It’s nearly time to hail the ale once again as one of Surrey’s biggest beer festivals is two months away.

Preparations for the 2026 Farnham Beerex are well underway with this year’s event taking place from April 23 to 25 at the Maltings.

Organisers are rolling out the barrel as always with more than 100 real ales available from breweries afar as Surrey and Scotland available at the festival, believed to be the longest-running in the UK.

There’s also a few changes and exciting additions to savour with Phil Williams and the Farnham Lions ever keen to raise the bar.

“Beerex was principally about cask beer, but trends have changed rapidly,” said Mr Williams.

“We introduced keg beers a few years ago and that’s gone from strength to strength. But this year, for the first time, we’ll have what people call ‘world beer’ from overseas in both draught and cans.

“The No/Low Alcohol beers sector is also growing rapidly and we will have a selection of those, too.

“For traditionalists, we will have 100 cask ales but this time most of these will be singles so once their gone, they’re gone. We’re also going to have 25 key beers and 30 ciders, including two that are Farnham-based – Misty Moon and Kilnside Farm.”

Locally-produced tipples are likely to be the most popular with the Farnham Town Brewery – who have gone from “strength to strength” since debuting at last year’s festival - returning in 2026 with three offerings.

“We’re introducing wine in cans and ready to drink cocktails and mixers,” said Mr Williams, with a larger selection of stouts and porters also on offer.

Farnham Beerex, run in association with CAMRA, remains one of the biggest events of its kind in the UK and attracts 5,000 visitors a year. The volunteer-run event has also raised more than £1.1million for local good causes since the first pint was poured in 1977.

While the focus is on beer, there’s plenty more to whet the appetite with food from around the world and live music to enjoy. Organisers are inundated with offers from bands but they’ve kept the same line-up from 2025 with The TR5’s, Sleeping Dogs, FABB and Something for the Weekend performing at various times during the festival.

And one thing that always touches organisers is how far people will go for a pint.

Mr Williams said: “There’s one group of people coming this year that haven’t seen each other for over 20 years – we get stories like this all the time.

“We have another group of people that come from the Channel Islands and another from the Isle of Man. There’s another who has co-ordinated his trip from Australia to be at Beerex – the support we get always blows us away.”

Tickets for the Saturday lunchtime session have sold out but there are spaces are available for the remainder, while extra volunteers are also needed if anyone wants to give a hand. For more details visit www.farnhambeerex.org.uk