'Sense of community' key to Cambridge Beer Festival legacy
The festival has been running for 50 years
Organisers of the Campaign for Real Ale Cambridge Beer Festival believe connecting people from different walks of life is key to it success.
Around 40,000 visitors from across the country and abroad were expected to attend this year's 50th anniversary event on Jesus Green, which ends today.
More than 200 British real ales have been on offer, alongside ciders, mead, perries and wine with around 100 breweries taking part.
Festival brings 'sense of community'
Anthony Mobbs helped organise the festival - he hopes events like these can bring people together for years to come.
"Having a large event that everyone in the local area can come to is very important to get that sense of community and everyone connected," he said.
"You have word of mouth that keeps the festival going, that people should come and it's our quality and range of beer that allows people to experience new things and that's what draws people in.
"All of the local pubs, as we close in the middle of the day, get a boost from our guests who maybe go their for a few hours and come back in the evening.
"It also attracts local tourists to Cambridge as well, so the local economy gets a boost."
Breweries facing rise in costs
Analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit predicts harvests of crops including wheat and barley could fall by more than 17 per cent because of heavy rainfall over the winter.
This could mean the price of beer, which may contain these ingredients, could rise, meaning some local breweries are having to bear the cost.
Jack Glossop's from Wylde Sky Brewing in Linton:
"We try to absorb as much of that cost as possible, but ingredients prices for any industry are a serious concern; I feel bad saying we're having a bad time because the farmers are having about a hundred times worse than we are," he said.
"There are a lot of big breweries and companies who tend to have a firm hold over most of the industry, so in terms of us getting out in front of thousands of people, is essential (to business)."
Chris Shepherd's the founder of Pastore Brewing and Blending in Waterbeach - he believes events like the Cambridge Beer Festival can make a difference to independent breweries.
"We shift 60 to 70 kegs to this festival alone so in May, that's a very significant proportion of our sales for the month so it's a massive positive impact for our business and a load of intangible benefits as well," he said.
Alex Bragg, director at Three Blind Mice Brewery near Ely, has also been at the event and tells us how he tries to overcome any challenges facing business:
"There are ways around it; we don't strictly do one style of beer or container, so we hedge our bets and you cover all bases and don't put your eggs all in one basket."