THE head of a North-East micro-brewery will take his ales to Moscow’s first British beer festival.

Real ale enthusiast John Taylor, master brewer at The Stables Beer, part of the Beamish Hall Hotel, Beamish, near Stanley in County Durham, will take beers including Bobby Dazzler and give talks on brewing and British pub life .

The event is being staged from May 21 to 24 by Britannia Travel and is expected to attract 5,000 people.

The invite came after Russian holidaymakers visited The Stables Bar a few years ago.

Mr Taylor ran the Beamish Mary Inn at nearby No Place for many years , which won real ale organisation CAMRA’s national pub of the year award in the 1990s.

Mr Taylor said: “It’s an absolute privilege to be asked to send our ale over to the festival for the people of Russia to enjoy.

“But to be asked to attend and share knowledge with peers and enthusiasts is a bonus.

Cask ales, craft beers and other similar drinks are becoming popular all over the world, and celebrations large and small like Oktoberfest and even our own Beamish Hall Winter Ale Festival, are a huge draw – so it’s great to see our twin pub in Moscow bringing this to life for its people.”

Yuri Shulakov, one of the festival organisers, said: “Our celebration will be the first of its kind in Moscow, as well as the whole of Russia, so we want to make sure that we get everything right.

“I know first-hand what a talented, enthusiastic and expert brewer John is, so look forward to him sharing his knowledge – and his beer – when he arrives in Moscow.”