All that some London folk may know about Norfolk is that it is flat and the home of the Broads. It is, but the fine city of Norwich is highly recommended for a city break, not least because it is an excellent place for cask beer! For a month, over May and June, the Norwich City of Ale Festival features a well-planned series of ‘ale trails’. It’s been going since 2011 (can’t believe I haven’t been before!) and this year the ale trails were named after local breweries. You collect your booklet, get it stamped with a pint at every participating pub and, at the end of each completed trail, collect a metal pin badge. There’s also an ‘app’ for those who like that kind of thing. Who doesn’t love a beer related quest?
We managed three trails over a long weekend, taking in a few of my favourite Norwich pubs along the way (the Fat Cat, the Murderers, the Fat Cat & Canary, the Coach & Horses (both of them!) and the Kings Head (Magdalen Street). The Malt and Mardle (Norwich’s first micropub) is also worth the walk. Other wonderful pubs are available – well over 100 in the Good Beer Guide! The Vine also has a Thai menu but is the smallest pub in the city and so a visit off-peak is advised (not open Sundays). A shout out to Sir Toby’s on the Market for their craft beer shop (excellent cherry beer on tap when I visited) and, if you want more Belgian beers, then pop along to the Belgian Monk just a few minutes’ walk away. The advantage of taking up an ale trail is that you try out different pubs that you might not normally visit and it’s all planned for you. A new discovery was the Jubilee, a backstreet corner pub and a hidden gem! Fair to say that there was a warm welcome everywhere we went. So, look out for the City of Ale Festival in Spring 2027 and add it to your diaries.
You can, of course, sample splendid beers in Norwich at any time of year and, with both the 2025 and 2026 City of Ale trails being available online, you can plan your own adventure! However, Norwich is particularly attractive to beer and cider lovers at the end of October (half term week) when you can also visit the fantastic Norwich Beer Festival! It’s finally back in its spiritual home of the St Andrew’s and Blackfriars Halls, Grade I-listed medieval buildings that have recently been refurbished. I’m very excited to be visiting again this autumn.
Norwich Beer Festival is a big event. There are over 300 real ales and 60 perries/ciders. Happily, it is on for a week. It starts on Monday 26 October, from 4pm for CAMRA members; Tuesday 27 is an all-day session, as is Saturday 31 (but with an earlier finish of 9.30). Wednesday 28 to Friday 30 October have both lunchtime and evening sessions, which give you ample opportunity to visit the pubs and restaurants. If shopping is your thing, have a mooch around Norwich Market or browse in Jarrolds (an excellent independent department store). You can also explore the old cobbled streets, such as Elm Hill and a plethora of churches (St Peter Mancroft by the Market is interesting), not forgetting Norwich Cathedral and Norwich Castle. For green spaces (perhaps a Sunday stroll?), consider the Plantation Garden, or a Riverside walk (plenty of pubs to stop off for refreshments!).
There’ll be music at the beer festival Wednesday to Saturday, food stalls and, of course, beery merchandise. Entry is, of course, free if you are a CAMRA member. If you’re not, well, you’ll have to pay to get in. That said, joining CAMRA at the festival itself is usually a good bet for a special offer on membership should you want to leave it to the last minute (and queue!). Advance tickets are available. See https://norwich.camra.org.uk/festival/advance-tickets/.
Travelling to Norwich itself is easy from Liverpool Street or Stratford and there are good price train tickets to be had if you travel off peak and book in advance. It’s less than 15 minutes’ walk from the railway station to the Halls. Although this trip can be done in a day, I’d recommend staying overnight to make the most of your stay and get more than a taste of this fine city. Maybe see you at the bar. Cheers!
Maria Freeman