• Lindsay’s Chilli Chocolate Stout – A beer which packs a punch with its chocolate aroma and fresh chilli aftertaste
• Frankenstein Belgian StyleTriple – A 9.0 ABV Belgian Style Golden Triple brewed using German andSlovenian hops.
• Proper Pilsner Lager – A 5.0 ABV crisp, fresh pilsner style lager beer.

Roger said: “It’s always a fantastically busy time but also really good fun to try out some new recipes in advance of the festival. We’re very excited about results and I hope the beers we have brewed and all the others at the event capture the huge diversity within real ale.”

The 11th annual celebration of real ale and live music is being hosted by St Austell Brewery in the unique surroundings of the old wine cellars and vaults beneath the Victorian brewery. In response to the huge popularity of the event over the last decade, this year the Brewery will be opening up extra space using its historic Rum Store to increase capacity at the festival for a further 400 people.

Jeremy Mitchell, St Austell Brewery Director of Marketing and Communications, said: “In ten years, the Celtic Beer Festival has become a must date in Cornwall’s diary. It’s always one of the biggest parties of the year, with a fantastic atmosphere and something visitors and brewery staff are always look forward to.”

The Celtic Beer Festival is organised and staffed by volunteers from the Brewery, together with suppliers, with all money raised going to local charities through the St Austell Brewery Charitable Trust.

LIVE BANDS APPEARING AT THE CELTIC BEER FESTIVAL 2009 INCLUDE:

• Three Minute Warning
• Bucket Boys
• Dalla
• Scaramoose
• Tony Haven
• Big Guns
• Marble Fairy

Food will be provided by a team of Brewery chefs – all using fresh Cornish produce.

The St Austell Brewery Celtic Beer Festival takes place between 11am and 11pm on Saturday November 28. Tickets are £10 per person (available at the door) and include a polycarbonate commemorative pint glass, programme and three drinks tokens. Extra drinks tokens are available at £1.25 for each half pint / £2.50 a pint.