The festival is run entirely under marquee located on the green outside the old Tuckers Maltings on Osbourne Park, Newton Abbot, Devon, UK.

• The festival runs over 4 days starting on the Thursday competition day. This is when all the beers fight for the best beer of the year awards and is also broken down into categories, so you have amber, gold, brown, dark and even speciality beers. The beers come from breweries all over the south west of England from Bristol, Channel Isles, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire.
• The festival has always been run on a voluntary basis by the brewers, with great help from CAMRA, and provided there are always enough volunteers the future looks good for the festival to continue for many years to come.
• 2022 was the first time keg had ever been judged at the event as part of a huge shakeup of the awards.
• The festival moved outside from 2022 onward on Osbourne Park.
• Tuckers Maltings was one of only four malt houses in the country which still produced malt in the traditional manner, but sadly closed it’s doors in 2018. Thankfully though the Beer Festival is still going strong and from 2022 onward it will be known as Maltings Fest.
• Unfined beer is you guessed it, beer without finings. Finings clear the beer by giving the yeast something to form clumps around (flocculate), so it settles to the bottom of the cask faster. There’s no sugar coating it finings are fish bits, marvellous for clearing beer, but less enticing if you’re vegetarian. For many beers, cutting out finings makes them vegan friendly, making great beer accessible to more people.
• The most prevalent type of finings used in brewing is a product derived from fish known as Isinglass. A collagen derived from the swim bladders of fish, historically it was farmed from sturgeon. This was until in the late 18th century when Scottish inventor William Murdoch developed a cheaper way of producing isinglass using cod, or hake. Today’s commercially used isinglass is made from farmed tropical fish.
• You don’t actually consume isinglass when you drink a beer in which it’s been used as a fining, and this includes cask ale, as the product remains in the container. It is an animal product however, so beers that use it are not suitable for those with diets that avoid animal products.
• Isinglass is a process aid, which means that a producer doesn’t need to include it on a list of ingredients. This means it can be incredibly difficult to know if a beer or bottle of wine has used isinglass or not unless it explicitly states that it’s suitable for vegans.
• Children should not be in the bar area and they must not be anywhere on site after 8pm. They are allowed in for free before 8pm, must be accompanied by an adult at all times and get a wristband with a contact phone number to be written on. They must not approach the bar and either sit in the area away from the bar (by the stage) or in the grassed area surrounding the marquees.
• Dogs are allowed in on leads, a contact phone number must be on their collar. They should not be taken to the bar since they could be a trip hazard.
• Staff reserve the right to ask any who misbehave to leave along with those who accompany them.
• It’s all under a large all weather family marque.
• T-shirts are available to buy including ladies sizes.

• Tuckers Maltings was founded by Parnell Tucker and work began on its construction in January 1900 and it officially opened for business on Monday the 5th November 1900. Before sadly closing in 2018, It was one of only four malt houses in the country which still produced malt in the traditional manner, supplying over 30 breweries in the south west.
• Tucker’s Maltings was the venue for the very first regional beer festival and competition. There were 67 beers at the first festival back in 1993 and this increased year by year until there were more than 300. However it became clear that the more beers there were, the less space there was for customers so the number was limited to around 280.

With the festival now from 2022 all outside on Osbourne Park there is no need for the old split sessions, so now it’s one fee for all day. There are 2 Friday sessions with separate ticket & wrist bands per session. The festival area will be vacated between sessions.

• Thursday 5pm-11pm, £7 2024, (£5 per ticket 2022).
• Friday 11am-11pm £10 2024, (£8 per ticket 2022). (Pre 2019 11am-5pm, £5 per ticket., 6pm-11pm, £7 per ticket,  All Day, £10 per ticket.)
• Saturday 11am-10pm, £7 2024, note earlier finish, (£5 per ticket 2022).

Update 2022 Now including 70 keg beers and lager with around 15 on at any one time. 10 ciders still & carbonated, gins, whiskey and rum. There are around 220 cask beers to choose from that have been brewed throughout the South West of the UK. The booklet your given also states which beers are gluten free, vegan or unfined.

• £2 for half pint token
• £10 for 5 half pint tokens. (Refundable for £1 each)
• Entry includes half-pint glass tankard
• All the beers are colour coded into beer types.
• If theirs a particular beer you like, you can by a 4 pint growler

Tip: You can always head to the Tap House where they have even more ales, wines, ciders, gins, vodka, lagers and soft drinks available.

I always come via the train as it’s only a 2 minute walk from the station. Going home though the last train is early around 9pm, so if we’re still enjoying ourselves we’ll switch and catch the bus home instead.

• Train: This is the way I usually come, the station is only a 2 minute walk around the corner. It cost me £3.30 for off-peak return with group save discount from Paignton. Though be aware that the train back to Paignton on Saturday night is early at around 9pm.
• Car: Parking is very limited, Osborne car park is right next to the festival, but this is 3 hours max during daytime hours. I would suggest parking around Brunel estate Collet Way, TQ12 4PH. This is free leaving with a short 10 minute walk.
• Bus: Depending on your direction, you’ll want to get off at the bus stop nearest the train station or Avenue Church, just a 2 minute walk from there. Both stops are on the No. 12 route.

• £1 reduction for CAMRA members or own glass.
• Cash and Card accepted.
• Always ask to try a little bit first and don’t be afraid to try 3 or 4 before you settle on one.
• No children should be in the bar area and that they must not be anywhere on site after 8pm.
• From 2019 Dogs will be allowed in on leads, a contact phone number must be on their collar. They should not be taken to the bar since they could be a trip hazard.
• Take a chair with you as there are limiting seats available.
• Many people take their own food and enjoy picnic on a table or the grass.
• You can go into the Tap House where you can buy even more ciders, gin, wine, lager and soft drinks etc.
• If you’re not keen on the food, go to The Hatch in the Tap House across the road or you can head into town for a pub lunch or take away etc. As long as you have your wristband you can get back in.
• If traveling by train be aware that the train back to Paignton on Saturday night is early at around 9pm.
• For more info go to facebook, twitter or maltingsfest.co.uk.
• www.drinkaware.co.uk