PREPARATIONS are underway as Weymouth’s most popular beer festival returns for its seventh year.

Next weekend, Octoberfest will once again fill the Pavilion Theatre's Ocean Room with 70 cask real ales and a selection of local ciders and perries.

Organised by the West Dorset branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), the festival will take place over two days on Friday, October 7 and Saturday, October 8.

Each year a theme is chosen to influence the beer selection with this year’s being ‘Within the M25’.

West Dorset CAMRA manager Rich Gabe said: "London has become a major player in the real ale renaissance.

"As well as promoting the new wave of London brewers like By the Hons, Kew, Portobello and Redemption, the slightly older ones like Sam Brookes and family brewer Fullers will also be represented.

"Some of the new wave brewers seldom put beer into cask but choose to keg their beers, so this will be a rare opportunity for enthusiasts to sample the cask product."

Over the two days customers will enjoy a variety of London ales form established breweries including including Brixton Brewery, Cronx brewery and the Weird Beard Brewery.

Mr Gabe added: "A huge range of flavours can be expected, complimenting London’s past of Pale Ales, IPAs and the famous Porter styles."

The selection of city brews will complimented by some Dorset favourites from Gillingham, Dorchester, and Wimborne.

Cerne Abbas brewery will be showcasing its selection of beers at its very own sponsored bar.

Co-owner of the brewery, Vic Irvine, said: "Having our beers here over the weekend gives us a chance to show them all at once and bring beer back to the true home of British brewing."

Dorset standouts on offer over the weekend include award-winning beer from Palmer's, Eight Arch of Wimborne, Dorset Brewing Co, and Piddle Brewery.

The festival will be split into two sessions running from 11am to 3.30pm and 6pm to 11.30 pm each day at a cost of £5 a ticket.

Tickets are available online of the West Dorset CAMRA and Pavilion websites, or available in the Pavilion box office.

www.camrawdorset.org.uk