An Aberdeenshire town will host its first winter beer festival tonight – in what promises to be an old-fashioned, country knees-up.
The Banchory Beer Festival’s Beer at the Barn event will feature local bands, comedians, and rare ales, gins and ciders.
Banchory brothers Mungo and Guy Finlayson are the enthusiasts behind the two-day festival at the town’s Woodend Barn.
The event, which follows a hugely popular inaugural beer festival in the summer, sold out weeks ago before organisers had even announced the line-up.
Mungo said they were looking forward to repeating the success.
“People have had enough time to recover from the Christmas period and ‘dry January’ and are ready for socialising again,” he said.
“Ticket sales were steady when we first launched the event back in mid-December but over the last week really picked up which has resulted in us being sold out 17 days prior to the event.”
Scottish folk band, the Mad Ferrets, will headline the Friday night of the festival while up-and-coming Banchory comedian, Andrew Sim, will top Saturday’s programme.
Other acts will include Aberdeen-based musicians Yogi McGregor, Anna Leyden, Dylan Fowlie and Sam Geddes and Banchory bands, Loki, A Grim Trim and Victoria Sponge.
As well as ales from the likes of Alechemy Brewing, Eden Brewery and Speyside Craft Brewery festival-goers will be able to sample unique gins from Warner Edwards, SW4 and Old Ra and seven varieties of rare ciders.
Mr Finlayson added that he and his brother were working on “some exciting things” for this year’s summer festival.
He said: “We have already started the planning but things will be getting put into place over the next coming months.”