The Surtees Arms has been serving ale to the residents of Ferryhill, County Durham, since way back in 1872. As well as being a great destination to enjoy a beer, it’s also the place to make some, as the Yard of Ale has been brewing on-site for the past 14 years.
You’ve probably seen us share info on our socials about their Sunday lunches, quiz nights, and ‘The Mousehole’ – a night for musicians to get together and jam on the last Wednesday of the month. So it’s time for us to tell you more about their next beer fest!
The Surtees Arms Spring Beer Festival is the first of the pub’s bi-annual beer festivals. Taking place later this month it features cask and keg beers from the Yard of Ale brewery. In addition to this, there are also beers from selected local brewers and a couple of ciders.
Running from Wednesday 30th March until Sunday 3rd April, the opening night coincides with ‘The Mousehole’, with anyone interested in music welcome to learn to play a little, join in, or just enjoy the atmosphere. The event is very informal; there are no rules, just great company and great beers!
If you’re heading to the beer fest on Saturday night there’s a singer on the bar stage who’ll be playing classic rock and pop songs. Food-wise, there’s a hot buffet on Saturday evening, when we have it on good authority that Susan’s famous lasagne will be making an appearance.
The Beers
The beer list is being announced in the upcoming days, with around 14 different options, including three new Yard of Ale beers:
First up is a wooden cask-conditioned Cherry Wood Porter (based on their Little Baltic Porter recipe, but packed with deliciously rich Morello cherries).
Next up is a brand new 5% rich chocolate stout, Octopus Ink, brewed for their friends at Microbus Gateshead (a new beer venue opening soon).
Finally, their latest keg beer should be making an appearance. PILSNER is a classic pilsner recipe with subtle hop flavour and a crisp finish.
More Than Just a Pub
The Yard of Ale was established in 2008, and supplies pubs, clubs, beer festivals and specialist suppliers in County Durham and beyond. Initially set up as a cask ale supplier, Yard of Ale now brews its award-winning beers in various formats – from traditional 9g cask to one-way carbonated kegs, mini-kegs, bag-in-box, and bottles.
The Surtees Arms Spring Beer Festival is free entry and runs from Wednesday 30th March until Sunday 3rd April (from 4pm through the week, and noon on Saturday and Sunday).
Want to find more beer festivals taking place in the North East this year? Click here.
You can also follow updates from The Surtees Arms and Yard of Ale brewery via their social media: