Welcome to Maltingsfest 2024! 

Last year’s festival was a busy one, despite the rain on Saturday and we were overwhelmed by the support shown. I hope you’ll meet old friends and make new ones at this year’s event, whilst enjoying the finest beers and other drinks from our SIBA Southwest members.

The redevelopment of the old Tuckers Maltings building continues and we are once again delighted to have Warminster Maltings as our main sponsor with great support from Newton Abbot Town Council. Tours of the Warminster Maltings are once again available so please do check out their website for details of how to arrange one. Their fine, sustainably produced malt is the backbone for many award winning beers produced by brewers in the South West of England and further afield. Please do also check out what Newton Abbot has to offer and venture a bit further than the short walk from the railway station to Osborne Park.

The Real Meat Sausage Company are again on hand to offer a range of different food options. The revised set up last year helped to minimise the queue at busy times. In addition to cask beer we have a growing range of keg beer for you to try alongside some cider and spirits produced by or for our brewing members. Hopefully something for everyone!

Those of us in the brewing industry were hit by massive rises in utility costs, raw material price increases and the spike in the cost of just about everything else in 2023. Whilst some of those pressures have eased, the cost of living crisis is still having an effect on the industry and many of us are facing tough times. You may notice that a few familiar breweries are not participating in the festival this year. Many have had to cut staff numbers and can’t commit to taking time away from their businesses. Please support your local independent breweries and hopefully they’ll all be back with us in 2025. You may also find some breweries whose beer you haven’t tried before as new breweries are created and existing ones join our association.

My thanks as always go to the organising committee and all of the volunteers who help to make the festival such a success. Your support of the festival is as always very much appreciated and we look forward to seeing you again next

year: 

Thursday 10th to Saturday 12th April 2025.

David “Norm” Lewis

Summerskills Brewery & Festival Chair