We have a wide range of British cask ales sourced from all areas of the UK, including specials from Thornbridge, the amazing Paradox on tap from Brewdog weighing in at a hefty 10%, a Belgium style Tripel beer from Dark Star, and the beautiful London Porter, rarely seen in the North West from Fullers. The reigning Champion Beer of Britain Castle Rock’s Harvest Pale will be here for your delectation plus award winning and unusual ales from Manchester’s Marble brewery, Scotland’s Harviestoun and many more!
The Continental won Camra West Lancs Pub of the Year 2010 and came a close second in the competition for Lancashire’s Pub of the Year. We also instigated the Preston Cask Ale Trail, involving seven other pubs, displaying how committed we are to putting Preston on the map when it comes to real ale.
Thousands of people attended the last Beer Festival in May, to sample to the ales and catch live music sets from acts coming from across the country. While the emphasis is more on the beer for this ‘Oktoberfest’, there will still be a number of quality live music acts over the three nights.
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The Music
The Continental’s Beer Festivals have quickly built up a great reputation for the quality of their live music acts and the Oktoberfest is no exception! Hot young singer-songwriter Karima Francis, acclaimed lo-fi electro-pop outfit Over the Wall and acoustic indie minstrels Ivan Campo are just three of the acts performing, and no doubt sampling a few ales, at the festival.
The first night sees a special Beer Festival edition of our popular Open Mic Night and no less than a Bavarian style ‘Oompah’ Band in the Beer Hall!
The Continental’s 5th Beer Festival – Music Line Up
Thursday 7th October
- 7.30 Willi Strumpfl’s Bavarian Toe Tappers (Railway Brass Quartet)
- 9.00 The Continental’s Open Mic Night – Beer Festival Edition
Friday 8th October
- 7.30 Bill Orrick
- 8.30 Over the Wall
- 9.30 Karima Francis
Saturday 9th October
- 7.30 Beth Swain
- 8.30 Seamus McLoughlin
- 9.30 Ivan Campo
Often compared to a young Joan Armatrading or Tracy Chapman, Blackpool-based Karima Francis released her debut album, ‘The Author’, on Editors label Kitchenware to great acclaim last year. As a result, the singer and guitarist was named the Number 1 act to watch by The Observer and her song ‘Again’ became single of the week on iTunes.
Joining Karima on the Friday night line-up is Glasgow’s acclaimed electro-pop duo Over the Wall, consisting of Gav Prentice and Ben Hillman. Forming as a band in 2006, the following year saw the pair selected from 1,200 entrants to play at T in the Park’s ‘T Break’ Stage. Their debut EP ‘The Rise and Fall of Over the Wall’ won them national airplay on Radio 1, 6Music and XFM and was Rocksound Magazine’s highest rated indie release of the month.
Manchester indie troubadours Ivan Campo need little introduction to Continental Beer Festival goers, with Saturday 9th being their second appearance at the event. Together since 2003, the trio has since gradually become a hugely popular fixture on Preston’s live music scene, often compared with bands like Vampire Weekend and The Coral. Ben, Adam and Will found iTunes sales of their song ‘The Great Procrastinator' go though the roof when it was featured on the first episode of Season 4 of E4’s cult show Skins.
Also appearing at the festival are local singer-songwriter Seamus McLoughlin, an artist tipped for great things with songs that are bound to appeal to the Snow Patrol and Keane crowds, Bill Orrick, formerly of popular Preston band Pencil In and ‘Mucky Cherub’ Beth Swain, well known locally as one half of quirky act Scoobeef?.
If a bit of brass is more up your street, a Bavarian-style Oompah Band will be playing in the Beer Hall on Thursday in the form of Willi Strumfl’s Bavarian Toe Tappers (in fact an alter ego of the Railway Brass Quartet), while a chance is afforded to do some performing of your own at the special Beer Festival edition of our ever-popular Open Mic Night in the Snug area on the same night.
