ALE afficionados are in for a treat this week as a beer festival returns to the region with more on offer than ever before.

Building on the successful move to the York Racecourse enclosure last year, York Beer Festival opens on Wednesday and will have more than 500 beers on tap over the four-day event.

The event is Yorkshire’s largest beer festival and in addition to the hundreds of beers on offer, there will also be 100 ciders and perries plus a foreign beer bar with beers from all over the world, including two from Sardinia that have never been sold in the UK before.

And as the capital of brewing in the UK with more than 170 breweries, Yorkshire will be very well-represented at the festival with over 300 beers – the largest ever available under one roof.

And in a first this year there will be a Festival Fringe with events such as expert briefings, pub protection forums, cooking with beer as well as tastings.

Festival organiser Melissa Reid said: “We’re really excited to be delivering a festival this year that breaks yet more boundaries.”