DERBY'S winter beer festival is back at the Roundhouse next week with, the organisers hope, a few tweaks to make it an even better event than last year's debut at the venue.

And tweaks is all they need. The brilliance of the venue itself was evident immediately last year because the restoration of the former railway buildings on the edge of Pride Park is something Derby can be genuinely proud of. It looked just right with hundreds of beers arranged around the main room in a circle.

The first Derby CAMRA festival in many years to be moved away from the Assembly Rooms was so successful, generally, that the city will be asked to host the national winter beer festival in the Roundhouse in 2014.

But it did not all go to plan. Queuing was a problem outside at the busiest periods, as was the heat when the ventilation failed to work properly, and the men's toilets proved inadequate for what was being asked of them.

Also, if you didn't want to listen to the music, there wasn't really any escape which didn't take you away from the beer.

Those are all issues that have been looked at. This year, extra room for beers has been made available in the Carriage Room, which should spread things out a little – and they are also putting the bands on in there, so if you don't want to listen to things like Coldplay, Supergrass or Foo Fighters tributes (count me out on all three, thanks) then you won't have to in the main hall.

Apparently, the acoustics are also better in the Carriage Room.

Extra toilets are being provided too.

And there is also an extra day, which should spread things out, with the festival opening on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, it's 11am-11pm, though the admission price jumps up from 4pm on each of those days. It's free to CAMRA members at all times.

Free buses will run from the Assembly Rooms on the hour and half-hour to the venue if such a modest walk is beyond you.

But what of the beers?

In charge of the ordering this time is Chris Sherratt, one of the keenest seekers-out of beers I have come across. Chris has eschewed a "theme" for the festival, reasoning that it can be restrictive.

Instead, he has gathered together 300 beers from all over the country, a staggering selection.

It means, as he admits, that you may be out of luck if a particular beer has run out by the time you find your way to it.

"My aim is to let the beers do the talking and be the unrivalled focal point of this year's event," he says.

"In order to get to 300, I have ordered firkins (four-and-a-half gallon barrels). Yes, when they are gone, they are gone, but there are plenty more to try."

Out of all that lot, Chris has picked out three he is really looking forward to tasting himself.

So look out for these:

Kernel India Pale Ale Centennial is a 5.2% citrussy bitter with American hops from Kernel, a London craft brewery who specialise in this type of beer.

Arbor Slack Jawed Yokel is another pale ale, this one at 5.5%, from the well-regarded Bristol brewery whose Arbor Light was a staple at the Smithfield for some years.

And then there is XT9, an unusual, dark beer of 5.5% from a fairly new brewery in Thame, Hampshire.

This uses nine different malts and nine different hops and is described as "black velvet" and very definitely not a stout – just something very different for the discerning drinker.

There looks like there will be plenty along those lines this time around.