Ex Poole firefighter to hold Bournemouth beer festival

Owner of Poole brewery Brewhouse Twelve, Mike Garrett, 55, has announced he is set to hold his first-ever beer festival at Oakmeadians Rugby Football Club on September 27-28. 

A fireman for Poole 18 years, Mike began brewing as a hobby after his wife bought him shares in Poole Hill Brewery and became convinced he could also do it himself. 

He said: "My wife bought me some shares in Poole Hill Brewery as an anniversary present as a joke just so I could own a bit of a brewery. After that, I thought, 'well, why don't I actually start doing it myself?'.

"I got talk with a friend of mine and we got into and set up a business called Dolphin Brewery."

Mike later appeared on an Amazon TV show called 'Beer Masters', a competitive game show in which brewers go head-to-head taking on different challenges. 

Rebranded after his friend decided to step away from the business, Mike explained how the show and other experiences have helped him develop his skills, particularly proud of his Belgium blonde beer.

He said: "I tend to go for brewing Belgium strong beer and in fact, it was one of the challenges on the show I did particularly well with. 

"We had to brew beer between nine to 12% and that's the beers I enjoy drinking and brewing."

Although using the festival to build awareness around his new brand, he also hopes to advertise the quality of breweries in the area. He hopes to make the festival an annual event. 

Jokingly called Oaktoberfest, the festival promises live music and also local cider and spirits alongside a mixture of cask and keg beer. 

Mike said: "There's so many new breweries around and in Poole and Bournemouth that are absolutely fantastic. This beer festival is part of trying to promote the massive clutter of new breweries out there and to support them.

"We want to try and showcase what Dorset and the local area can make."

For ticketing and more information, visit the festival's Eventbrite page.