Local beers from Horsham, Dorking, Rudgwick and across the county will take centre stage at this weekend’s beer festival at The Richard Onslow in Cranleigh, when the popular pub is given over to a three day celebration of fantastic locally brewed cask ales and craft beers, from Friday 11th to Sunday 13th April.
Sussex brewers and their counterparts in Surrey will be taking some of their finest brews to the pub when the festival kicks off at 4pm this Friday. Pub deputy manager, Stewart Cumming, who is passionate about beer, has lined up a selection of over a dozen beers, from small and award-winning local independent brewers, to try at the festival.
“It’s our first beer festival here at the pub and it’s all about great local beer,” says Stewart. “I know from my own research in local watering holes that there are some amazing beers out there and that it’s very easy to get your hands on them – you just have to know where to look. Great, local brewers are dotted all over Sussex and Surrey and we have some cracking beers, ales and also ciders, made right on our doorstep.
“So I’ve made it my mission to get them into the pub, either as regular guest ales or by having special events like this one, where we want to see as many people as possible sipping and supping new beers they might not have tried before and ringing the changes from their usual pint.”
Plenty of great local beers will be on tap over the weekend and there’ll also be the chance to meet some of the brewers. Stewart is setting up a stillage in the pub’s side room to serve beers from at least six local brewers including the Dorking Brewery and Horsham’s Hepworth and King’s Brewhouse, as well as from Rudgwick’s Firebird Brewing Company, The Surrey Hills Brewery and The Little Beer Corporation, a community-owned nano-brewery in Guildford which brews and sells premium craft bottled beer.
Visitors can try as many beers as they like on the day or go one better and pre-order their ‘beer money’ – special tokens they can spend on a round or two of drinks – by going to www.therichardonslow.co.uk. There will also be tasty bar snacks, including home-made pork scratchings, as well as the pub’s all-day menu of good seasonal food to enjoy.
“It’s going to be a weekend of discovery with some brilliant beers for everyone to try – whether they’re ale aficionados or not,” says Stewart. “There’s never been a better time to get into beer; it’s a great, British product and we’re lucky enough to have a strong brewing heritage locally that really needs celebrating, and supporting. I for one will be doing just that, and I hope as many people as possible will be raising a glass with me.”
The Richard Onslow beer festival takes place from 4pm on Friday 11th April, and runs all weekend, or until the beer runs out. Find the pub in the heart of Cranleigh Village, at 113-117 High Street, Cranleigh, Surrey GU6 8AU. Tel: 01483 27 49 22. www.therichardonslow.co.uk
