Beer flows as thousands pour into Minehead for real ale festival (From Somerset County Gazette)
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Beer flows as thousands pour into Minehead for real ale festival
11:40am Tuesday 11th September 2012 in West Somerset
QUANTOCK Brewery team members James Higgins, Rob Rainey, Cheryl Ford, Ken Carson and Ken Oxley. PHOTO: Steve Guscott
IT was all numbers, numbers, numbers at the West Somerset Railway and CAMRA Real Ale Festival... with a bit of beer thrown in for good measure.
Around 1,600 people passed through the doors at Minehead Railway Station on Saturday (September 8) with another 1,000 on Sunday, between them leaving 112 empty beer barrels.
As well as plenty of eating and drinking, live music entertained the large crowds that packed onto the platform.
Paul Conibeare, general manager of West Somerset Railway Association, hailed the weekend a wonderful success and is already looking forward to next year's showpiece.
He told the County Gazette: “It was absolutely fantastic.
"People were friendly, it was a great atmosphere, they turned out with their picnic chairs and we had perfect weather.
“By the end there were 112 empty barrels of beer, numbers were up on last year and everybody had a great time.
“It will be the same again next year we hope.”
