Norwich Beer Festival: Oktoberfest and Tastings Announced!

Norwich’s beer festival announce a new range of pre-booked Beer Tastings – news on the dedicated cider bar in the main hall – and a new Oktoberfest in the marquee!

On Monday 24th October, the Norwich Beer Festival will open the doors to its 44th festival at The Halls with a 4pm preview for CAMRA members and a 5pm public opening. 

Tickets in advance or pay on the door

Advanced tickets are still available for many sessions or simply pay cash or card on the door!  For more information, beer lists and admission times and prices, visit the dedicated ticket purchase page. 

Lunchtime sessions are 11.30am until 3pm and evening sessions start at 5pm – with all-day opening on Saturday until 9pm.  Visitors can pay-on-the-door for all sessions or advanced tickets are still available for most sessions.  

World Beer Bar and Oktoberfest

The very popular World Beer Bar returns to the marquee with its eclectic mix of overseas treasures including Trappist and fruit beers.  Cheryl Cade, World Beer Bar Manager, has organised an Oktober Festival running on Tuesday evening and Wednesday! 

The Oktoberfest showcases a fantastic collection of German beers from, Hacker Pschorr, Hofbrau, Paulaner and Sparten plus some amazing German beers from microbreweries in the heart of Germany. A small example is Keller & dark beers from Kundmüller, Bayreuther and Kaiser. 

If Pils & Heels are more you thing, you will find breweries like, Schwarzbräu, Pott's and Hasseröder Brauerei to name but a few.  For the craft beer lovers try beers from Crew Republic.

During the week, the World Beer Bar will also be graced by beers from China, eg Niubic Barrel Aged Bayberry, Raspberry & Hazelnut Sour (2022) from NBeer (牛啤堂); Buckskins beers from Taiwan as well as Indonesian beers from PT Bali Hai Brewery.

Alternatively, in the marquee can be sampled draught beer from Pohjala (Estonia), Bangar, an Imperial Stout with Chocolate and Chilli. A new range of Sours and Gose alongside beer from Ireland to get you in the mood for Christmas with White Hags, Yule Brew! 

Check out the Norwich Beer Festival online lists and the free printed programme for more details. 

Live music

Live music can be enjoyed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Blackfriars' Hall, with local artists playing some well-known classic covers and originals! Hot and cold food is available throughout.

In St Andrew’s Hall will be found a dedicated cider and perry bar – with over 60 local varieties, alongside the occasional wine or mead!  

Soft drinks and water are available on request at most bars, along with alcohol-free and low-alcohol options at the World Beer Bar. Also look out for our ‘free from’ area with all gluten-free, along with ‘free from’ options at the Curiosity Bar.  Vegan beers will be marked and can be selected at the ‘free from’ area or throughout the festival.  

Craig Harmer, Norwich Beer Festival Organiser comments: ‘We have a swift entry system, with cash or card payment, so you shouldn’t be waiting long before you taste your first drink, and the pre-opening queue soon disappears !  If you’re feeling generous, don’t forget to donate any remaining unstamped vouchers to the festival charity, we offer our programmes for free in the hope visitors will donate to the charity.’

Branch Charity for 2022

This year’s charity is Nelson's Journey and they would be hugely grateful for any donation, no matter how small, and unspent vouchers can be donated at the glasses counter, charity stand or to charity volunteers.  Nelson’s Journey work hard to bring back the smiles of young people and children who have experienced the death of a significant person in their lives.  

Tutored beer tastings

There are tutored Beer Tastings on Tuesday and Thursday this year.

Tuesday 25th Oct, 12pm - 1pm - Beer & Cheese Tasting at Norwich Beer Festival
4 Beers & 4 Cheese samples
This tasting is led by beer & cheese sommelier Cheryl Cade, also a Great Taste judge.
It will be a blend of local & international produce specially selected for your enjoymentSeated in the medieval splendour of the Halls Cloisters.

