Each year, at CAMRA's Great British Beer Festival, Games & Collectables auction a Brewer For A Day.

We have a history of the host being an award winning brewery (in 2022 it was Five Points) and 2023 is no exception. This year we are going to Berkshire and

Windsor and Eton Brewery.

At the Thursday night auction at the Great British Beer Festival, you’ll have a unique chance to win the Brewer for a Day at the esteemed Windsor & Eton Brewery. Named as the second best thing to do in Windsor (after the Castle), it’s just ten minutes walk from Windsor & Eton Central Station.

Situated just off the Thames, Windsor and Eton occupies a number of units on a small industrial estate where it has been since it set up in 2010. The whole thing started when Paddy Johnson stayed one night with Will Calvert whilst ‘doing John O’Groats to Lands End’. They were both between jobs and Paddy suggested starting a brewery and it went from there. The brewery’s founders were (and still are) a mix of four friends and ex colleagues. Paddy and Will met whilst working at the now defunct Bristol Courage Brewery and Will met Jim when he was at nearby chocolate maker, Mars. Jim brought in his brother, Bob, who worked at Heinz.

The brewery’s reputation for quality is well known, regularly acquiring gongs in CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain competitions as well as the International Beer Challenge. It also holds a Royal Warrant; not something most breweries could say!

The lucky winner and a friend will spend a great day with head brewer, Matt Stead. You'll have the chance to assist with the day's brew, from mashing in to mash-tun cleaning. It's set to be an excellent day with one of the UK's best breweries - plus you'll be heading away with a selection of Windsor & Eton’s favourite brews to enjoy at home.

To get a taste of their beers pop along to Bar 15 at the Great British Beer Festival and try Windsor & Eton’s Firefly, their seasonal session blond ale.

The date of the brewing is agreed between the winning bidder and the brewery. If you can’t get to the Great British Beer Festival for the auction, postal bids are accepted; contact Bill Austin 07789 900411; moc.tenretnitb@1591nitsuab.

In 2022, the brewer for the day was Five Points, which has been brewing since 2013,it all began in a railway arch with Ed Mason and Gregg Hobbs (ex East London Brewing Co). Since then, the brewery has grown significantly from its original 10 barrel kit, moving further south down Mare Street to accommodate the expansion with glossy new tanks and a tap room although it is still alongside the railway! To get a taste of their beers pop along to the Five Points owned Pembury tavern, not far from Hackney Central Station – and don’t forget to try their Best, a traditional bitter using just British Goldings hops.

The 1999 brewery was Castle Rock in Nottingham.

To get a taste of their beers pop along to the Five Points owned Pembury tavern, not far from Hackney Central Station – and don’t forget to try their Best, a traditional bitter using just British Goldings hops.

Fuller, Smith & Turner.

There are few opportunities to brew at one of Britain's few family brewers so this is really an opportunity not to be missed for Fuller's are hosting this year's Brewer for the Day.

The lucky person, plus a friend, will be put up in the evening, before spending a day brewing at the Griffin Brewery with head brewer, Georgina Young. Georgina is the first female to hold this position at the Brewery. Fuller's is a name known to most Londoners, the company, Fuller, Smith and Turner, having been around from 1845 but fewer people know that brewing has taken place around the Chiswick site since 1654.

The family are still involved with the Fuller’s Brewery. Michael Turner is the Chairman and two Fuller's, Richard and Sir James are on the board. Their beers have been winning awards with CAMRA since 1978 when ESB won the Champion Beer of Britain, going on to win it again twice more plus London Pride and Chiswick also picking up the ultimate accolade. 1845 has also won the bottled beer category twice and their most recent win was for their London Porter to be named the best Porter so there is no doubt that the Brewery can brew some decent beer!

Tiny Rebel

Newport’s Tiny Rebel has come a long way in 5 years including winning CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain in 2015.

In 2008 Brad and Gazz were brewing in their garage. After spending a couple of years experimenting, they invested in some 50 litre home brewing kit. Finally in 2012 Tiny Rebel was officially launched with two beers, Fubar and Urban IPA. These were followed by Cwtch and Dirty Stop Out.

In 2013, the Brewery took Gold, Silver & Bronze at the Great Welsh Beer Festival and they opened their pub, The Urban Tap House, in Cardiff. 2014, continued to provide Tiny Rebel with awards with Fubar taking Gold at the Great Welsh Beer Festival.

But 2015 proved even more exciting for the Brewery, opening a pub in Newport, expanding the brewery and winning the Champion Beer of Britain. Tiny Rebel goes from strength to strength winning accolades for their beers in the International Beer Challenge in 2016 and continuing to expand on its beer range.

