A week-long celebration of Brewing and Distilling is taking place in Dorchester from Friday 18th February – Sunday 27th February 2022. The festival will honour the town’s prestigious brewing and distilling history through a series of tastings, exhibitions, talks, poetry, and world-class drinks. It will launch with a weekend celebrating women in brewing and locally brewed drinks.
Dorchester has strong links with brewing dating back to the 18th century. In 1760, traveller Emmanuel Bowen noted that Dorchester was famous for “brewing the best and finest beer in England, whereof great quantities have been of late years exported and consigned to London”.
For over 100 years, the imposing Eldridge Pope Brewery was one of the most important buildings in Dorchester and at the centre of the town’s economy. The distillery closed in 2003, but brewing is once again thriving in Dorchester thanks to innovative new breweries, micro-breweries, pubs and distillers.
Award-winning brewster Emma Davies of Curious Kombucha, Fordington Gin’s creator Ros Nelmes, and Ann Buckton from Copper Street brewery, will be hosting events and sharing their knowledge. Veteran news reporter, author and broadcaster Kate Adie is giving a talk, ‘Women, War and the Pub.’ It will look at how the face of the local pub changed in World War 1, when they were run by women and when women were welcomed as customers.
Matilda Manley of Dorchester Town Council said:
“This is not a traditional beer festival but a more modern celebration of brewing. There’s a very fresh and creative drinks-making scene here with women at its core. And it’s great to be able to shine the spotlight on them, hear their stories and sample their fantastic drinks.”
Highlights of the week include:
- Tastings at the Copper Street Brewery. Ann and Anthony Buckton established Copper Street Brewery in Dorchester in 2018, bringing brewing back to Dorset’s historic county town. Their family-run brewery, bottle shop and tap room is in the heart of Brewery Square.
- Fordington Gin’s creator, Ros Nelmes, will host Drinks in the Clinks at the Shire Hall Museum. Sample award-winning gin whilst exploring one of Dorchester’s most historic buildings as Ros shares her expertise on gin.
- Award-winning brewster Emma Davies worked for various Dorset Microbreweries before her love of bold flavours, interest in foraged ingredients and fermentation led her to turn her knowledge of brewing to creating kombucha for her family. She’ll be sharing her story and samples of her award-winning brand, Curious Kombucha, at Tom Browns an excellent local pub with an outstanding selection of local ales, gins, and ciders.
- There are special temporary exhibitions on at the Dorset Museum and Keep Military Museum.
- Those with an interest in poetry will be well served at the Convivial Rabbit Micropub where alongside sampling the excellent selection of local ales, they can also hear beer related poems written by the Dorset dialect poet William Barnes.
- Nostalgia buffs should pop along to Brewery Square to see the vintage Eldridge Pope Dray Van and join in with the brewery tour.
A full list of events can be found here.
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