The three-day event, organised by the Campaign for Real Ale, attracted beer lovers from across the county - with some more unusual offerings including a lavender and honey flavoured brew and a chocolate stout containing pure cocoa.

The Campaign's Heart of Warwickshire branch chairman Andrew Laycock said: "The event was probably the busiest Harbury festival we have ever had. There was far more beer and cider than we have had before and we sold all 600 gallons of it."

Morris dancers persuaded crowds to join them outside the village hall during the day, while Southam band The Lost Boys provided evening entertainment.

Mr Laycock added: "A downside was that we ran out of beer on the Saturday evening, but that's a reflection of how good it was. Everyone I have spoken to said they enjoyed themselves."

Celebrations for more than just beer were held for a Harbury couple who chose to hold their wedding reception party at the festival.

Tom Dunne and Elaine Gascoigne, of Percival Drive, were married at Bodicote House in Banbury on Saturday.

Owner of Quartz Coaches, 42-year-old Mr Dunne has been providing transport to the Campaign's Heart of Warwickshire branch for 20 years and been a member since 2005.

Mrs Dunne, 44, co-director of her husband's company, has known him for seven years but the pair were just friends until two years ago.

After enjoying previous Harbury beer festivals, the weekend had been marked in Mr Dunne's diary for a while.

He said: "We unofficially became engaged on a Campaign for Real Ale trip to Durham in March.

"I happened to say something like, 'it would be really good to get married on the Harbury beer festival day so we could have our reception there', and she told someone else that I'd just proposed to her. I officially proposed a bit later."

Following the wedding, the couple took 35 guests to the village, where they were presented with a set of engraved glasses by the society's chairman Andrew Laycock.

Mr Dunne said: "We had an absolutely fantastic day - we were made to feel so welcome. The Campaign members are such a nice group of people - and even though they're all about beer, everybody is so sensible!

"They might go out drinking all day but they never get drunk. It's all very civilised.

"Everyone has commented on how relaxed an evening it was. There were people who had never been to a beer festival before, who have vowed to go to more in the future."