MORE than 18,000 pints of beer, cider and perry are expected to be drunk by thousands of visitors to this year's Beer on the Wye.

The festival returns to its riverside meadow, beside Hereford's Rowing Club from July 10 to 12.

And this year there will be an extra special brew on offer among the 125 different beers on sale.

Brewed by the event organisers, CAMRA, as a one-off for the festival, Wye Valley Brewery’s recently-installed experimental pilot brewing plant was put to good use to create a 4.8 per cent alcoholic strength beer called ‘Beer on the Wye’.

Mark Haslam, from Herefordshire CAMRA, said: "Whilst the alchemy and effort was under the careful scrutiny of Wye Valley Brewery’s head brewer, Gareth Bateman, it will still be interesting to see what the outcome is from well-meaning amateurs. "Regardless, it is expected to be a popular seller – so my advice is to get there early if you want to try it."

As well as beer, there will be more than 100 different ciders and perries for sale, along with a selection of world beers and food.

Eight bands will be playing over the weekend, including Vincent Flatts Final Drive and The Undertakers on Friday while Saturday will see Gwyn Ashton, Flatworld, The Daggers and headliners, XOVA.

The Haunted Souls will round off the live music on Sunday.

Accompanied and well-behaved children are admitted free until 6pm and Sunday will be family fun day.

Beer on the Wye runs from Friday July 10 to Sunday July 12. Entry on the day costs between £1 and £5. Visit herefordcamra.org.uk and click on the ‘Beer on the Wye’ link for more information.