Norwich Door to Door is our Branch Charity for 2010

At a recent branch committee meeting, the Norwich and Norfolk Branch of CAMRA selected Norwich Door to Door as its nominated charity for 2010.

An interesting debate and lengthy voting process was necessary because there were so many worthy charities applying, and each one had a compelling and convincing case to make, but it was felt that as Norwich Door to Door was serving the local community it got the nod this year.

This admirable organisation’s objective is to enable social inclusion for severely disabled children, disabled adults and older mobility impaired people who are on low income and find they are unable to use mainstream transport or the volunteer car schemes.

It aims to provide social inclusion for people whose disabilities curtail their independence and access by providing transport to enable them to make their own contribution to their area.

The committee are confident that CAMRA members who visit this year's Norwich Beer Festival, as well as other visitors and guests, will again donate as generously as ever to this local and admirable cause.

For more information on ‘Norwich Door to Door’ see www.norwichdoortodoor.org.uk

Larling Angel is the Norfolk Pub Of The Year 2010

CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) are delighted to announce that The Angel Inn, at Larling, has been voted Norfolk Pub of the Year for 2010.

The pub had previously been selected as the West Norfolk Branch's Pub Of The Year and won this prestigious award in competition against The Mariners, in Gt. Yarmouth, the Norwich & Norfolk Branch's Pub Of The Year.

In a very close contest the Angel was judged to be the best.

Congratulations go to Andrew Stammers, of the Angel, who said he was absolutely overwhelmed with his success and would like to thank his staff, customers and CAMRA for their support.

Andrea Briars (Regional Director for CAMRA East Anglia) said: "This year's competition again showcased two thriving pubs: a town local and a village pub at the heart of its community.

"Well done to both for reaching this stage of the competition and I wish Andrew Stammers and the team at the Angel well in the next round."

The next round of the competition will be judged against winning pubs from five other counties. The winner will become East Anglia Regional Pub Of The Year and will go forward to the final round, which is CAMRA's national Pub Of The Year competition.

Norwich Beer Festival logo unveiled

Norwich & Norfolk Campaign For Real Ale have unveiled the winning logo for the 33rd Norwich Beer Festival.

As usual the entries were of a universally high standard. With a large number of entries to choose from, the judging process went on slightly longer than it usually does as members debated the merits of the designs.

Eventually, after whittling the entries down to a final two, Katy Mavilio, of Hellesdon, was declared the winner with her design of a “Halloween” Dragon emerging from a pumpkin. The runners-up will be on display at the festival in October

Katy, when contacted by Mark Stimpson, the competition co-ordinator, was flabbergasted and at a loss for words when told she had won the competition.

Martin Ward, Festival Organiser, commented: “The quality of the designs this year was up to its usual high standard, and to be judged the winner from so many excellent entries is testament to the robustness of the design”.

Katy can look forward to a winner's cheque for £100, plus a selection of festival merchandise for her efforts.

Although planning is at an early stage, as in previous years, we aim to provide an exceptional range of quality real ales and ciders from not only Norfolk but other outstanding breweries around the country.

This year's beer festival runs from Monday 25th to Saturday 30th October at its usual venue of St. Andrew's & Blackfriars' Halls, Norwich.

For further information about the festival, please see our festival web page.

Humpty Dumpty on top

Broadland Sunrise from Reedham-based brewery Humpty Dumpty has been named the Champion Beer of Norfolk 2010 by the Norwich and Norfolk branch of the Campaign for Real Ale.

The 4.2% Best Bitter described as ‘Beautifully smooth with a swirling malt, hop, and fruit aroma’ emerged victorious from a year-long programme of beer tasting conducted by the Norfolk Taste Panel.

Organiser Alan Edwards explained “Members of the panel completed over 300 taste cards covering nearly 60 beers from nineteen Norfolk breweries. We are lucky to have around 30 breweries in the county and the panel tries to cover as many as possible.

"The panel were highly complementary of the quality and mix of flavours found in Broadland Sunrise. The beer faced strong competition but has emerged as a worthy winner."

Alan continued, “It is a triple success for the brewery as, apart from Broadland Sunrise scooping the Best Bitter and Overall Champion award, their Railway Sleeper and Norfolk Nectar were tops in the Strong Bitter and Speciality Beer categories.

"The brewery began in 1998 and now incorporates a shop at the brewery. Many of the beers are named after either railway or Norfolk themes.

"Six local breweries are award winners and it is hoped their success will give a boost to the branch ‘LocAle’ scheme which publicises pubs which always stock beers from breweries within 30 miles of the hostelry.”

Full Results:
Champion – Humpty Dumpty, Reedham: Broadland Sunrise
Bitter – Grain, Alburgh: Oak Best Bitter
Best Bitter – Humpty Dumpty, Reedham: Broadland Sunrise
Strong Bitter – Humpty Dumpty, Reedham: Railway Sleeper
Golden Ale – Wolf, Besthorpe: Golden Jackal
Speciality Beer – Humpty Dumpty, Reedham: Norfolk Nectar
Strong Mild – Chalk Hill, Norwich: Flintknappers Mild
Stout – Elmtree, Snetterton: Dark Horse Stout
Real Ale in a Bottle – Norfolk Square, Gt Yarmouth: Winklepicker

Mariners Tavern is Branch Pub of the Year

The Norwich and Norfolk Campaign For Real Ale is proud to announce that their branch pub of the year is the Mariners Tavern, at Gt Yarmouth.

The Mariners is situated in Howard Street, Great Yarmouth, a short distance from the railway station, one row back from the quay. It is a former Lacons pub with a pleasant red brick and flint exterior. This family-run local comprises of a main bar and a smaller bar at the rear of the building.

Shirley Twose, licensee, was very delighted to have won the Branch POTY (Pub of the Year), in fact she was rather gobsmacked when Warren Wordsworth, Branch Pubs Officer phoned her to contragulate her on winning.

She defintely is a supporter local brewers. Beers that she regularly has on in her pub include: Green Jack, Woodforde's , Wolf and Norfolk Square. Uniquely, it also has up to a dozen real ciders in the rear bar.

Shirley is the sister of the owner, Shaun Underdown, who along with partner Gemma, own the Mariners Compass in Gorleston and the recently opened Mariners Rest in Lowestoft, so the pub is defintely a family venture and has attracted praise from both vistors and locals for the quality of service. They also run an annual beer festival which coincides with the Yarmouth Maritime show.

Warren Wordsworth commented: “This is the first time that a pub from the Yarmouth area has won our Branch Pub of the Year award and I hope this will not only be a boost to The Mariners but also raise the profile of real ale to the Yarmouth area in general”.

The pub will now go on to the county competition, where is will be judged against the winner of West Norfolk CAMRA's Pub of the Year.