With a full range of beers available from the Festival Green Bar, highlights include Titanic Brewery’s Cherry Dark (with delicious notes of cherry, marzipan and almonds), and the zingy Pacific Pale Heron by local brewer XT (loaded with citrus flavours and a touch of pepper).
For a more malty flavour, indulge in Titter Ye Not (Vale Brewery), a traditional chestnut with malty caramel notes, while lager drinkers can enjoy Renegade’s Craft Lager, a dry, crisp and gentle Pilsner from the West Berkshire-based independent brewery Renegade.
A cider highlight is undoubtedly Thistly Cross’ Cloudy Special Edition Cider - which will be making its English debut at Towersey before officially hitting the wider market later this year. Successfully road-tested in Scotland, Thistly Cross Cloudy is 5.5% and described as being somewhere between Thistly’s Traditional Cider 4.4% and its Jaggy Thistle scrumpy. Naturally cloudy and unfiltered, it’s a style that’s much on the rise. With an initially light, sweet apple taste, it develops into a punchy cider with a satisfying smooth, dry finish.
Elsewhere, mobile bar Beetle Juice will be serving up deliciously fresh cocktails such as The Towersey Paradise - a piña colada with a twist: rich coconut rum, white rum and pineapple, shaken up with a splash of banana puree.
Or if gin’s your thing, Towersey’s Gin Emporium is where you’ll find a range of gins from around the world. Why not try a delicious Rhubarb and Ginger Gin Fizz, or ‘the World’s Best London Dry Gin’? It’s an aromatic Cotswold Gin made with local Cotswold Lavender and served with Fever Tree Tonic, pink grapefruit and a bay leaf.
For something else a little different, order an Espresso Martini – cold-brewed with roasted Malabar and Enorga beans from the Monsoon Estate Coffee Company and carefully distilled with orange peel, coriander seeds and a secret spice blend.
Wine drinkers are well catered for too, with a good range on offer including Sauvigon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Cinsault Rose, Merlot, Malbec and Pinot Noir.
Access to the Towersey Real Ale and Cider Festival is via The Festival Green. Festival Green tickets cost just £9 (Adult / £7 conc), available in advance via the festival website or in person from Bizzie Lizzie Flower Shop, in Thame; or £10/ £8 on the gate.
Car parking is free., and gates open at 10.30am with music and entertainment from 11am.
Tickets to the full music festival are from £30 per day (adults), available on the day or online.
For further information about ticket prices/types and the full line-up, visit www.towerseyfestival.com
