Tickets are now on sale for the ever-popular Dorchester Beerex festival, returning for its biggest ever year with a selection of 80 ales and the largest range of ciders to ever be at the festival.

Beerex committee member Rich Gabe said: “The Friday evening session is the perfect session to wind down after a week’s work, take the weight off your feet and enjoy the full range of 80 beers and ciders available while conversation and banter rule the night. A local band will be providing the Saturday night party atmosphere we have come to expect.

“Amongst the selection of 80 beers featured this year a good 50 per cent of the breweries have never been at Beerex before and we are looking forward to sampling beers never seen in the town before”

Beerex chairman Dave Harris said: “The committee are really looking forward to this year’s festival and we would like to thank all of our barrel sponsors who have been so generous. Our main charity – The Fortuneswell Cancer Trust is an excellent local cause and we are looking to raise as much money as possible for them.”

Festival beers include Lydbrook Valley IPA and Newark Winter. More local beers of interest include the 2018 beer of the festival Eight Arch, Corbel from Wimborne, Cerne Abbas, Ginger Fox, Saxon Gold and Shield Wall from the new Dorchester brewery and two beers from Small Paul’s brewery of Gillingham.

The cider range has been increased to 20 including Twisted’s Dark Spice, Dorset Sunshine’s rhubarb and ginger damson from Dorset Nectar, and one for Pink Floyd fans: Orchard Pig’s Dark Cider the Moon.

Tickets are still available and are priced at £10 per session. This includes a glass, colour programme and two halves of beer.

They will be available from the following outlets in Dorchester; The Bakers Arms and Convivial Rabbit pubs along with the Brace of Butchers shop, Poundbury.

Tickets will also be available in Weymouth from the Dog House micro pub and online at www.camrawdorset.org.uk.

The festival will be held in Dorchester Corn Exchange on Friday, February 1 and Saturday, February 2.

The lunchtime opening hours are 11am-4pm. The evening hours are 6.30pm-11.30pm.