CAMRA Fringe Festival - Norwich Pubs host Fringe Festival

CAMRA have teamed up with Norwich pubs to create a month of celebration. The Fringe Festival will be hosted in pubs in central Norwich throughout February, with special events to celebrate CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival Winter, taking place in Norwich from 20 to 24 of February.

Local pubs will also be getting involved as the Great British Beer Festival Winter extends to The Fringe which runs for the whole of February, with organised crawls and treasure trails, special events, competitions, featured brewers and a unique fine dining and beer experience.

The Fringe Festival, running alongside the Great British Beer Festival Winter is a fantastic opportunity for Norwich to promote the range of pubs around the City, and gives a new opportunity to explore them.

You may join the organised pub crawls or take your own route and visit The Fringe at your leisure, either way, you can enter the Treasure Trail to win £100 of beer!

A guide showing the featured events and the Treasure Trail is available at participating pubs and on the website winter.gbbf.org.uk/the-fringe.  The website also details the organised crawls, with the company of others, and are open to CAMRA members and non-members alike.

Special Fringe dates:
2-22 Feb - The Woolpack Yard –beer tasting palates and Green Jack takeover
5-11 Feb - The Trafford Arms – Valentine Beer Festival, live music, 60 beers!
8-11 Feb - The Ribs of Beef – ‘From the Big Smoke to the Fine City’ - London Breweries show case, including Howling Hops, Canopy, One Mile End, Wildcard, Fullers & Redemption
9 Feb - CAMRA Fringe Crawl – starts at The Angel Gardens 7.30pm, Friday
13 Feb - CAMRA Fringe Crawl – starts at The William & Florence 12 noon, Tuesday
14-17 Feb - The Rose – pie and porter festival
16 Feb - CAMRA Fringe Crawl – starts at The Golden Star 7.30pm, Friday
16 Feb - The Leopard – Lacons Tap Take Over Friday with Lacons festival beer
17 Feb - CAMRA Fringe Crawl – starts at The Rose 7.30pm, Saturday
20-24 Feb - The Great British Beer Festival Winter, The Halls, Norwich
20-26 Feb - The Ribs of Beef – ‘Abstract Jungle Show Case’
25 Feb - The Black Horse – comedy night, free entrance, 7.30pm, Sunday

Beer & Fine Dining Experience:
Also on 18 Feb - Maids Head Hotel - local Beer Sommelier Cheryl Cade, the Maids Head Hotel, and a selection of local breweries are presenting a three-course evening menu pairing with different local beers on Sunday 18 February – don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy fine local food and beer! Local brewers will be sponsoring the Beer & Food (Fine Dining Experience), as part of the launch of the Great British Beer Festival Winter. CAMRA, in association with the 4-star Maids Head Hotel in Norwich, will be holding a Beer & Fine Dining Experience on Sunday 18 February, at 7.30pm. Guests will be treated to a three-course dinner, matched with seven local beers. Breweries are: Ampersand Brewery, Allday Brewing, Elmtree, Boudicca, Humpty Dumpty, Beeston and Panther. Tickets are £35 pp and are selling out fast and can be purchased until Sunday 11 February - winter.gbbf.org.uk/tickets/beer-food/

Other highlights:
Earlham Arms - special ales and a chance to win a mini cask of Barsham ale
Lollards Pit – featured brewers, £3 a pint specials, £2.50 Mondays, CAMRA discount
Kings Head – East Anglian Breweries Showcase and a chance to win Boudicca beer
The Murderers – featuring local beers and a range of Lancashire real ales plus live music on Thursdays throughout February
The William & Florence – award-winning beers on tap in newly refurbished premises
Wig and Pen – A Taste of Norfolk, 5 local ales
The Rosebery – early bird £2.50 a pint on all cask ales from 1st-24th Feb, with CAMRA membership card (3-6pm weekdays, 12-6pm weekends) and showcasing a selection of top quality real ales from across the country

Live music:
Live music also features at The Golden Star and The Angel Gardens (Saturdays), The Earlham Arms (Sundays), The Belle Vue (3 Feb) and The Kings Arms (10 & 24 Feb).

Feeling hungry?  Try the special food matching events:
The Rose – pie and porter festival – 14-17 Feb
The Red Lion – special beers and pizzas
Wig and Pen – A Taste of Norfolk, pint of Norfolk bangers & mash £3!
The Buck – home-made pies for February
The Cellar House – Valentine Hot Mexican Night and music
The William & Florence – bottomless brunch 10am-2pm Saturdays and Sundays
The Angel Gardens – Sunday lunches served 12noon until 8pm!

The Fringe is part of the Great British Beer Festival Winter, which starts on Tuesday, 20 February, at The Halls, Norwich, opening with a CAMRA members-only preview from 5.30pm.  It is then open to everyone from 12noon until 10.30pm every day until the 24 February.

The Halls, including Blackfriars’ and St Andrew’s medieval friary complex, is also home to the Norwich Beer Festival, which is also organised by the Norwich & Norfolk Branch of CAMRA and which celebrated its 40th anniversary last October. 

The festival will feature a range of ales from traditional dark ales to light hoppy ales, with hot food available and live music.  Entrance is free to CAMRA members and £4 to non-members (£3 Wednesday) on the door.  For more information about The Festival and The Fringe visit winter.gbbf.org.uk.