Winter Real Ale Festival and Burns Night at the Duke

Locally brewed ales at the Duke of Wellington

The Duke of Wellington holds its first Winter Real Ale Festival this week, 21-24 January.

The four day festival features ales made especially for the event, including a spirit-infused beer from Downton Brewery, based in Wiltshire.

There will also be plenty of new and lesser known beers for aficionados.

Over 30 ales from Britain’s best breweries will be served over the course of the festival, including  Hampshire’s Bowman Brewery,  Derbyshire’s Blue Monkey Brewery, Sussex’s Dark Star Brewery and Otley Brewery from Pontypridd.

To help battle the January blues, the festival will include a range of winter warmers including stouts, porters, barley wines and  real ciders from small farms in Herefordshire and Somerset.

As with our inaugural real ale festival in August 2008, a 30 pence discount on pints will again be offered to all CAMRA members with valid membership cards.

Burns Night on Monday 25 January is a special ‘end of festival’  event with plenty of Scottish beers, malt whisky tasting and some lovely haggises, neeps and tatties in memory of the much loved Rabbie Burns.

Throughout the festival itself, a delicious English menu will be served to compliment our real ales – please see below for our kitchen opening hours – and home made bar snacks will be available throughout the festival.

Kitchen Opening Hours

Monday – Friday  5:30pm-10:00pm
Saturday – brunch 11:00am-5:00pm and dinner 5:30-8pm
Sunday – roasts and other treats 12noon -8:00pm

The Duke of Wellington, 119 Balls Pond Road, Dalston N1 4BL

Closest stations are Highbury & Islington (Victoria Line) and Dalston Kingsland (Overland)