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Brewery to make first class beer festival entry

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Hereford Times: Anthony and Kate Stephens from Ledbury Real Ales who are transporting beer to Charlbury Rail Festival by train. (7218296)

A Ledbury brewer is on track to deliver a special 'rail' ale to a summer beer festival.

Ledbury Real Ales, based near Trumpet, will be providing a 72 pint barrel of Ledbury Dark Ale to the Charlbury Beer Festival in the Cotswolds later this month.

But its journey there will be slightly unusual as the popular tipple will 'board' a train at Ledbury Railway Station before being given a special guards carriage to the festival.

"The beer festival is the biggest in the Cotswolds," said Anthony Stevens, 41, who runs Ledbury Real Ales with wife Kate, 40. "They are right on the railway station as trains head to London. Every brewery that is on the First Great Western train network into Charlbury will have a beer collected at their nearest station and taken to the festival. We are the only brewery in Ledbury so it was a no-brainer. I think someone will meet us at Ledbury station on the day and the beer will have a special guards carriage which will be added to the train."

The firkin used to transport the beer will provide 72 pints of the dark ale which came second at Hereford's Beer on the Wye festival last year.

It will make its journey on the 12.31pm service to London Paddington this Saturday (21st).

The festival takes place the following Saturday.

Other breweries set to board the train service include the Pope's Brewing Company in Worcester and the Ambridge Brewery in Evesham.

The festival has previously attracted about 3,000 visitors, including Prime Minister David Cameron, and has raised more than ^120,000 for community projects in the Cotswolds and further afield.

Ledbury Real Ales began life in 2012 and is already permanently stocked in 10 Herefordshire pubs.

In February this year the brewery produced a special beer to mark the HMS Ledbury Freedom Parade in the town.