Grey hair, big bushy beards and curled toes peeping out of sandals are just a few of the age-old stereotypes attached to real-ale drinkers.

In recent years, breweries and local branch members of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) have been taking strides towards shaking off its so-called "pensioner club" image and attracting younger samplers.

Progress has been waylaid by the pandemic but now – after almost two years – real ale beer festivals are back, offering punters the chance to enjoy a pint with friends and discover a new tipple.

This week JD Wetherspoon pubs are serving guest ales from local breweries at £1.99 as part of its in-house festival.

Beers on tap include the comically named Monty Python's Dead Parrot and Rooster's Long Shadow, or alternatively, Kent-based Shepherd Neame is offering the chance to "Hop to the Future".

Excited to give real ale a whirl, I hopped on the bandwagon and paid a visit to my local Spoons, the Flying Boat in Dartford to see what all the fuss was about.

On my arrival at the busy former car showroom I'm greeted by the smiling shift manager Ellie Davies, who talks me through the selection on offer.

"The Hogs Back Citrus Pale Ale has been really popular," she says. "We get people come in every day just to try the new beers. They are always saying about the price."

Now at this point I should fully disclose I don't fit the billing of your typical "real ale" connoisseur.

I'm not sporting any impressive facial appendage and my choice of pint is usually determined by how big and shiny the label is.

Unsure how to proceed, Ellie naturally prompts me to take up the chain's third-of-a pint offer, where you can sample three festival ales for the same price of a pint.

I'm not alone in my indecisiveness, she explains, with lots of the pub's younger clientele tending to shy away from ales and stick to larger.

"We get those who are unsure to have a little taste first," explains Ellie.

"If they get a pint and they don't like it they might not come back. That's why we give them a little taste."

I'd hoped to try Monty Python's Dead Parrot but I'm disappointed to learn the barrel has already run dry.

Instead I take up Ellie's offer and am promptly served up in three glasses offering me ales from across the spectrum.

First up is the Hops Back Citrus Pale Ale which I'm told has been going down a treat with younger punters throughout the festival gig.

Its tasting note describes it as a "golden coloured seasonal ale" which delivers a "blend of floral and citrus notes in both arome and flavour".

I delved straight in and found it had a nice light hoppy character to it which was both refreshing and easy to drink.

Despite what the name suggests it is actually golden in tone and didn't give off any distinctive smells.

Next up for my still maturing palate was Hook Norton's Off the Hook described as a "golden-coloured seasonal beer".

This little number packs quite a punch and the orange is noticeable the moment the first drop touches your lips.

It was a little too sweet for me but if it were summer and I was not dressed for winter, I might have thought differently about it as it was undoubtedly light and refreshing.

Last on my short whistle-stop drinking tour was the warming amber red ale, the Bath Queen of Hearts, which has been brewed exclusively for Wetherspoon's and is distinctively darker in tone.

It's not something I would typically choose and my instinct proved correct as the first mouthful felt like I had the remnants of a toffee crisp lodged between my teeth.

Needing something to take the flavour away and never one to pass up the opportunity to grab some grub I turned my attention to the new all-week curry club menu.

I ordered a Chicken Jalfrezi which arrived within minutes of my being reseated.

Also included for a very reasonable £7.15 (including a drink) was a generous helping of garlic naan and two poppodoms the size of my head.

The rice was a little clumpy but the chicken was succulent and just the right level of spice.

My naan was a touch on the greasy side but proved the perfect accompaniment to mop up the remaining curry, not to mention the drippings of beer around my mouth.

Having tried all three ales and with a lining now in my stomach, my personal preference was the citrus pale ale – but of course not everyone was in agreement.

Rather than get bitter over it I asked a fellow festival-goer for his insight.

Spoons regular and former Dartford Tunnel maintenance worker, Dave Cook, has been ticking off the various festival ales over different visits to the pub over the last two weeks.

A fan of the darker ales and the Queen of Hearts in particular, the East Hill resident invited me to sit down for a chat.

"I just like the taste of it," he says. "I drink it often so I can drink the really strong ale.

"But the one I like most is the Sweet Molly. That is the real ale that is, it keeps you young."

Dave adds: "There's also the Wicked Wolf, that's a terrific pint that is. I could knock that right back, right now, no problem at all."

The real ale must be doing something for the semi-retired worker, who at 70 and fast approaching his next birthday doesn't fit the typical pensioner profile.

So is it true, could drinking a jar or two of the amber nectar a day slow down the ageing process?

The science on it is perhaps unsurprisingly lacking but the drinks are not half bad and at these prices I'd be a fool to complain. Put me down as a convert.

Wetherspoon's real ale festival lasts until this Sunday and is also taking place at the Robert Pocock in Gravesend and The Thomas Waghorn, Chatham, as well as numerous others.

Tasting notes on all of the drinks featured are available in the pubs and drinks can be ordered on the app.

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