Thursday 27th Oct - How to judge beer like a professional - at Norwich Beer Festival
6 Beer samples, Cost £15 pp (not including entry)
This tasting is led by CAMRA & World Beer Awards judge, Cheryl Cade who is also a beer & cheese sommelier.
It will be a blend of local & international beers specially selected to get your taste buds tingling alongside your brain cells.
Seated in the medieval splendour of the Halls Cloisters. 

Additional costs and pre-booking applies for these limited-number events, and are not included in the entry price nor advanced tickets.

 

For more visit the Norwich & District CAMRA's website beer festival pages: norwich.camra.org.uk/festival/fest2022.htm

Norwich Beer Festival Beer Selection for 2022

 Norwich’s beer festival is set to open with some well-loved and ‘wow!’ beers and ciders to delight the new, the selective and the connoisseur! 

 On Monday 24th October, the Norwich Beer Festival will open the doors to its 44th festival at The Halls with a 4pm preview for CAMRA members and a 5pm public opening. 

For a modest entry fee, or free for CAMRA members and joiners, over the week visitors can enjoy 320 cask-conditioned beers, world beers and local ciders and perries.

Lunchtime sessions are 11.30am until 3pm and evening sessions start at 5pm – with all-day opening on Saturday until 9pm.  Visitors can pay on the door for all sessions or advanced tickets are available for many sessions.  

Norwich & District CAMRA are promising a fun festival, with music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and many popular golden session beers including Cold Black Label’s Singing Sword, Red Willow’s Weightless and some lighter options such as Saltaire’s South Island and a light, refreshing Ploughmans Lunch by 8 Sail. 

Or you might want to try Ritual, a floral IPA, or check out the ‘Bad Day at the Office’ from the aptly-named Scottish Alechemy, along with other session and premium goldens, such as Deya’s juicy, hazy Steady Rolling Man and Liquid Light’s Vacuum Boots with surprising hints of peach and mango!

For those wanting something special, organisers recommend looking out for Downton’s Elderquad or Honey Blonde, Spey Valley’s Stillman’s IPA, Bristol Beer Factory’s Expresso Martini Stout, Brew York’s Rhubarbra Streisand, Portobello’s Market Porter, Green Jack’s Fruit Bat or Big Dog, Nethergate’s Venture Point 5, Opa Hays’ Das Bier, S&P’s Blackberry Porter, Humpty Dumpty’s Radschlaeger, Tombstone’s Blackfoot or Papworth’s Saison D’Etre - with premium beers, stouts, porters, bitters, milds, with every shade from golden, to reds, browns, coppers and dark beers. 

For those wishing to ‘keep it local’, we are promised East Anglian and Norfolk’s best, with beers from Ampersand, Barsham, Beccles Brew, Beeston, Billericay, Boudicca, Brancaster, Bruha, Bull of the Woods, Chalk Hill, Cliff Quay, Earl Soham, Elgoods, Elmtree, Fat Cat, Fengate, Golden Triangle, Grain, Green Jack, Humber Doucy, Humpty Dumpty, Lacons, Leigh on Sea, Mighty Oak, Mile Tree, Milton, Moongazer, Moonshine, Mr Winters, Nethergate, Old Chimneys, Opa Hays, Panther, Papworth, Pell & Co, Peoples, Poppyland, S&P, Shortts, St Peter’s, Stow Fen, Tindall, Tombstone, Three Blind Mice, Tydd Steam, Wildcraft, Wolf, Woodfordes and Xtreme – with a Moonshine raspberry and Xtreme Xion of particular note for porter lovers.

The select beers of the Curiosity Bar this year will showcase Brecon Brewery, with beers created from the fabled waters of the Brecon Beacons, including a dark burgundy hopped porter and a raspberry and vanilla salt black and pale saison. 

Also featured are some Rat Brewery beers, such as the Lumber Rat and Rat Attack, alongside some rhubarb and strawberry flavoured options from Xtreme and other speciality, differently flavoured choices.

