A CHARITY celebration of real ale put on by a Suffolk brewer has been hailed an “immense success” - after the festival ran out of beer early.

More than 35 cask ales and ciders from across the country were gulped down by lunchtime yesterday at Mauldons flagship pub, The Brewery Tap, in Sudbury.

The Spring Fest beer festival, put on by popular demand following the success of the autumn event, also raised �500 for the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research.

Steve Sims, the owner of Mauldons, said: “At lunchtime today we had sold more than �3,000 pints in three-and-a-half days.

“What it indicates is there is still a need. Despite the economic gloom if you offer the right product at the right price people will come and enjoy themselves.”

He added a special thanks to his hard-working pub management team and volunteers, who helped keep on top of the demand.

A mystery 4.5% ABV ale had customers guessing which brewery it had come from, but they needn’t have looked far, as it was a tester of Mauldons latest beer, Thomas’ Tipple, which will go on sale in a few weeks time to celebrate Thomas Gainsborough week - the most famous son of Sudbury.

The festival saw a band kick off proceedings on Thursday night with 80s covers and was closed out yesterday by the popular six-piece Victory Jazz Band.