Inspired by Graham Linehan's "Bad Movie Club" on Twitter - Ales By Mail has created the Virtual Beer Festival. The first ever VBF was held earlier this year, but we're planning many more - so don't forget to check back here to find out the upcoming dates as they're announced!

Here's how it works:

1. Sign up for Twitter & follow alesbymail, and become a fan of our page on Facebook.
2. Order your Virtual Beer Festival pack from the Ales By Mail website
3. Join us on Twitter on the advertised time and date and let the session begin.
4. Share your comments, impressions and experiences, including pictures, with the Ales By Mail comments form.

We'll have some fun sampling the different beers until the night is over.

What is a “Virtual Beer Festival"?

It’s an interactive beer event carried out using Twitter and Facebook. You can share your views with others online live on Twitter. You just log in to Twitter, follow the comments and share your own views. This is the first Virtual Beer Festival – you are now officially part of history – people will ask you where you were on the day beer festivals went virtual.

What's Twitter?

Where have you been – it's the place where all the cool dudes hang out. Well, actually, it's a social media site used by young and old to communicate across the world. To join us you will need to sign up for a Twitter Account (www.twitter.com). It's free and easy to use. Search for ‘alesbymail’ or “#vbf”. Follow Ales By Mail and you will see all the tweets.

There are a number of excellent twitter clients that make using twitter easy – we use Tweetdeck for ours. You might want to install one of these.

What's #vbf?

So that those not following Ales By Mail can see what's going on we will use the hashtag #vbf. From your Twitter home page or client (tweetdeck for example), run a search for #vbf. Save the search and refresh it during the discussions. This will allow you to see all the latest comments about the beers, even from people you may not be following.

Can I say something too?

To add a comment, simply write it and send it as a normal Tweet. However, it's important that you start your message with “@alesbymail” and finish it with “#vbf” so that other people can find it.

What else do I need?

To really become involved, you’ll also need to get hold of the beers from Alesbymail.com. You can also find some of them at specialist beer outlets. Failing that – come and see what people have to say about the beer and perhaps pick some up for yourself?

How long will it take?

This depends on how many people take part and how many comments are made about each beer. The first VBF lasted for around two and a half hours.