Featuring in St Andrew’s for 2022 is a bay of traditional wooden casks known as ‘Beers from the Wood’.  Wooden-served beers are distinctive, gently carbonated with soft aromatics and infused with delicate flavours, such as chocolate, different hops and capsaicin. 

Wooden-served beers will include Clun Brewery’s Citadel, a premium blonde hoppy IPA and Darwin’s Galapagos chocolate stout and Ossett’s dry hopped ale and chocolate orange porter, along with Vocations aged imperial smoked Lady of the Glen, alongside many more. 

For a lighter wooden-cask experience, there will be Harrogate’s Blond, a delicate zesty fusion of English and American hops, or Half Moon’s Dark Masquerade mild or Darwin’s malty, golden Expedition and more.

Live music can be enjoyed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Blackfriars Hall, with local artists playing some well-known classic covers and originals! Hot and cold food is available throughout.

Craig Harmer, Beer Festival Organiser ,adds: ‘If you’re new to real ale, real cider or world beers, our bar staff are knowledgeable and can make recommendations.  If you’re new to the festival, we advise you to collect your drinks stamp card then take a look around the different areas. 

‘Grab a free programme and ask staff about the colour coding on the barrels.  Perhaps first consider joining CAMRA and enjoying the 2-pint and entrance refunded offer?  One other bit of advice, do please avoid bringing heavy bags and coats as there’s no storage in The Halls.’

Soft drinks and water are available on request at most bars, along with alcohol-free and low-alcohol options at the World Beer Bar. Also look out for our ‘free from’ area with all gluten-free, along with ‘free from’ options at the Curiosity Bar. 

Vegan beers will be marked and can be selected at the ‘free from’ area or throughout the festival.  The free-from range includes beers from Ampersand, Barsham, Brentwood, Fat Cat, Moongazer, Nene Valley, St Peter’s, Totally Brewed, Wildcraft and Poppyland.

Track the state of all the festival beers by viewing the live listing.

For more information can be found on the Norwich & District CAMRA website.

Norwich Beer Festival Music Announcement

Norwich Beer Festival is to host a new line-up of live music and performance! 

In previous years, music has been hosted in the main St Andrew’s Hall.  This time, for the first time, music will be hosted in Blackfriars' Hall.

The best-loved beer festival will run from Monday 24 to Saturday 29 October 2022, (October half term), with music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 

Getting the weekend started early is The Macarnos, an upbeat, acoustic band consisting of four talented friends. Playing covers and original songs on Thursday evening, the band are known for their crowd pleasing, foot stomping performances, skilfully switching instruments and lead vocals. 

Friday lunchtime, visitors will be entertained by the acoustic sounds of singer songwriter Alton Wahlberg.  Alton has a unique indie/folk style with raw brutally honest lyrics that regularly make audiences laugh, fall silent then sing!

Friday evening at the Norwich Beer Festival, Blackfriars Hall will be filled with the sounds of The Dirigibles, a new wave, rock and roll style band!  A popular four-man group who live, breathe and love the music they play!  Visitors to the festival will enjoy the bounce and bop of this infectious ensemble.

On Saturday, delighting festival visitors from 12.30pm will be three performances:

The first is Terry Adams whose influences include David Gray, Stereophonics, Travis, Simon & Garfunkel and Paul Weller. 

Next up is Faith, offering an acoustic version of their full band, with emotive songs, a rock edge, melodic vocals and dangerous guitar antics! 

From around 3pm, Felix Simpson will be showcasing his original material and covers.  With a decent musical pedigree, with cousins in the successful band Busted, Felix has developed a catchy alt-pop sound, combined with his more powerful soulful vocals.

Craig Harmer, Festival Organiser, explained Saturday is a good day to visit the festival as it is open all day from 11.30am until 9pm and is not too busy so you can usually just walk straight in at any time.  

