A POPULAR winter festival for ale lovers is returning this month.

The Chappel Winter Beer Festival is the perfect chance for visitors to revel in the glorious selection of real ales the event has become famous for.

Jointly organised with their friends at the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), the festival is hosted by the East Anglian Railway Museum on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 February.

Visitors are invited to warm themselves with a pint of ale and enjoy delicious on-site food.

There will also be a selection of non-alcoholic drinks for designated drivers.

Unlike the festival’s summertime sister, the winter festival gives beer buffs unlimited access to the railway museum and its exhibits.

Exploring the museum, visitors can get a behind-the-scenes peek at the Restoration Shed where engineers work to bring old and historic locomotives back to life.

The festival has a cosy atmosphere with the event being held in the station’s heated Victorian Goods Shed.

Beer festival organiser, Brendan Sothcott, said: "This is the Winter Chappel Beer Festival, smaller than the much bigger Summer Festival, but still offering around 75 different Real Ales.

"These are mainly from East Anglia, but from the smaller less well-known brewers – none of the big boys here.

"The event features live music on Friday and Saturday evenings.

"Machine Shed Band on Friday and local band 33 RPM on Saturday Evening.

"Looking forward to this event, as it is much calmer than the busy festival in the summer, but still with a excellent choice of beers, strengths and styles to enjoy."

Running from 11am to 11pm, entry to the festival costs £3 on the door on Saturday (free for Camra and museum members).

Visitors can only enter after 5.30pm on Friday if they buy a ticket in advance.

Mr Sothcott added: "Because this is a much smaller event than the Summer festival we have to be careful about over-crowding the shed on the Friday Night, so we do have to make admission ticket only after 5.30pm Friday.

"All other times it is just turn up and pay on the door.

Advance tickets for the Friday night cost £17 (£14 for Camra and museum members) which includes the admission charge, a refundable glass deposit of £2 and £10 worth of beer tokens.

Visitors are also encouraged to come to the festival by train.

For more details on train times, visit nationalrail.co.uk, and for more more information about the festival, visit earm.co.uk/chappel-winter-beer-festival.