The eighth Autumn Beccles Beer Festival opens its doors this weekend for a celebration of all things local. Here’s what beer connoisseurs can expect
The eighth Autumn Beccles Beer Festival will be celebrating the glories of a 'local brew' when it opens its doors this weekend. Among the dazzling selection of real ales and craft beers, there will be three new ales from the Beccles Brew Company which is the first first commercial brewery in Beccles for more than 150 years.
This years beer festival will be the first opportunity for many to taste these new additions to the brewing menu as they only started being produced this summer.
Festival organiser and district councillor Graham Elliott said that having the local brewery represented in the festival helped give the event a sense of identity and helped promote the town.
"We felt we had to welcome the new brewery by featuring all three of their beers - Nelson's Tree, Hodgkins Hop and Leman Drop."
The festival will feature 30 real ales from across Suffolk and Norfolk, as well as craft lager and cider, as well as an auction of 18 bottles of vintage beer from the 1970s. Bidding on the bottles will close at 4pm on Sunday.
"We've got beer from big brewers, little brewers and a garage in Beccles. Which one will you be drinking?"
The brewers with beers on offer include: Ampersand Brew Co; Beccles Brew Company; Earl Soham Brewery; Bull of the Woods Brewing Co; Golden Triangle Brewery; Grain Brewery; Nethergate Brewery; Boudicca Brewing Co; Shortts Farm Brewery; Green Jack Brewery; Tindall Ales Brewery; Lacons Brewery; Peeps Brewery; Adnams; Mauldons Brewery; St. Peter's Brewery; Woodforde's Brewery; Opa Hay's Brewery; Star Wing Brewery; The Fat Cat Brewing Company; Cliff Quay Brewery; The Green Dragon; Burnards Cider and Harleston Cider Company.
"The festival will be officially opened by the mayor at 4pm on November 15 before she changes to more suitable attire to serve the early customers," said Mr Elliott.
There will be live music on Friday and Saturday night with Murphy's Lore opening the festival playing a spirited, high energy mix folk, country, rock, blues amd ska while on Saturday evening it will be the turn of Owl and Wolves, a Beccles-based four piece band, playing old school blues and jazz along with a touch of bluegrass and swing.
Proceeds from the festival will go towards the Beccles Lido refurbishment.
The Autumn Beccles Beer Festival will be held at Beccles Public Hall and runs from 4-11pm on Friday, November 15, from noon until 11pm on Saturday November 16, and from noon to 6pm on Sunday November 17.
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