The organisers of Dorchester Beerex, West Dorset Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and charity partner Dorchester Casterbridge Rotary club, are delighted to announce that profits for the 33rd Dorchester Beerex held in the Corn Exchange, Dorchester will be in the region of £18K all in.
Amongst other donations a large part of profits will go to this year’s principle charity the Dorchester Youth & Community Centre (DYCC) which provides an essential service to youngsters and vulnerable people. DYCC also benefited from £2090 from the on-going raffles over the weekend.
Since 1988, when the festival started, over £225K has been raised.
Related: Report from BEEREX 2022
In response to the news and weekend, Dorchester Beerex committee Chairman Ellis Ford said: “After a year with no Beerex we didn’t know how successful the event was going to be. It’s been a tremendous success and we are very pleased with how well it’s gone. We are grateful for all the support from local businesses in these difficult times and look forward to Beerex 2023.”
Over 1300 customers, barrel sponsors and volunteer staff attended the weekend festival over the four sessions, sampling 80 cask ales and 21 ciders and perrys with representatives of Palmers brewery in Bridport, the Festival’s main sponsor in attendance. This year’s entertainment came from local musician Jack Daniels with an accompanied acoustic set on the Friday night while Saturday night saw Dorchester/Weymouth band Fluke play up-town funk and bass tunes alongside popular, more rock numbers.
This year’s customer-voted beer of the festival was won by Christchurch brewery’s Drop the Anchor who took the public vote with their rich, smooth, hazelnut chocolaty flavoured Breaking Glass Porter at a hefty 6% ABV. On hearing of the news, owner and brewer of Drop the Anchor brewery, Neil Hodgkinson said: “This is amazing news and really means a lot to me after the past few months, I’m really made up.”
Following in close second was the collaboration brew from Cerne Abbas & Dorchester’s Copper Street brewery with their 8% ABV un-hopped Old English ale recipe. On hearing of the two winners the Festival’s beer procurement officer, who selected the 80 beers, Rich Gabe said: “It’s always a fantastic credit to local brewers when they win awards and in these changing times it’s great to see public acknowledgment to local breweries and small businesses.”
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Anthony Buckton from Copper Street Brewery, BEEREX committee member Phil Livsey and Tom Browns licensee Katy Jones