Beers and ciders will be the focus at an annual ale festival after music was scrapped from the event.

With over 40 real ales, 10 ciders and a range of international bottled beers available at the Harwich and Parkeston festival, the organisers have taken the decision to exclude music from the festival so that everyone can fully focus on the quality ales and ciders.

Chairman of the organising team, Colin Cheesman, said: “We listen to our customers and there has been an increasing suggestion that the music is a distraction. This year we have decided to give a ‘music free’ beer festival a try and there are certainly many fine ales and ciders for our visitors to concentrate on.”

The beer list includes nine real ales from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight including Ember, a lime and ginger wheat beer brewed by Vibrant Forest.

There will be 20 real ales from lesser known East Anglian breweries and Cannonball, a coffee porter brewed by Saeburh, a new brewery in Tendring which has not featured at the Harwich and Parkeston Beer Festival before.

Colin added: “There will be a lot of old favourites and some exciting new ales so I am sure there will be something for everyone at this year’s festival. The unpaid CAMRA volunteers who stage the festival have been working hard on it for many months and we are very much looking forward to another successful event.”

The festival will take place at the Parkeston Railway Club starting today, Wednesday November 21, from 5pm to 11pm, and on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, between 11am to 11pm.

Entrance is free to CAMRA members and members of the Parkeston Railway Club with an entrance fee of £2.50 for non members.

Hot and cold food will be available supplied by Harwich’s Café on the Pier.