Farnham Beer Exhibition, usually but informally known as Farnham Beerex (or just Beerex), is the longest established beer festival

Beer festival

A Beer Festival is an organised event during which a variety of beers are available for tasting and purchase. Beer festivals are held in a number of countries...

 in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 to be held annually on the same premises. Held in Farnham

Farnham

Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...

, Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

, the first Beerex took place in 1977, and servers as a charity fundraiser for the Lions Club.

History

Held in Farnham

Farnham

Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...

, Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

, the first Beerex took place in 1977, three years after CAMRA had been established, as a means of promoting traditional cask-conditioned beers from British breweries in line with CAMRA's aims, whilst raising money for charity. The concept was the idea of two CAMRA members who were also members of the Farnham Lions Club. These two, Paul Blowfield and Ralph Carter, were inspired by CAMRA's Covent Garden Beer Festival (London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

) of 1975. They took the idea to their two organisations, who then joined with the Farnham Maltings Association to organise the first event, which pre-dated the first CAMRA Great British Beer Festival

Great British Beer Festival

The Great British Beer Festival is a yearly beer festival organised by the Campaign for Real Ale . It presents a selection of cask ales and other alcoholic drinks from the UK and beyond. The festival is also home to the Champion Beer of Britain awards...

 by some months. The event attracted more attendees than anticipated necessitating additional supplies of beer and glasses. Originally planned as a one-off event, it has taken place every year since at the Farnham Maltings

Farnham maltings

Farnham Maltings is a creative arts centre in the heart of the market town of Farnham, Surrey, England that was saved by the community in 1969. Its buildings comprise a range of large rehearsal spaces, Great Hall, 15 artists studios, pottery, cafe and cellar bar...

 in late April or early May, still organised by the same three organisations.

Organisation

It is organised and staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers. Admission is by advance ticket only, which generally sell-out within hours of release, some months before the event. The event has raised in excess of £700,000 for mainly local charities and good causes through the Lions Club, and has been instrumental in raising awareness of traditional beers in the Farnham area which can now boast a number of independent breweries including the Crondall Brewery and the longer-established Hogs Back Brewery

Hogs Back Brewery

Hogs Back Brewery is a brewery in Tongham, Surrey, England, and named after the nearby Hog's Back ridge. The brewery started in 1992 as a joint venture between two friends, Martin Zillwood-Hunt and Anthony Stanton-Precious...

.

Special half-pint glasses have been issued each year, and limited edition pint glasses for the 10th and 21st Exhibitions; these are very collectable and some reach high values. Since 1978 the Souvenir Programme has carried a front-cover cartoon by Bill Tidy

Bill Tidy

William Edward "Bill" Tidy, MBE , is a British cartoonist, writer and television personality, known chiefly for his comic strips. Bill was awarded an MBE in 2000 for "Services to Journalism". He is noted for his charitable work, particularly for the Lord's Taverners, which he has supported for over...

and a booklet of these cartoons was published in 2006.