HUNDREDS of real ale fans flocked to the memorial hall last weekend to celebrate the eighth annual Northwich Beer Festival.

Over 70 quality beers were on offer during the weekend, which saw enthusiasts from as far afield as South Wales converge on the town to sample some of the finest milds, bitters, porters and stouts.

Many of the beers featured in the Rotary Club and CAMRA organised event came from local or new breweries although there were many on offer from renowned specialty breweries such as Oakham, of Peterborough, and RCH, of Weston-Super-Mare.

The event also coincided with the very first national Independent Family Brewers of Britain Cask Ale Week, giving those who attended the festival double the reason to raise their glasses in celebration.

One of the highlights of the festival was the announcement of the Northwich Guardian Pub of the Year.

After a closely fought contest the award was scooped by the Black Greyhound, in Wincham, where the service and hospitality to pensioners was highly commended.

The other contested event during the festival was for the Beer of the Festival, again this was a tight race but eventually a winner was named, Cross Buttocks, a medium strength ale from the Jennings of Cockermouth brewery.

Another winner was Guardian reader Karen Curley, whose name was picked from a hat and she has won a case of 12 beers.

Chairman of the organising committee David Hubbard said: "We were very pleased with the weekend's event, it went really smoothly, like clockwork.

"We'd like to thank everyone who came to the festival, all the charity stalls sold out and by Saturday evening the beer was running out but we had a slight surplus so from 10pm onward all beer was free."

He added: "Sponsorship for the festival was better than ever and we managed to make a profit over the course of the weekend of almost £10,000.

"The money raised will be split between the two Northwich Rotary Clubs and will go into the general charity fund to be used to help local projects and support groups."

The Rotary Club has also offered to match any money raised by the four charities, St Luke's Hospice, The Neuro Muscular Centre, Age Concern and Arthritis Care, who held fund-raising stalls at the event.