An East Oxford pub is hoping to help beer lovers beat the predicted Bank Holiday weather gloom by serving up pints of sunshine.

While rain is forecast over the weekend, The Chester Arms is hoping to bring some seasonal cheer by serving pints of frothy summer ale during its third annual beer festival.

The free-entry festival has 16 beers on offer, as well as four ciders.

Since the pub in Chester Street, off Iffley Road, started the festival it has doubled in size - with about 600 ale fans expected this year.

Landlord John Dunkley said: "With the credit crunch people are buying more at supermarkets and drinking at home.

"It's a cheaper way of doing it, but you don't get the atmosphere of social interaction you get at a pub.

"The bad weather doesn't help either. On a sunny Sunday we might take £1,000 from our beer garden, but if it's not so good outside we probably take around £200.

"The weather has been atrocious the last two years so we hope it will get better this year, but even if it's not sunny outside we'll have plenty of summer ale to serve."

In case the weather is bad the pub is laying on three sheltered areas in its beer garden so everyone is kept under cover. To ensure the festival is better than a drink at home, three nights of musical entertainment are being lined up, including two jazz bands and an Irish folk act.

Refreshment comes in the form of a hog roast.

This year, the pub allowed Camra members to select many of the beers on offer.

Mr Dunkley said: "We get people travelling from all over the county to be here so we hope the weather will be fine, but we're prepared if it's not.

"It's the first time we've let Camra choose the beers and if they can't get it right no-one can. We thought it would be good to get some democracy in the selection and I think they enjoyed the selection process, so if it works we'll do the same next year."

The festival runs from Friday until Monday.