Last week's Norfolk jaunt took me and my better half to topering venues old and new with a none-too-Reluctant Scoop or two. Here's the top ten highlights in no apparent order.

Humpty Dumpty - Wherryman's Way IPA

It may be brewed in sleepy Reedham but this IPA has USA stamped all over it. Caramalt gold with assertive levels of Target, Centennial and Simcoe, a bomber of 7.4% hopped gorgeousness was my first beer of the holiday and the one that left the most lasting impression. When a brewer hands you his beer, when you both sip and both smile, it feels darn fine. More about this beer in a Bottled Up feature soon.

Humpty Dumpty - Little Sharpie

Drank this with the brewer at his local, drank it by the river at one of England's remotest pubs, drank it again at the pub we stayed at later in the week. I've bought bottles to drink at home for whenever I want that relaxed Norfolk feeling. Little Sharpie is a GBBF-medal-winning bitter that proved time and again to be perfectly sessionable.

Crouch Vale Sonnet

I went to Yarmouth in search of local beer and found this instead. Magnificently pale, smooth citrics and just the Saaz-ish effect that I hoped the Sonnet hop was capable of delivering.

Adnams Spindrift

On our day trip to Suffolk, a bottle of this served at the Adnams Cellar and Kitchen store in Southwold was exactly what I needed on a hot day. Just enough wheat in there made for a refreshingly soft mouthfeel alongside delicate notes of oranges and lemons.

Grain Harvest Moon

My first visit to Grain's new Norwich pub, The Plough, was a highlight of the week. Harvest Moon was one of the reasons why - sweet malts, grassy hops, lemon edges and a slightly pine finish.

Wolf Golden Jackal

After a meandering riverside walk that had me crying out for a cool, calm, low-ABV beer, this was spot-on. A full fruity hop flavour with lingering bitterness.

Woodforde's Wherry

The very definition of Norfolk session bitter. Drinkable almost everywhere you find it, it really comes into its own at the Three Horseshoes in Warham where it's served on gravity from behind the bar. And it's borderline warm. And I swear it tastes all the better for it - like warm toffee apple with a subtle spicy dusting.

Fox IPA and Fox Branthill Pioneer

Having carped on before about how more cafés ought to serve local bottled beer, it was good to see just that in Norfolk. Fox brew a solid range of bottled beer; I found their robust, marmaladey IPA at Pensthorpe Nature Reserve and their dry, fudgy Branthill Pioneer in the Stables Café at Holkham Hall. Top marks to the latter for keeping the beer in the fridge - the IPA was still good but oozed everywhere like a warm, yeasty volcano. Both beers were accompanied by one of the finest pork pies in England, from Bray's Cottage.

Aspall Draught Suffolk Cyder

Yes, I know it's from Suffolk. But it's my just-so cider; just dry enough, just refreshing enough. And there are times when a cask beer, no matter how clean-cut and calm-flavoured, just doesn't cut it. When only a crisp cider will do. And Aspall's does it perfectly.

Whin Hill Medium Sparking Cider

Once I've got a taste for cider, mind, it's hard to satiate that apple itch. A trip to Wells-next-the-Sea gives it a damn good scratch, though. In a hillside car park, you'll find cider nirvana. Jim Fergusson and Pete Lynn sell a range of carefully crafted ciders, perrys and apple juices that are made and sold on the premises. Their 'medium sparkling' is possibly the finest artisinal cider in the UK. It actually tastes apple-fleshy, it itches along and offers up just enough tartness to let you know what you're drinking.

There were plenty more besides, but they're the ones I'd keep an eye out for if you're Norfolk-Suffolk-bound. There'll be more tomorrow about the places where I drank them. >

It's great to holiday somewhere and enjoy the locally brewed beers. Almost as good is to find a bottle retailer so you can bring some of those tastes back with you. Fortunately, Norfolk was blessed with some of the finest outlets I've found.



