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Oct 31-Nov 3
Hallowe'en isn't just the season of the witch. It's also a time for a scary amount of beer festivals.
One such begins on All Hallows' Eve at The devilishly rebranded Rat and Ratchet.
I haven't seen the Chapel Hill pub's new 'rat on red' logo in the flesh yet but pictures of the mural certainly convey the trick or treat mood.
The pub reopens at 4pm on Thursday and the festival runs until Sunday, with 45 beers promised over the weekend.

Twitter teasers from @RatBrewery have suggested beer monsters may be able to get their hands on its spiced pumpkin ale Rat O'Lantern (4.5%) while the latest litter includes Verminator (6% brown ale) and old favourite Ratsputin (7.4% Russian imperial stout).

On a less scary note but on at roughly the same time is Marsden Beer Festival, which we previewed a few days ago (see below). The three-day event at the Mechanics Hall features 20 beers from breweries near and far. It runs from 6pm on Thursday until the witching hour on Saturday.
That just about gives you enough beer recovery time for a special brewery anniversary festival at the HDM Beer Shop from Wednesday, November 6 to Saturday, November 9.
It will celebrate a "whole annum" of HDM Brewing Company, which launched last November.
We are eagerly awaiting details of the beers that will be on show at Wood Street, but so far all I know is that colab brew with Cats? Eye! Records is being bottled and will be available on the Saturday.
HDM Brewing Co's 1st birthday bash


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