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Please note that if you paid to come in, the souvenir glass was included in the admission charge, as in previous years. A hi-tech cooling system as used at the Great British Beer Festival was again used to maintain the condition of the beers and ensure that festivalgoers found them truly refreshing. The entire building, including its paved approach is non-smoking. We regret that Under 18s could not be admitted to our festival. Festivalgoers who were fortunate enough to look young might have been asked to provide proof of age, otherwise we would not have been not permitted to grant them admission. Our coolers inevitably gave off the heat that they extracted from the beers, but if you came in a warm coat, you didn't need to swelter. Coats could be left in the lockers in the dry changing rooms - if you come in a group the simplest solution was to bundle all your coats into one locker (returnable £1 coin needed to release the key)!

2009's Nineteenth Festival runs from Thursday 5th to Saturday 7th November. Session times are Thursday 18.00-23.00 with early admittance for CAMRA Members only from 17.00, Friday 11.00-23.00, Saturday 11.00-23.00. 

The admission charge which took account of the inclusive souvenir tankard was £4.00. Beer would only be dispensed into official CAMRA festival glasses. The entry concession given to card-carrying CAMRA Members was free admission, but Members did need either to purchase a 2009 souvenir tankard for £2 or have loan of an old festival glass against £1 deposit which could be refunded on leaving. If you joined at the festival, we saw that you were all right!

Why not ask about our Corporate Hospitality Package: special entry tickets for you and your guests, with your company design plus a new festival tankard and special beer tickets and food voucher? For breweries and distributors, a number of the beer tickets can specify the products for which they are valid. 

If you decided to join CAMRA you were a good way towards concessionary or free admission to scores of CAMRA beer festivals up and down the country?

Beer was purchased with ½ pint beer tickets with a value of £1.20, although stronger beers incurred a cash supplement.  Don't forget that at CAMRA festivals your CAMRA half pint will be full measure!

If you'd wanted to work at the Festival in 2009 (sorry, CAMRA Members only) the 2009 form and safety regulations are available to view on this link

Note that glasses in use for drinking could not be taken outside - plastic carrier bags were offered so that you didn't infringe the by-law on your way home. Our stewards, who were there to help you, were wearing distinctive yellow dayglo apparel.

We also had a trail of proper cask ale pubs around the city, for those of you spending more time in Wakefield.

Tickets on sale: outlets for 2009 were Red Shed Wakefield 01924-215626, Tourist Information, Bull Ring, Wakefield 0845-6018353,  Harry's Bar Wakefield 01924-373773, Fernandes Brewery TapWakefield 01924 386348, The Hop Wakefield 01924 367111, O'Donoghues Wakefield 07877 533103, Boons Horbury 01924-277267, Shoulder of Mutton Methley Rd, Castleford 01977-736039, Brewers Pride Healey, Ossett 01924 273865, The Tap Ossett 01924 272215, Robin Hood Pontefract 01977-702231, The Grove Leeds 0113-2439254, Fat Cat Sheffield 0114-2494801. 

In the week before the festival ticket sales were centralised at Tourist Information where tickets were available available until the Saturday lunchtime. 

For tickets by phone you could have contacted Mark Goodair, 7 Rayner Street, Horbury, WF4 5BD ' 01924 278043, (mobile 07722 147234).

Please note that tickets are no longer available from the Town Hall, and that the Light Waves booking kiosk does not sell advance tickets.

***CAMRA publications and products are on sale at the event.

On this link is the latest version of Drinking in Wakefield for the Over-18s , essential if you are thinking of trying a few city pubs on your trip. 

As well as beers from all our local active breweries  there were beers from breweries with which the branch has connections or has visited in the past year, plus themed selections of beers from East Anglia and seasonal bonfire beers. The beer list gives an indication of the beers were on sale, subject (a) to their being received on delivery day (b) to their being in a satisfactory condition and (c) to their not being sold out. We did try to indicate unavailable beers and expected/ unexpected substitutions made by suppliers even up to the eve of the festival, so the later you make your final check, the better!

With a living product there will always be the odd cask that misbehaves - some may have taken a while to settle but then be allowed on sale by late Friday or Saturday. In 2009, as well as three long bars stacked up with traditional British Cask Ale arranged by brewery as near alphabetically as we could manage, you could have English, Belgian and other World Beers in bottle, on the Bottled Beer Bar. Many bottled beers were bottle-conditioned. Read about Real Ale in a Bottle.

October was Cider and Perry Month, so from traditional cidermakers, usually farm-based, Matt Browne and Phil Kennedy who supply the Stubbing Wharf, Hebden Bridge (famous for its International Ciderfest each June) are bringing  you cider and perry  that were in no way like the fizzy pop that's all we can generally pick up in urban areas. Note that it was difficult year for perry producers so supplies were limited. We also had a selection of different deceptively drinkable Country Wines served in disposable stemmed wine glasses. (click for list)

A range of cold food was available at all sessions, sandwiches with complimentary pickles, bread and mucky fat, pickled onions, pickled eggs, crisps and real West Midland pork scratchings.

Festivalgoers' Choice, ? 

decided by ballot slips handed in by people attending the festival. Please take part in this process again in 2010, and include your bottled beer, cider and perry choices, too.