Matt Hammond has a simple mission – to make great beer.

%image(15266931, type="article-full", alt="Matt Hammond of Shortts Brewery, with the CAMRA "Champion Beer of East Anglia" Award. Picture: Ella Wilkinson")

Seven years ago he launched Shortts Farm Brewery at Thorndon, near Eye, to do just that.

From humble beginnings, the firm's reputation has continued to grow and next month it will battle it out at the Campaign for Real Ale's (CAMRA) Champion Beer of Britain competition.

MORE: 'A very worrying situation' - More than 400 jobs lost as factory confirms closure"I would be absolutely delighted to win as it would really put Shortts Brewery on the map," said Mr Hammond.

"It would demonstrate hard work and consistency can pay off.

"I started this brewery seven years ago by myself with not much experience but a desire and a passion to make good beer.

"With myself and one part-time member of staff we have achieved this, which makes all the hard work worthwhile."

It is the brewery's Two Tone beer - a dark mild ale, with chocolate and sweet biscuit malt flavours - which is in the running for the prestigious prize.

Earlier this year it scooped top spot at the CAMRA's Champion Beers of East Anglia competition.

Mr Hammond added: "I wanted to create a beer that reminded me of drinking mild with my granddad when I first started enjoying beer.

"It's great such an old-fashioned style beer, and all dark beers, are now getting the recognition they deserve."

Other breweries from the region nominated for the prize include Lowestoft's Green Jack Brewery, Colchester Brewery and Norwich's Wolf Brewery.

He added: "It's great to be a recognised brewery amongst so many other great breweries in Suffolk. It's a very competitive market and the standards are very high."

Mr Hammond said such contests were important for smaller scale breweries, allowing them to gain the recognition they deserve.

"We rely heavily on support from our loyal customers in such a busy market place," he said, "most of them have supported us from the beginning.

"Without supporting the smaller local breweries or any small business you risk losing the diversity that some of the larger businesses don't provide."

The Champion Beer of Britain competition opens the Great British Beer Festival, which runs from August 6 to 10 at London's Olympia.