THE HARWICH Beer Festival had a record turnout as hundreds of people drank their way through nearly 5,000 pints.

The annual Harwich Beer Festival, which is held at the Napoleonic era Redoubt Fort, had a “great weekend” which was “helped by the lack of industrial action and great weather."

With 1,100 people entering the festival, 4,600 pints of beer, 250 pints of fruit beer, 250 pints of craft keg and 500 pints of cider were all downed.

This is in addition to the three dozen bottles of wine and prosecco and the
“bathtubs of gin” which were consumed.

Fort- The Harwich Brewing Company Beer Festival at the Harwich Redoubt fortFort- The Harwich Brewing Company Beer Festival at the Harwich Redoubt fort (Image: STEVE BRADING)

Visitors from as far away as Epsom in Surrey and Birmingham came and they are vowing to return next year with their friends.

The setup on Tuesday took 75 hours with all the heavy items being hoisted
down and there was a further 15 hours of setup on Wednesday for the tapping and spiling of the ales and line cleaning.

On Thursday at 11pm there was a glass raised for absent friends which started the four day the festival, which also coincided with two other weekend festivals in the same twenty-mile area.

Next year’s festival has already been confirmed for July 24 to 27.