More cider is drunk in the UK than any other country in the world which is why it will feature so prominently at the Medway Beer Festival next month.

Although most people associate the drink with the craze of pouring a bottled version over ice in a tall glass, the traditional versions are enjoying a strong revival.

Organiser, John Brice who runs the King George V pub in Brompton, said: “The beer festival basically features cask conditioned real ale but the ciders we will have on tap fall into a similar category.

“They are all made in a traditional way using local apples. Many years ago the drink was produced by farmers to pay neighbours who helped when many hands were needed at harvest time.

“Later sales declined and it became the drink of tramps and teenagers because it didn’t have government duty on it like beer or wine so it was cheap alcohol.

“Now it’s the trendy drink. The image has changed full circle. Sales are continuing to increase and there is far more importance to the history of various ciders, just like real ale.”

The Medway Beer Festival has a Westcountry theme this year with all 50 cask conditioned ales from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset or Somerset.

Most of the ciders are also from the same region – producers like Broadoak, Burrowhill, Thatchers, Wilkins and Winkleigh will be on sale but the favourite Kent versions of Magic Bus and Dreamy Bus will also be available.

The three-day Medway festival opens at 4pm on Thursday, November 6. The next two days it starts at 11am with last orders at 11pm all three evenings.

In addition to the Westcountry ales and ciders, around 60 bottled Belgian beers will also be stocked. Many of those will be special Christmas ales.

John Brice said:“I will be making a special trip to Belgium a week before the festival to collect as many as I can. I won’t know exactly how many will be available until I get there.

“It is extremely unusual to get Belgian Christmas ales in the UK and I am likely to have the biggest collection in the country at the Medway Beer Festival.”

Hot food will be served throughout the three days and money will be raised for charity – the RNLI and the Kent Air Ambulance. There will be live music each evening.

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