MORE than 300 real ale enthusiasts enjoyed Winterfest at Castle Street Social Club in Salisbury.

Now in its 17th year, Winterfest is a beer festival of seasonal ales, milds, stouts and porters, organised by the Salisbury and South Wiltshire branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

The festival also had the honour of being selected to hold the south east regional heat of the Stouts Category in CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain competition.

Six stouts were in competition, including Hop Back Entire Stout and representatives from Kent and Berkshire.

The six were selected from all the stouts brewed in the south east area, which includes south Wiltshire, by a vote open to all CAMRA members in that area. The shortlisted beers were judged in a blind tasting by a panel made up of brewers Paul Smith from Small Paul’s and Stig Anderson from Stonehenge Ales, publicans Adrian Leonard from The Village Free House and Mark Norton from The Carriers and branch members Nigel Allison and Richard Knox.

The judges were unanimous in their choice of winner. The winner, which must remain secret until it is officially announced, will go on to be judged against stouts from the rest of the country in the final rounds of the competition at the Great British Beer Festival in August.

The Salisbury Beerex will take place on June 13 and 14 at Salisbury Arts Centre.