Craig adds: 'Gone are the days of waiting for a long time in a queue.  We now have a fast-track queue system and everyone is surprised how quickly they enter the Halls and are able to purchase their glass and tokens, now with cash or card, even on the busier Thursday and Friday.'

Entrance is FREE again for CAMRA members all week, who must join the queue and have membership cards ready (unless joining at the festival).  CAMRA members are also invited to the preview from 4pm on Monday 24 October and can stay on for the evening session! 

For those joining CAMRA at Norwich Beer Festival, there is a special 2022 promotion which can equate to 2 free pints – and your entry fee refunded!  CAMRA membership gives free access to all sessions and free or reduced access to local and national CAMRA beer festivals.

Local branches host socials including organised crawls, young members’ events and day and evening coach trips to country pubs, national festivals and breweries!  More information, including the Christmas crawl, can be found on the Norwich & District CAMRA website.  Membership also provides discounts in over 4,700 national pubs and free drinks vouchers!

Festival advance tickets are still available for many sessions or simply pay cash or card on the door! 

For more information, beer lists and admission times and prices, visit the beer festival web pages.

 

Norwich Beer Festival Announcements for 2022

Norwich’s best-loved beer festival returns in October 2022 – with a preview for CAMRA members! 

The 44th Norwich Beer Festival, run by Norwich & District CAMRA, returns to The Halls, with music in Blackfriars Hall on Thursday, Friday and Saturday! 

Pre-event tickets are available on the website or simply pay on the door!

All eyes are now set to the October beer festival where over 300 cask-conditioned real ales, of every variety, will be on offer, with the more unusual found at the Curiosity Bar, now in its 4th year!  Alongside is a dedicated cider and perry bar – with over 60 varieties, from the very sweet to the very dry and mostly from local cider producers of East Anglia.  The very popular World Beer Bar also returns to the marquee with its eclectic mix of overseas treasures. 

Running from Monday 24 to Saturday 29 October 2022, (October half term), this year local ales will be spread throughout both halls and, for the first time, Blackfriars will host a selection of bands and music! 

Every day, including Saturday, visitors can pay on the door with cash or card! Whilst there is usually a queue before opening, we have a swift entry system, so you shouldn’t be waiting long before you taste your first ale, lager, cider – or wine from the cider bar!

Soft drinks are available at most bars, so do please ask, along with alcohol-free and low-alcohol options available at the World Beer Bar.

Also look out for our ‘free from’ bay with all gluten-free.  Vegan beers will be marked and can be selected at the ‘free from’ bay or throughout the festival.

Members’ FREE entry!

CAMRA membership can be secured at Norwich Beer Festival, giving you free access to all sessions!  This can also open up a year of offers and social occasions as membership gives free or reduced access to most local and national CAMRA beer festivals and branches host social occasions with discounts, such as day and evening coach trips to country pubs, festivals and breweries!  Look out for our special 2022 promotion for new members.

Entrance is FREE again for CAMRA members who must join the queue and have membership cards ready (unless joining at the festival).  CAMRA members are also invited to the preview from 4pm on Monday 24 October and can stay on for the evening session!

Things a newcomer should know

Only persons over 18 will be admitted, so do bring ID!  To speed entry, please don’t bring heavy bags nor big coats as there is no storage area.

When arriving at the Halls, beers are purchased through a stamp card system.  These are bought from the glasses stand, along with your glass – or pre-ordered as a pack on the pre-sale ticket page.  You can return to the glasses or World Beer Bar for further stamp cards.

There is a limited number of Norwich Beer Festival collectible beer glasses, with this year’s unique logo.  If you’re missing a glass in your collection, our merchandise stand team will help, where you can also purchase popular hoodies, t-shirts and memorabilia.

Lunchtime sessions are 11.30 until 3pm and evening sessions start at 5pm.

Hot and cold food is available and more information can be found on the Norwich & District CAMRA website.

