The Bristol Craft Beer Festival is a bucket list event for any brewer. The Bristol based festival brings together some of the UK’s most passionate breweries, incredible food vendors, live music, and of course, an awesome crowd, all to celebrate craft beer under the Bristol summer sun. It’s a chance to show off your best beer, meet new friends, and make some great memories with the brewery team.
For Hop Union Brewery, it’s a festival that’s particularly close to our hearts, so when the opportunity arose to have a stall, we were beyond excited. This is our festival round-up from the weekend, with all the tasty details.
A Weekend to Remember
The festival is a special weekend for everyone involved, and for Hop Union, it’s no exception. Whether it’s showcasing your most popular brews, trying new recipes on an eager crowd, or just getting out and about from the brewery to have some fun, it’s a weekend to remember. This year, we nestled amongst our fellow independent breweries from all over the UK and beyond. It was such a buzz to see people come and go through the festival gates all weekend, and with it the chance for each member of our team to pour and talk beer with a new face. It wasn’t uncommon to be asked for a pint from a complete stranger, only to see them return later in the day, armed with a brand new set of craft beer followers. As is the way with festivals, many people tried our beers for the first time, and with so many smiles and nods of approval, we’re sure it won’t be our last.
Meeting the Community
It’s something that often gets overlooked about events like the Craft Beer Festival, but the people are the most important part. For breweries, it’s an opportunity to talk to fans and customers who you may not get the chance to meet face-to-face regularly. Of course, it’s a huge event for the industry as well, and it was a pleasure to catch up with some of our fellow brewers and home brewing heroes.
There was a never-ending stream of chat at the Hop Union stand from start to finish, whether it was local or passing faces. Some people wanted to know more about the brewing process, others were interested in the beers on offer in the brewery, and some, just wanted to let us know that they were digging what they were drinking!
Incredible Atmosphere
The festival’s location on Harbourside in Bristol is second to none, and the stunning backdrop of the waterfront was the perfect complement to a cold pint and good conversation. Live music came from across the venue throughout the weekend, and the bands and DJs certainly did the job of keeping the mood up and the dancing feet in abundance.
Being close to the centre of the festival, our spot was a hive of energy all weekend, and it was infectious. Picnic benches and hay bales became the go-to places to meet up with friends to try out the great beers from across the UK and pass your current favourites on to someone new. It’s a real beer lover’s heaven, and being a part of it all was a dream come true.
Capturing the Moment
One thing you can’t miss on social media at the Bristol Craft Beer Festival is Hop Union Brewery. Festival-goers were tagging us left right and centre in their Instagram Stories, selfies, and tasting notes, and there were just as many ‘Hop Union!’ texts from friends back at the brewery. Hop Union Brewery’s own Instagram account (@hopunionbrewery) was active from behind the bar throughout the festival, with staff capturing those festival moments from their perspective: pulling pints in the morning, sharing a special moment on a festival-palooza afternoon, or finally enjoying a few after-hours with some well-earned beers.
It’s not just about the beer, it’s about the people and those special festival moments: that quick chat with an old friend, the laughter from someone trying a sour beer for the first time, the cheers from a group of mates who have discovered a new favourite. These are the moments that make events like this so unforgettable, and Hop Union couldn’t have been prouder to be in the middle of it all.
Grateful for the Experience
As the sun went down on the Sunday evening and the final pint glasses were drained, the team at Hop Union Brewery took a collective moment to reflect on the weekend. For us, it’s an opportunity to see first hand what makes the festival so special and why we do what we do.
Craft beer festivals are not only a chance to showcase your best brews, it’s a beer lover’s paradise and a chance to share your beer with the world. It’s also about the organisation and hard work that goes into pulling an event like this off. From start to finish the Bristol Craft Beer Festival 2025 had everything covered, and we were so proud to be on the same bill as some of the best breweries in the country.
Hop Union Brewery would like to extend an enormous thank you to the team behind the Bristol Craft Beer Festival for an incredible weekend. We can’t wait for next year’s festival, and in the meantime, you can try a pint of your favourite Hop Union Brewery beer in the brewery any day of the week.
