SIXTEEN SCOTTISH real ale brewers will be among the 280 firms taking part in the Great British Beer Festival in London.

Earls Court is preparing to become the world’s largest pub for the event. The festival is now in its 30th year and, as real ale sales grow, organisers the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) are confident it will be the best yet.

Among Scots breweries taking part are Cairngorm Brewery of Aviemore and the Inveralmond Brewery of Perth.

Cairngorm was established in 2001, and has several award- winning brews to its name.

Inveralmond began in 1997, the first brewery in Perth for more than 30 years, and produces four permanent cask-conditioned ales available all year, a range of speciality brews that change every two months, seasonal beers and two bottled ales.

The first festival took place in 1977 at London’s Alexandra Palace and, bar 1984 when a fire put paid to the event, has run annually ever since. Last year attendance was up 40% to more than 67,000, some 1500 people signed up as members and over 300,000 pints were sold. This year CAMRA says over 340,000 pints await festival-goers.

Among new drinks this year is a new organic beer from Prince Charles’s Duchy Original brand.