A NEW website which is set to better connect county cider producers and pubs is to be launched at a popular festival next weekend.

Beer on the Wye – the county's showcase beer and cider festival – will return to its riverside marquee at the city's rowing club from July 7 to 9.

More than 6,000 people are expected to attend and drink between them 21,000 pints of beer, cider and perry. There is also a full line up of live music, food and the popular family fun day on the Sunday with activities for the kids and discounts to keep adults happy.

However, despite being called Beer on the Wye, one in three of the pints drunk at the festival are cider and perry – and of the 120 ciders and perries on offer on the festival's impressive cider bar, more than 100 are from Herefordshire alone.

It is no surprise then, that Herefordshire CAMRA has chosen to launch a new cider initiative for the county at the showcase event.

Called 'Press2Pub' its key feature will be an online virtual market place to inform and help local publicans to buy real draught cider from more of Herefordshire's smaller, artisan cider-producers. It will also provide technical assistance and offer marketing to pubs via a 'Press2Pub' website.

The two-year pilot project is completely independent of the cider industry and is entirely funded by CAMRA so there's no cost involved for any publican who wishes to use the website and virtual market place.

Mark Haslam, from Herefordshire CAMRA, said: "Press2Pub is like an online dating site, but in this case aims to put Herefordshire real cider producers in touch with local pubs and vice versa.

"A publican will be able to use the 'Press2Pub' website to see what draught ciders are available in the county – information that isn't normally at hand. It's then for the publican to decide if they wish to buy or not based on the information provided. There's no commitment, nor any hard sell involved in the process, but we do hope it will create interest and sales."

It is anticipated the 'Press2Pub' initiative (and website) will ultimately see more pubs in the county stocking local real ciders from Herefordshire. As a further incentive, CAMRA will be providing marketing support and full listing for all the pubs that stock real local ciders.

For information about the Beer on the Wye festival visit beeronthewye.org.uk