So, brewing with Tiny Rebel promises to be a fun day with a bunch of committed, creative brewers. The package will include overnight accommodation (supplied by Tiny Rebel) and a full day’s brewing. And you never know, you might get to try a beer or two as well!

If you can't make it to the Festival, postal bids are accepted. Contact Bill Austin 01923 211654 (answerphone) or moc.tenapus@nitsuab. For more details on both experiences, see: http://www.gandc.camra.org.uk/

Adnams

Adnams was set up by brothers, George and Ernest Adnams in 1872 but there has been brewing on the site for 670 years. In 1902 Jack and Pierse Loftus acquired a stake in the brewery and the two families have continually been associated with running the business ever since.

The brewery is based in the iconic seaside town of Southwold and has, over the years, established a reputation for its beer much further afield. Its Adnams Bitter is still regarded as a benchmark of the British bitter beer style. Like Redemption, the brewery prides itself on trying to be as green as possible and its state-of-the-art brewery was designed to be highly energy efficient, recycling the steam from one brew to heat the next. Adnams is also known for its commitment to the community. In 1990, The Adnams Charitable Trust was established to mark its centenary as a public company and the Trust donates a percentage of pre-tax profits to groups and organisations within a 25-mile.

The Brewer for a Day will give you a chance to see behind the walls of this Victorian building in the heart of Southwold. You and a guest will spend the day with Fergus Fitzgerald, Master Brewer, following the beer making process throughout the day until it enters the fermentation vessels. This is also an opportunity to learn about the choice of malted barley and hop varieties and to see parts of the brewery that aren’t normally accessible to the general public. Plus you will receive a tutored tasting of Adnams' beers and the brewery will send you away with a 5 litre mini cask/keg of beer to enjoy at your leisure. The day will start at 8am and finish around 4pm. Lunch, Dinner and one night accommodation at either The Swan or Crown Hotel is generously included. The lot will be auctioned on Thursday evening at the Festival.

Oakham Ales

was the 2015 brewer. Oakham is home to CAMRA's 2014 Champion Golden Ale of Britain and Supreme Champion Beer of Britain runner up. The 2014 Awards were won by Citra but Oakham Ales has a long pedigree in gaining accolades for its beers including JHB, which won CAMRA's Supreme Champion Beer of Britain in 2001 and Inferno, which won CAMRA's Beer of East Anglia in 2010, among many others.

Oakham was originally set up in 1993 in Rutland, moving to Peterborough 5 years later and setting up a brewery at the back of the pub they called the Brewery Tap, creatively located within the transformed old labour exchange in Westgate. It claims to be the largest brewpub in Europe.

Expansion has continued and in 2006, Oakham opened a 75 barrel brew house and put in a new brewery in the Brewery Tap two years later. It is at the main brewery where the brewer for a day will take place. The package is for two people and includes an overnight stay in addition to the day's brewing.

The auction took place on the evening of Thursday 13th August on the stage at the Great British Beer Festival at Olympia.

If you can't make it to bid on the night, postal bids are accepted.

Contact Bill Austin 01923 211654 (answerphone) or moc.tenapus@nitsuab.

The 2014 Brewer for a Day was Dark Star. The Brewery was set up in 1994 in the cellar of the Evening Star pub in Brighton. One of the founders, Rob Jones, was originally at Pitfield Brewery in London where he brewed a strong beer (5%ABV) called Dark Star, named after the music of the Grateful Dead. This beer went on to win CAMRA's Champion Beer of Britain. Rob named the new brewery after this beer and it proved to be just one in a long line of beer awards that Rob has been associated with. The beer once again was crowned CAMRA's Champion Beer of Britain in 1996 and in 2009, American Pale Ale (4.7%ABV) won CAMRA's Champion Golden Ale.

But it is not all about strong beer. Their well known, HopHead weighs in at only 3.8%ABV and is a staple for those who like light hoppy beers and the Espresso Stout (made with real coffee) is 4.2%ABV.

The quality of their beers has meant the brewery has gone from strength to strength. In 2001, the brewery moved to Haywards Heath where a 15 barrel plant was installed. But even this did not prove big enough for all their followers, so a few years later they were off again to even bigger premises at Partridge Green, south west of Horsham.

And it is in this new plant that the lucky winner of the auction will get a chance to brew. The package will include accommodation the evening before and transport (if required) to the brewery.

On 2013, the brewery was one of our older microbrewers, Titanic, who started in Stoke on Trent in 1985 and is still winning awards. The auction item included accommodation for two people for two nights, plus of course the chance to take away some of the beer they helped to brew. But, even more exciting was the possible chance to help brew in the original brew house at Shugborough, home of the Earls of Lichfield, which is a historic log fired Victorian micro-brewery.

Previous Brewers For the Day have included Castle Rock (Nottingham) and Harveys (Sussex).