FIFTY of the best beers from across the East of England will be on offer at an annual celebration of ale at the European Parliament in Brussels today.

The event, which showcases beers from a different region each year, is being hosted by Richard Ashworth MEP, chairman of the British Pub & Beer Group at the European Parliament, who will be joined by colleagues including East Anglian MEP Robert Sturdy who previously chaired the group for more than a decade.

Representatives from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) will also attend, together with guests from the European Commission.

Bury St Edmunds-based Greene King is delivering the 60-plus cases of beer to Brussels, with its Old Speckled Hen-branded van unusually also carrying beers from Southwold-based Adnams and eight other brewers from around the region.

Robert Humphreys, secretary of the British Pub & Beer Group, said: “This annual event provides a fantastic opportunity for British brewers large and small to show-case their fabulous products and to engage our elected representatives on current policy issues.

“Our politicians and officials in Brussels are always bowled over by the astonishing range and quality of the beers brewed throughout Britain today, which are amply illustrated by the cornucopia exhibited by East Anglia this year.”

Besides Greene King and Adnams, other Suffolk breweries represented in the delivery include St Peter’s and Hellhound.

Also in the consignment are beers from the Brentwood Brewery and Wibblers Brewery from Essex, Grain Brewery from Norfolk, Elgoods from Cambridgeshire, McMullens from Hertfordshire and Charles Wells from Bedfordshire.