This year’s charity is Nelsons Journey

The Charity would be hugely grateful for any donation, no matter how small, and unspent vouchers can be donated at the glasses counter, charity stand or to charity volunteers.  Nelson’s Journey are, this year, celebrating their 25th anniversary and have been working hard to bring back the smiles of young people and children who have experienced the death of a significant person in their lives.  

Soon to be announced

Shortly to be released are details of the beer selection and how to access the live beer and cider list!  Also, in the coming days and weeks, live music in Blackfriars Hall and smaller ticketed ‘tastings and talks’ events will be announced.

New to CAMRA? 

Our new members offer will be announced soon, also giving free access to Norwich Beer Festival throughout the week and reduced or free entry to CAMRA local and national events including Norwich’s popular beer and cider coach trips!

 

 

 

Norwich Kings Head is CAMRA's 'East Anglia Pub Of The Year:

The Kings Head pub on Magdalen Street, Norwich, has been judged East Anglia’s best pub by CAMRA members from branches across the region. 

The award was presented at the pub on Saturday September 3rd.

The pub, already Norfolk Pub of the Year, was selected ahead of the best pubs in five other counties: Suffolk, Essex, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, in the regional round of CAMRA’s Pub of the Year competition, and will now go forward to the Super Regional round, competing with three other Regional winners. 

Three other ‘super regions’ will also select a winner, and the final four pubs will then compete to be named National CAMRA Pub of the Year, with the winner being announced in November.

The Kings Head is a traditional, friendly ale house, with an ever-changing selection of seven or eight real ales from top quality local breweries, plus selected guest ales, plus real ciders and a great selection of bottled foreign beers.

The pub is very community-focused, open all day every day, a home-from-home and a place for great beer and conversation. You can come in to read the paper, have a chat with friends or enjoy the bar billiards table, as three of Norwich's bar billiards league teams do.

The pub also supports a number of local charities including It's On The Ball, the RNLI and Caister Lifeboat.

Andrea Briers, CAMRA’s Regional Director for East Anglia, said: “The quality of pubs the last time the East Anglia Regional Pub of the Year competition took place was high and I was delighted to find that this hasn’t changed, especially after the hard times that the hospitality industry has faced recently. Congratulations to the Kings Head on their success!”

Stephen George, owner of the King's Head, said: “We were honoured to be named Branch and County Pub of the Year again, and are even more delighted that CAMRA members have voted us the best pub in East Anglia.

“The last two years have been a struggle for everyone, and we’re pleased to be back to normal and providing a range of great beers to our loyal regulars and new friends alike. This is great recognition of the hard work, care and love put into the pub by Alison, Charlie and the rest of the team."

Stephen also noted that the King's Head, in common with other pubs, breweries and their customers face a huge challenge in the coming months with the soaring cost of energy: "These are exceptional times - our customers, our suppliers and our pubs will struggle to cope with the extraordinary energy price rises we are experiencing.

“The comfort of sharing a pint down at your local pub could become an unaffordable luxury for many this winter. Just as it did during the pandemic, we hope the government will step up with a package of measures to ensure we can all keep the lights and heat on and the ale flowing over the coming winter."

‘Norwich & Beyond’ Pub Festival 2022 – starts 22nd July!

The festival starts on 22nd July and runs to 29th August 2022!  

With over a month of celebrating over 120 local pubs and breweries!

This July and August, over 80 pubs in and outside of Norwich will be part of a 38-day Norwich Pub Festival.

Run by Norwich & District CAMRA, with coach trips and discounts for CAMRA members, also open to non-CAMRA members.

Pub Festival Co-Organiser, Lucy Cousins said: ‘We wanted to plan something exciting for people, as well as supporting our fabulous local pubs and showcasing our breweries.’

How will it work?

People can visit pubs from within colour-coded zones, mapped out in a festival guide available from participating venues. and online. Each zone will include between 9 and 12 pubs, with over a month to visit as many as you choose! 

