By Zoe Forsey 

Real ale enthusiasts head for St Albans Beer Festival
      Real ale lovers toasted the start of this year’s St Albans Beer Festival today.

The 17th annual event kicked off at 11am this morning in the Alban Arena .

Thousands of people are expected to taste more than 400 ales, beers and ciders over the next four days.

Philip Defriez, who organises the event, said: "I hope people enjoy drinking a pint of real ale - some people might not have tasted it before.

"If they like it they might go to the pub and drink real ale. That is what it’s all about.

  "We want to encourage people to drink it and realise how good it is.

"It is about promoting ale as a natural product."

This year the festival is offering more than 350 different real ales, as well as 80 foreign beers and 50 ciders.

Mr Defriez added: "We have got a good range of beers.

"There are beers to suit all tastes.

"We have a lot of local ciders."

The event has run in the city for 17 years and has grown more popular each year.

Mr Defriez said: "I’m very optimistic about this year’s event.

"The last two years have seen record-breaking numbers. We are hoping for similar figures this year."

The event, which is organised by the south Hertfordshire branch of CAMRA, will run until Saturday night and includes several live music acts and a quiz.  Nigel Mason, who lives in south east London, has travelled to St Albans for the festival every year since it began. He said: "There is a wonderful choice here.

"There are lots of new beers and new flavours to try.

"There are different styles of beer and they are all in one place at one time.

"If you just go in to a pub you only get whatever they have on that day."

Six different bars have been set up in the Alban Arena, each offering a range of different drinks. One of today’s special guests was the head brewer at Greene King, John Bexon.

He said: "I think it is a great event.

"It is an experience drinking beer.

"I can imagine it is going to be heaving in here."

The beer festival is open from today untoil Saturday from 11am to 11pm.

For more information about the event visit www.stalbansbeerfestival.com.