GBBF enjoys record attendance

CAMRA enjoyed a record-breaking attendance at this year's Great British Beer Festival as nearly 67,000 people visited Earl's Court over the five days.

More than 200,000 pints were sold at the event, which saw 66,922 visitors being sold more than 200,000 pints.

Pints were poured at a rate of more than 75 per minute, CAMRA said.

And the trade session was attended by 6,700 people from the industry.

Overall, the attendance was a five per cent increase on last year.

Mike Benner, CAMRA's chief executive, said the event "truly showcased the growth in interest for Britain's national drink, real ale".

His personal highlight, he added, was seeing the festival "full of people keen to try new beer styles and experience new tastes and aromas".

Around 500 GBBF visitors also attended tutored tastings while 75 drinkers enjoyed Melissa Cole's Girls' Guide to Beer tours.

CAMRA also saw 1,000 new members join the group.

Benner added: "The fact our attendance figure is more than 2,000 people up on last year is fantastic, but all of this is not possible without the support of more than 1,000 CAMRA members, who volunteer throughout the week to make this event such a memorable one."

Benner confirmed that next year's GBBF will take place from August 2-6.