Anyone who gets a stamp from every pub in a zone can claim a souvenir coloured wristband, and if you collect all colours (one wristband for each zone, with the Cider Zone being optional), you’ll qualify for a special prize to be awarded at Norwich Beer Festival in October!

Each pub is partnered with a brewery and receives a free cask of beer from them. They’ll also have the opportunity to work together to organise promotional events for customers during the festival.

There are over 50 breweries taking part and we want to say a huge thank you to them all for their support.

‘Wildcraft are right behind this festival, let's support our pubs!!! Mike Deal, Wildcraft Brewery

Don’t worry if you’re not a big drinker, or you’re the designated driver, or simply want to try some different beverages – you can receive a stamp no matter what your purchased beverage of choice is. 

The only exception is the cider trail where you will receive a stamp if you purchase a half or pint of cider (and is not included in the 81 stamps to win a prize at Norwich Beer Festival).

Getting around

Almost all the pubs taking part are on train or bus routes, and public transport details are included in the festival guide. In Norwich, the central zones are walkable, and the pubs are close to each other. 

Finding out more?

Details of all the pubs and breweries taking part will be included in the festival guide, which you can pick up in any participating pub – look out for pub banners and find out more on social media, facebook.com/NorwichPubFestival @NorwichPubFest #NorwichPubFest22 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

‘After the great success of last year, it's wonderful to have Norwich and Beyond pub festival back again. Obviously, we love beer, but that's not the only thing it's about. It's also a chance to celebrate our excellent pubs!’ Emma Byrne, The Leopard

Participating Pubs

Our 2022 Pub of the Year winners and runners up are all involved, as well as many Good Beer Guide pubs.

Participating breweries are supplying pubs with free beer and cider as part of the festival!  Look out for these featured breweries, listed in the guide, when visiting the pubs.

Festival pubs (for maps, see the guide):

Cider Zone – (optional half or pint of cider to collect your stamp, these pubs are also on the main route where any beverage can be purchased to collect a stamp) Marlborough, Eaton Cottage, Reindeer, Coach & Horses Bethel St, White Lion, Rosebery, Artichoke, Malt & Mardle, Murderers, The Cottage, The Vine, Kings Head, Lollard Pit, Kings Arms

Green Zone – Kings Head Lingwood, Shoulder of Mutton, King’s Head Blofield, The Ram Inn, Rivergarden, Fat Cat & Canary, Coach & Horses Thorpe Road, Jubilee, Red Lion, Lollards Pit

Orange Zone – Cellar House, Beehive, Eaton Cottage, Unthank Arms, York, Eagle, Trafford, Kings Arms, Rose Pub & Deli

Yellow Zone – Gibraltar Gardens, Fat Cat, Garden House, William & Florence, Pear Tree, Black Horse, Earlham, Reindeer, Coach & Horses Bethel St

Gold Zone - Angel Gardens, Rosebery, Whalebone, The Brewery Tap, Stanley, Marlborough, The Cottage, Artichoke, Malt & Mardle, Leopard

Purple Zone – Plasters, Kings Head, White Lion, Louis Marchesi, Merchants, Ribs of Beef, Wig & Pen, Adam & Eve, Maids Head, Golden Star

Black Zone – Last Pub Standing, St Andrews Brewhouse, Franks Bar, Rumsey Wells, Arboretum, The Vine, Sir Toby’s, Lamb, Murderers, Walnut Tree Shades

Red Zone – Red Lion Cromer, Vernon Arms, Hop In, The Crown at Trunch, The Smallburgh Crown, Cross Keys, Spread Eagle, Unicorn, Red Lion Coltishall, Chequers, Plough Inn, Rose & Crown

Blue Zone – Ploughshare, Brisley Bell, White Swan, Darby’s, Royal Standard, Cock, George, Victoria Inn, Buck, Marlingford Bell, Crown

Branch Pub Of The Year 2022 is the Kings Head, Norwich

The Kings Head on Magdalen Street, in Norwich, has been voted Norwich & District CAMRA Branch’s 2022 best pub of Norwich and has also beaten its City and Rural contenders to become the Branch’s overall Pub of the Year!

