Organisers of the 43rd Norwich Beer Festival give a preview of the beers – and bears – at this year’s festival!
East London of Lea Bridge are showcasing their golden Cowcatcher and blond pale and Hackney’s Five Points are supplying a chocolate and coffee full-bodied Railway Porter and fruity amber Best.
A golden pale ale and traditional Glowfly bitter will also be available from Highgate’s Gorgeous Brewery.
For those seeking something a bit different, organisers suggest looking out for Billericay’s Chili Porter, Blue Anchor’s Special strong ale, Brentwood’s Chockwork Orange, Cliff Quay’s Magellan wheat beer or Green Jack’s Harvest Sour.
Speciality beers also include Beartown’s Bluebeary fruit beer, All Day’s Coffee Stout, Humpty Dumpty’s Lemon & Ginger tangy ale, Lincoln Green’s Green Hopped, Milestone’s Raspberry Wheat, Moon Gazer’s smoky dark Triskele, or Nethergate’s easy-drinking Umbel Ale.
Devon’s Platform 5 Brewery will be featuring their beers, including a highly hopped APA and their malt and caramel ‘Whistleblower’.
Also from Devon, Summerskills Brewery will be offering Start Point, a golden session ale, and Plymhop, aptly named with hops from Plymstock.
The Curiosity Bar remains the focus for the unusual – with a Chocolate Amaretto from Blue Monkey, a Rum Porter from Bexley, a fruity chocolate dark mild from Boxcar Brewery, Sabro IPA from Elephant School, a blueberry coffee stout from Hollow Stone alongside its Sorbeto Grapefruit.
The bar offers the very tasty New Bristol’s French Toast and Turning Point’s Bourbon Ba Gravedigger's Biscuits alongside the obscurely-named space hopping Minimal Water Damage, Out Space, Lucid Dream, Cosmic Flux and Radio Nowhere all from North Yorkshire.
Whether you like the very sweet or the very sour, or something in between, the festival’s cider and perry bar promises something for every palate, will sweetness indicators and knowledgeable bar staff to advise.
This year look out for Castlings Heath organic cider, Radiant Rose from Scratby, Galanthus Perry by Berties and Gandhi’s Flip Flop from Apple Cottage to name a few!
Charity Beers and Bears
Enjoy a beer in the knowledge profits are going to charity – with special charity beers on order in the marquee, alongside charity lucky dip beer bags! Staff can also bid on the charity beers.
The World beer awards have donated a range of world beers to the festival with profits going to the Festival’s Charity.
This year’s charity partner is Norfolk SEN Network, helping families with children with special educational needs.
The festival will home two cuddly Koalas to be named during the festival - with winning names to be announced on Saturday 30th October at 3pm.
The brewery that inspired this is called Drop The Bear Beer - a no alcohol brewery run by two ladies - ‘and is very good’, adds Cheryl Cade, Bar Manager.
The festival opens its doors to the public at 5.30pm Monday 25th October – with a one-hour preview for CAMRA members at 4.30pm. There will be evening and lunchtime sessions Tuesday to Friday and all-day-opening on Saturday.
As always, there will be hot and cold food available for purchase and non-alcoholic drinks are available at all bars.
Stallholders include Guerilla Dining, Pewterscribe for engraving and gifts and Rookery Craft Mead.
Festival organisers would like to thank the kind sponsors of this year’s festival Barsham Brewery, Woodforde’s Brewery, Farnell Clark accountants, Camlab PPE, Kettle Foods, Crisp Malt and Mr Winter’s.
Attendees do not need pre-event tickets and can pay by cash or card at the entrance. Entry is FREE for CAMRA members with proof of membership, or join at the festival.
Covid-precautionary measures
Additional Covid-precautionary measures are in place, further information can be found on the Norwich Beer Festival 2021 website.
