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Hello, Hackney! Summer just got a lot boozier. Ale Tales, the UK’s first Belgian craft beer festival is taking place from Friday July 21 to Saturday July 22 in E2, and it looks epic. Billing itself as a ‘voyage of beer discovery’ (so much more fun than self-discovery), there are 60 different beers on offer and one £35 ticket entitles you to taste every single one of them. Seriously. You get handed a tasting glass on entry and you’re entitled to have that glass filled by every single craft beer vendor in the building. Apparently the tasters are going to be bigger than a shot but smaller than a half pint, but still, 60 different beers!
You’re going to want to stay sober enough to actually remember these beers, too – they look quality. We’re most intrigued by a delicious-sounding Hof Ten Dormaal, which is fermented with sour fruits; and the Hofbrouwerijke, which is made with wood spices. Belgian chef Fabrice Rocheteau will also be on hand to whip up typical national dishes including ‘croquette de crevettes’ (shrimps croquette) and ‘ballekes sauce liegeoise’ (meatballs with beer sauce). You can’t taste the food for free, mind – but ten pints deep we reckon we won’t mind paying.
Ale Tales launches July 21-22 at Oval Space, Hackney Road. Find out more information here.
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