A real favourite with ale drinkers, the Kings Head describes itself as ‘a traditional, friendly and welcoming Ale House offering an ever-changing selection of top quality cask ales from East Anglian microbreweries.’

Stephen George, owner of the Kings Head, commented on hearing the news: ‘We are delighted to be named Norwich & District CAMRA Pub of the Year for the 4th time.

‘After all of the hardships of the past two years, we are all keen to get back to normal, serving up our wide range of local cask ales and providing an open door to our regulars and new friends alike.

‘Kudos to Alison, Charlie and the whole team who put their hearts into making the King’s Head such a friendly place.’

The Kings Head is an unpretentious English pub, serving a wide variety of real ales and Trappist brews, a home from home, a place to drink great beer and engage in pleasant banter.

The Red Lion Hotel, Cromer, has scooped the award for Branch Rural Pub of the Year 2022. 

Callum Stuart of the Red Lion Hotel said: ‘We were thrilled to receive this award!  At first, we thought we had just been nominated but to find out that we had actually won was fantastic.

‘We would like to thank all of our customers and brilliant suppliers, all of whom have been loyal and supportive beyond words.

‘Enjoying a prominent position in Cromer doesn’t mean we have rested on our laurels; we believe it’s all in the quality of the produce and creating a welcoming environment.

‘CAMRA is a great organisation and we are so proud that our hard work and dedication has been recognised by the members.  We look forward to seeing you for a pint very soon!’

The Red Lion Hotel offers a dog-friendly pub on the seafront of Cromer, an extensive menu of local real ale, alongside bottled world beers, exceptional food, accommodation with sea views.

The runner-up in the City was the Fat Cat and Rural pub runner-up was the Hop In in North Walsham. 

Ian Stamp, the Norwich and Norfolk Branch Chairman said: ‘I would like to congratulate the two winners.  After the demands of the last two years and the challenges of Covid still weighing heavily on the industry it is fantastic to celebrate our very best pubs and hope more people will visit and enjoy them and the local ales they carefully manage and serve.’

 

Double Top for Humpty Dumpty Brewery

It’s double top for the Humpty Dumpty Brewery, of Reedham, as their ‘Big Sharpie’, a 5.0% Premium Pale Ale, has been named the Champion Cask Ale of Norfolk 2022 by the Norfolk branches of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale).

This follows on from the same brewery winning the 2022 Champion Bottled Beer award with their ‘Little Sharpie, a 3.8% Session Pale Ale.

Big Sharpie was described by the judges ‘Crisp hoppiness dominates the aroma and taste. Countered by peaches, malt and a slowly growing bitterness a grainy lingering finish develops.’ Brewed every 100th brew the beer uses plenty of Magnum, Cascade and Citra hops to develop the full hop experience.

Norfolk beers are judged by the Norfolk CAMRA Tasting Panel over a twelve-month period. Panel chair Alan Edwards commented: ‘The panel taste as many Norfolk brews as possible, though are sometimes limited by the availability of the beers. The list of winners shows the depth and quality of Norfolk brewing as well as the skills of our local landlords in presenting the beers.’

Second place overall went to Sirius Dog Star, a 4.4% Red Ale described as ‘A rich tapestry of malt, roast and caramel with interwoven hop hints. Sweetness and bitterness provide a light but growing undercurrent.’ It is brewed by the Wolf Brewery, of Besthorpe. 

In third place was Vanilla Latte, a 4.6% Speciality Ale with coffee, vanilla and lactose notes, from Mr Winter’s Brewery, of Norwich.

