An Oxhey stout was crowned the champion at a micro-beer festival.

Held at The Rifle Volunteer in Villiers Road, and promoted by Oxhey Village Environment Group, the inaugural Brewfest celebrated Watford’s rich history of beer production by bringing together regional guest ales and talented local brewers.

Around 250 visitors had the chance to taste ales produced by up-and-coming home brewers, while also indulging in food prepared by local caterers, a quiz, and music performed by a jazz band from the PumpHouse, and throughout the day, almost £250 was raised for Peace Hospice Care.

A carefully selected panel – comprising Oxhey Village Environment Group’s Stephanie Thiers-Ratcliffe, Mark Fried of Watford CAMRA and Rifle Volunteer landlord Chris Pyrke – handed down their own expert judgements, before awarding the top prize to Oxhey Village Brewery’s stout, Black h’Ops.

Chris Newstead from Oxhey Village Brewery said: “Eighteen months ago, four mates watching a rugby game in the pub made a pact to start home-brewing beer and cider. Since then our recipes have really improved.

“We’re not quite at the selling stage but being involved in a local beer festival was a great opportunity to do some market research. We’re already looking forward to the 2018 festival and getting Oxhey Village Brewery firmly established.”

Rob Kirby, deputy chair of Oxhey Village Environment Group, said: “Watford has a long historical association with beer. In fact, it’s thought that at one point there were as many as 25 pubs in the Bushey and Oxhey area alone. We wanted to celebrate that heritage by showcasing the next generation of aspiring brewers and at the same time offer the community a fun afternoon down the local.

“We asked punters to show their appreciation for the home-brewers by donating to the Peace Hospice; a charity close to our hearts. The money raised, combined with the proceeds from the previous week’s Big Breakfast event, brought the total to almost £1,200. It’s an amazing amount to raise in just seven days and we can’t wait to present it to our friends at the hospice.”