Janfest: A Toast to Flavour, Craft, and Community

Every January, the same well-meaning narrative rolls around: Dry January. 

For many people, it’s a reset, a pause, a moment of reflection, and that’s absolutely fine. 

But it’s not the only way to welcome the new year.

So let’s raise a glass (responsibly) to an alternative idea from That's Food and Drink: Janfest.

Janfest isn’t about excess. It’s about appreciation. It’s about celebrating the extraordinary diversity of beers, ales, stouts, porters, lagers, and ciders being crafted with care and passion by small and medium-sized producers across the UK and Ireland.

A Golden Age of Brewing and Cider Making

We are living through a genuine golden age of independent brewing. From tiny village breweries producing a single seasonal ale, to family-run cider makers pressing apples grown in traditional orchards, there has never been more choice, or more character, in the glass.

Across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, producers are:

Reviving historic beer styles

Experimenting with hops, malts, and yeasts

Protecting heritage cider apples

Brewing with local water, local ingredients, and local identity

These aren’t anonymous products rolled off a conveyor belt. They’re expressions of place, people, and tradition.

More Than a Drink: It’s Culture

Beer and cider are woven into the fabric of our islands. The pub isn’t just a place to drink—it’s a meeting point, a refuge from winter, a place where conversations happen and communities knit together.

Organisations like Campaign for Real Ale have spent decades championing real ale, independent pubs, and traditional methods, ensuring that flavour and craftsmanship aren’t lost to bland uniformity.

Janfest celebrates:

The village pub with a roaring fire and a rotating handpump or two

The market-town taproom pouring something new each week

The quiet joy of discovering a cider that tastes of sharp apples and soft earth

A Gentle Rebellion Against One-Size-Fits-All

Dry January can sometimes feel like a moral instruction rather than a personal choice. Janfest gently pushes back against that idea.

You don’t have to abstain to be mindful.

You don’t have to apologise for enjoyment.

You don’t have to follow a trend to start the year well.

Choosing a single, well-made pint from an independent brewer can be an act of intention. Sharing a bottle of craft cider with a friend can be an act of connection. Supporting small producers in the bleakest trading month of the year can be an act of solidarity.

Drink Less, Drink Better

At the heart of Janfest is a simple philosophy: drink better, not more.

That might mean:

One pint instead of three

Savouring flavour rather than chasing strength

Seeking out producers with a story and a soul

Choosing quality over quantity

This is about pleasure with purpose, not mindless consumption.

Supporting Small Producers When It Matters Most

January is tough for hospitality and independent producers. The festive rush is over, the weather is grim, and footfall drops sharply. Choosing to support local breweries, cider makers, and pubs during this period genuinely makes a difference.

Every pint poured from a small producer:

Helps keep skills alive

Supports rural and regional economies

Keeps choice and diversity thriving

Welcome to Janfest

Janfest isn’t anti-health. It isn’t anti-moderation. And it certainly isn’t anti-choice.

It’s a celebration of:

Craft over conformity

Local over anonymous

Enjoyment without guilt

So if Dry January works for you, that’s brilliant. But if it doesn’t, if you’d rather start the year by celebrating flavour, craftsmanship, and community, then welcome to Janfest.

Here’s to the brewers, the cider makers, the publicans, and the quiet joy of a well-earned winter pint. Cheers.