Alan Edwards added: ‘The award winners have been judged the best but there are many more equally fine brews waiting to be discovered. The onus is on the public to seek out and experience the variety of styles, with their own unique flavours, and brewed in Norfolk.’

Eight of the 40-plus Norfolk breweries are represented in the awards. CAMRA hopes they will encourage landlords to stock these, and the many other fine brews available from local breweries plus giving customers the incentive to seek out and support their local pubs.

The Norfolk panel is always looking for new members. If you would like to join us, please e-mail tastingpanel@norwich.camra.org.uk. The greater the number of people contributing to tastings, the more breweries have the chance to win.

CHAMPION CASK BEER OF NORFOLK 2022 :

OVERALL
WINNER, Big Sharpie, Humpty Dumpty, Reedham
RUNNER UP, Sirius Dog Star, Wolf, Besthorpe
3RD, Vanilla Latte, Mr Winter’s, Norwich

SESSION BITTERS
WINNER, Norwich Bitter, Fat Cat , Norwich
RUNNER UP, Oak, Grain, Alburgh
3RD, Wherry, Woodfordes, Woodbastwick

PREMIUM BITTERS
WINNER, Nelsons, Woodfordes, Woodbastwick
RUNNER UP, Marmalade Cat, Fat Cat, Norwich

SESSION PALE, BLONDE & GOLDEN ALES
WINNER, Little Sharpie, Humpty Dumpty, Reedham
RUNNER UP, Evolution APA, Mr Winter’s, Norwich
3RD, Twin Parallel, Mr Winter’s, Norwich

PREMIUM PALE, BLONDE & GOLDEN ALES
WINNER, Big Sharpie, Humpty Dumpty, Reedham
RUNNER UP, Twisted Ladder, Mr Winter’s, Norwich
3RD, White Face, Moon Gazer, Hindringham

RED ALES, BROWN ALES, OLD ALES & STRONG MILDS
WINNER, Sirius Dog Star, Wolf, Besthorpe
RUNNER UP, Nog, Woodfordes, Woodbastwick

STRONG STOUTS & PORTERS
WINNER, Dark Horse Stout, Elmtree, Snetterton

SPECIALITY BEERS
WINNER, Vanilla Latte, Mr Winter’s, Norwich

Competition launched for the logo for Norwich Beer Festival’s 44th year

The annual competition has been launched by CAMRA (The Campaign for Real Ale) to find the logo for the 44th Norwich Beer Festival, taking place from Monday 24th October until Saturday 29th October 2022.

The deadline for logo entries is 11pm Monday 4th April 2022 and Norwich & District CAMRA are looking for innovative designs depicting a dragon of some form.

Craig Harmer, Festival Organiser, said: “The festival logo is a critical element that binds many aspects of the festival together. We always get a wide variety of designs and styles submitted. We're looking forward to receiving them”.

As always, the essential element is that a dragon must be included within the design, although abstract is acceptable. Also, a maximum of five solid colours (four is preferable) can be used, including any black or white parts of the design.

Entrants are asked to specify "Adult" or "Under-18" and include their name, contact details and age (if under-18) within the email. Visit https://camra.org.uk/privacy-policy/ for our privacy policy.

Judging will by organised by the festival organisers and the winner will receive £100 along with a selection of merchandise featuring their logo at the festival. There will be two runner-up prizes of complementary festival tickets, and the best under-18 entrant will receive a voucher.

All entries must be in a standard image format (JPEG, TIFF, PNG, GIF, BMP, or PDF). Vector files are welcome as long as a standard image format is included. Hand drawn entries are acceptable, but must be scanned or photographed. Multiple entries are also acceptable.

All entries (and queries) must be emailed to logo@norwichbeerfestival.org.uk and be received before 11pm Monday 4th April 2022. All email entries will be acknowledged.

All entries will become the property of the Norwich & District branch of the Campaign for Real Ale and may be used for display and publicity purposes. The logo of the winner will be depicted on the festival glass, programme, and other merchandise.