Drinks, food and fun for all as Codsall Beer Festival returns
It was a weekend of celebration for a South Staffordshire village as a popular beer festival returned for another year.
The 2022 Codsall Beer Festival brought hundreds of people to the village hall to enjoy a weekend of ales, ciders, lagers, wines and a host of other drinks throughout the hall and accompanying marquee.
There were also culinary delights as those present were able to buy hot pork baps with apple sauce, stuffing and gravy, trays of home cooked nachos with brisket chilli or chipotle bean chilli and cheese and onion cobs and scratchings.
With entertainment on stage over Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1 and a bouncy castle outside, there was something for everyone across the whole weekend.
Organiser Andy Evans said the festival had been running since 2015 after he had attended a festival in Bishops Wood and decided to start running one himself.
He said that the first festival back after the Covid pandemic in 2021 had been well-attended and this years event was a continuation of that as people were able to go out and enjoy themselves.
He said: "I think it's just a case that people are happy to see things like this on and the fact that the weather has been really good has also helped us to have a great crowd.
"We are also back to having our full selection of beers as well and I think what makes this festival so popular is that selection, with usually around 30 beers from 30 breweries.
"We also have the music, which goes on all night, and I think it is just a great atmosphere as people like to come here and try the beers and have some fun."
Among the most popular beers at the festival was the Vocation-Cloudwater Collab Bee Witched 5.0%, a silky, full-bodied, hazy pale ale, which Mr Evans said had sold out on the Friday, due to demand.
Other stalls doing well were the cider and lagers area inside the marquee, with ABK and Fixed Wheel doing very well.
Neil Parks, who was volunteering at the festival, spoke about the popularity of the festival and what makes it so special.
He said: "I think what makes it special is things like the music and the bands Andy puts on, whereas at other beer festivals, you wouldn't have that and would just have the beer.
"I'm from Codsall, so I know how popular this festival is and how it benefits the local economy, with everything they're making going into the next event and events around here.
"I'm always really pleased to be here to do this event and I think people like a lager as a nice change if they fancy drinking something smooth."
For Andy Evans, the event is something he enjoys doing and said he hoped to be able to put it on as long as there was interest.
He said: "I always say that as long as it's supported, I will always organise it.
"We make enough money to pay for all of the beers and we get to donate the rest away, so as long as that carries on, I'll keep doing it."
