BRASS BANDS AND craft beer seems to be a mix that people in Moray embrace to the full – now they are being offered another opportunity to experience that unique festival atmosphere.
Last year the Friends of Moray Concert Brass, created to help raise sufficient funding to support the popular and internationally acclaimed band, held their first Beer Festival at the Bishopmill Hall in Elgin.
Now they have teamed up with Lossiemouth-based craft brewers the Windswept Brewing Company to return to Bishopmill a week on Saturday to do it all again – at an event that will also provide the first opportunity for craft ale fans to get their hands on a completely new brewing.
Julie Smith, marketing manager at Windswept, explained: “In addition to our core range of beers, this year we’ll be giving people the opportunity to try our first new brew of 2016 ahead of its formal launch at the end of the month.
“Named after the year in which Lossiemouth lost all its menfolk at sea on Christmas day, “1806” is a classic Scottish stout with an ABV of 5.0%, rich in coffee flavour with a smooth creamy finish.
“The Moray Concert Brass Beer Festival is an exciting start to our 2016 calendar of events – there was a fantastic atmosphere last year with some great music to accompany our craft ales. We’ll do everything we can to make sure it’s a great success for Moray Concert Brass.”
Live music will be provided throughout the day by Stein Brass, the north east’s most renowned Oomph band consisting of three trumpets, a tenor horn, euphonium, trombone, tuba and percussion. They will produce a selection of foot-stomping, thigh-slapping polkas, waltzes and sing-alongs that will carry any audience to the hills of Bavaria.
Glen Munro is the director of both Moray Concert Brass and Stein Brass. He said: “Last year the Beer Fest was such a success that we knew that we wanted to do it all again and provide another great day of entertainment and beer for the people of Moray.”
The Festival will be held on Saturday, February 20 with tickets available now priced at £15 from A&I Supplies in Elgin or by contacting beerfest@morayconcertbrass.co.uk. Doors open at 3pm.
Ticket price includes a free branded glass and £10 in beer tokens – wine and soft drinks will also be available. Entry is strictly over-18’s only.