The 48th Newcastle Beer & Cider Festival opened on 15th April 2026 — and as Rob from Rob's Beer Adventure reports, it delivered everything you'd want from a regional CAMRA festival.
Newcastle has long been associated with its own brewing tradition — Brown Ale, Federation, and the working men's clubs that defined a certain era of North East drinking culture. But the city's beer scene has been quietly reinventing itself for the better part of a decade. A new generation of independent breweries has emerged, taking inspiration from American craft beer and continental European traditions while remaining rooted in the region's straight-talking character. The Newcastle Beer & Cider Festival is where all of that comes together.
The Festival
Organised by CAMRA — the Campaign for Real Ale, which has been championing quality British beer since 1971 — the Newcastle festival is one of the region's most established beer events, now in its 48th year. CAMRA festivals remain important focal points for the real ale and craft beer community: they're where small breweries get real exposure, where enthusiasts discover something new, and where the region's brewing community gathers to celebrate what it does well.
This year's line-up drew on North East breweries as its backbone, supplemented by Scottish and other regional selections. Live music, cider, regional spirits, morris dancing, and food vendors rounded out what Rob describes as a mash-up of "quality beer and familiar faces." Rob attended on opening day — always the best time, when the selection is at its fullest and the atmosphere at its freshest.
Battle of the Beers
This year's festival introduced a "Battle of the Beers" competition across two categories: Best of British (using only UK ingredients) and New World IPA. The results:
- New World IPA winner: Firebrick's "Baffled NEIPA" (6.2%)
- Best of British winner: Cullercoats' "Rocket Brigade" (5.5%)
The Breweries
The festival brought together an impressive North East line-up: Full Circle, Wylam Brewery, Firebrick, Donzoko, Hadrian & Border, Durham Brewery, First & Last, Cullercoats, Almasty, Brass Castle, and Consett Ale Works — plus visiting breweries from further afield including The Kernel.
Beers Rob Tried
Full Circle — Waves of Motueka (3.4%)
Rob opened with this session pale from one of the region's most progressive breweries. "Soft mouthfeel and sweet hints of lime, kiwi and pineapple" — a solid, easy-drinking opener that set the tone for the afternoon.
Full Circle Brew Co launched in Newcastle in 2019 and quickly established themselves as one of the most exciting voices in North East craft beer. Based at the Hoults Yard development in Walker, they specialise in modern keg beer — NEIPAs, pale ales, and lagers — with a clean, refined house style. Waves of Motueka is a fine example of what they do best: maximum flavour at minimal strength, with the New Zealand Motueka hop delivering its characteristic citrus and tropical character without the beer ever feeling thin.
Wylam Brewery & Talking Tides Brew Co — Rant (5.5%)
A collaboration brewed with Bru-1 and Strata hops. Rob found "an up front bitter-sweet pineapple mango-stone fruit mix" — a lively, tropical mid-session beer. Collaborations between North East breweries have become a welcome feature of the regional scene, and pairings like this one — Wylam's technical precision meeting a smaller brewery's fresh perspective — tend to produce some of the most interesting beers at any festival.
Firebrick — Baffled NEIPA (6.2%) — Battle of the Beers Winner
"Clouded golden and light bodied, dominated by juicy stone fruit, berries and citrus." Rob met Firebrick's owner on the day to offer his congratulations on the win.
Firebrick Brewery is based in Blaydon-on-Tyne and takes its name from the firebricks used in the glass and steel furnaces that once dominated the Tyne Valley. Founded in 2013, they produce a mix of traditional and contemporary styles. Their Baffled NEIPA is a New England India Pale Ale — a hazy, hop-forward style that prioritises soft, tropical fruit flavour over the sharp bitterness of a traditional IPA. Firebrick have nailed it here: juicy, well-rounded, and worthy of its competition win.
The Kernel — East India Pale Ale London 1897 (5.8%) — Rob's Best of Festival
Rob's personal favourite of the day: "a big, bold and balanced classic British hopped IPA with loads of bitter marmalade and grassy hop notes." A classic IPA style done exactly right — and the standout beer of the entire festival.
The Kernel Brewery, based in Bermondsey, South London, is widely regarded as one of the most important British craft breweries of the modern era. Founded by Evin O'Riordain in 2009, they produce small-batch beers with a focus on historical British styles alongside American-influenced hop-forward ales. The East India Pale Ale London 1897 is based on a period recipe, brewed with traditional English hops — a timely reminder that Britain was producing world-class IPAs long before the craft beer revolution gave them a new name.
The Atmosphere
Despite a "slightly reduced number of beers available compared to last year," the quality held firm and the atmosphere delivered. Rob came away having met regional brewers, sampled competition winners, and enjoyed one of the finest classic IPAs he'd had in some time. A great showcase for what's happening in North East brewing right now — and a reminder of why the Newcastle festival has been running for nearly half a century.
Based on a review originally published on Rob's Beer Adventure. Reproduced with the author's kind permission.