Beer judges are wetting their whistles and gearing up for Sham Fest

Real ales from across the South West will be competing in Bideford for the title of 'Sham Fest Champion' next weekend alongside a soundtrack of live music.

The annual Sham Fest beer festival kicks off at the Pollyfield Centre in Avon Road, Bideford, on Friday, October 17 and continues on Saturday, with free admission.

There will be 21 ales on offer, plus ciders, craft gin and rum, live music and hot food at the event, which raises money for the local Food Pantry and other community causes and charities.

As well as the beer, there will be plenty of live music on both days from a wide range of local performers, with something for all tastes.

But before the doors open to the public, a panel of judges will be sampling each ale and picking the festival champion, plus handing out a silver and a bronze award.

Organiser Huw Thomas said: “This is Sham Fest's third year and thanks to wonderful support from all our sponsors, this will be our biggest beer festival by far.

“We've got ales coming from across Devon, plus beers from several Cornish breweries and a couple from Wiveliscombe in Somerset.”

The competition to choose the best beer is being organised with help from members of the North Devon branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

Judges given the tough job of picking the best beer will include local MP Sir Geoffrey Cox, volunteers from among the sponsors, the Mayor of Bideford Peter Lawrence and trustees from the Pollyfield Centre.

Huw continued: “We've got a wide range of beers, from quite light 'session' ales, to IPAs and stronger bitters, plus stouts and other darker beers. Top of the list in terms of strength will be Keltek's award-winning Grim Reaper, which is 6.0% alcohol and Grizzly from Somerset's Black Bear, which is a 6.2% English strong ale.

“Luckily for the judges, they don't have to drink a pint of each one!

He added: “But it's not just about the beer. Sham Fest is growing into a real community event. Admission is free and we've got a wide variety of live music over the weekend, from Dixie jazz to sea shanties, acoustic covers, reggae and rockabilly.”

READ MORE: Get set to raise a glass or three at Sham Fest in Bideford this October

A packed line up of live music includes rousing jigs, reels and lively songs to softer tunes and ballads from Rakes Adrift, plus local singer/guitarist Kayleigh Jay Richardson and a set from The Hoodoo Man playing everything from Elvis to Oasis.

Headlining Saturday evening will be Better Late Than Never, playing hits from the 70s up to the present, plus jazz and bossa nova from Catarina & The Coconut, a mix of original ska, reggae and ballads from Malachite, country tunes from Formidable Force and well-known local acoustic duo Dogleg.

Doors are open from 6 to 11pm on Friday and 1pm to 11pm on Saturday. For more information, look for Sham Fest on Facebook or Instagram.