By far the largest (in fact the largest in the UK) is Beers of Europe, just outside Kings Lynn. It's a huge warehouse, natch, with a comprehensive selection of beers, wines and spirits from around the world. Their range of Norfolk beers is impressive with most (if not all) of the county's brewers represented. A good range of Belgian and German stuff too, often with matching glassware. You can buy whole cases of a particular beer at a discount or fill your trolley with individual bottles, which will be securely boxed up for you at the checkout. And with beers from far-flung parts (Vietnam, Brazil, Belarus) alongside rarer continental and US imports (De Molen, Cantillon, Stone) it's well worth the visit. If you're not passing through North Norfolk, you can buy online for reasonably-priced next day courier delivery.




At the other end of the scale, there's The Real Ale Shop on Branthill Farm just outside Wells-Next-The-Sea. They specialise in beers brewed with barley grown on the farm; some bottles even give a grid reference of the appropriate field! With a range of beers from the likes of Elveden, Fox, Humpty Dumpty, Woodforde’s and Grain, there's certainly plenty of choice and quality. Their passion for local brewing is reflected in their Drinks Retailing award as Independent Beer Retailer of the Year for 2009, complementing their CAMRA Online Retailer award in 2008.




When it comes to cider and perry, a visit to Whin Hill is a must. Their shop is located handily in a public car park near to the seafront in Wells, where you can try samples, treat yourself to a pint in the courtyard (as they're fully licensed) or pick up bottles to take away. They have a standard range of still and sparkling ciders and perrys as well as occasional single variety specials such as the delectable pink-blushed Browns. It's a superbly civilised shop, the staff are always happy to have a chat and it's a pleasure to go say hello to Fred again.

A couple of honourable mentions. The Walsingham Farms Shop in Little Walsingham offers a compact but perfectly formed range, including Whin Hill Cider and beers from the likes of Yetmans, Why Not and Wissey Valley (including their Walsingham Bitter and Walsingham Spice). If you're staying in self-catering accommodation nearby, you'll want to take advantage of the sumptuous range of meats, pies and cheeses.

As our visit co-incided with the Royal Norfolk Show, there was plenty of opportunity there to meet a number of brewers to sample and buy their products. This year, the food hall featured the likes of Tipples, Norfolk Square and the irrepressible Denis Gwatkin to name a few. More about the show tomorrow.

Needless to say, the car's back axle was put under some strain with the amount of bottles I brought back. I'll be posting a Norfolk special of 'Bottled Up' in the near future. >

Before I forget and get carried away with Ratebeer Euro Summer gathering articles, there's a few things left to write about my Norfolk trip. Plenty of pubs were visited; only a couple were genuinely disappointing, a few were missed out on due to their reduced opening hours. But there were some absolute gems; here's the best of the best from each day.

Sunday - The Bull, Walsingham - OK, they still don't serve hoppy beer, it's still pricey, it still gets ram-packed with pilgrims but... there's something about dropping off your luggage, arriving here for opening time and sitting outside in the sun with a pint of Aspalls. That's when I know the holiday has truely begun.

Monday - The Jolly Sailors, Brancaster Staithe - no hoppy beers (again) but a decent pint of their own brew (Brancaster Best). Rooms to suit all needs - cosy bar, TV room, dining area, conservatory, large beer garden - and the tastiest whitebait I've had in ages

Tuesday - a dead heat between the Victoria, Holkham and the Three Horseshoes, Warham. The former had an almost-colonial feel in the lounge bar and a great beer selection (Wolf, Dark Star, Adnams, Woodfordes). The latter was an eighteenth-century gem crammed full of knick-knacks and bar games (Norfolk Twister, anyone?), beers served on gravity, proper cider from Whin Hill and the best chicken suet pudding I've ever tasted.

Wednesday - The George, Dereham. On the edge of the town, the George was an ideal spot for a long lunch. Smart-looking hotel bar with no pretentions, hearty snacks, top quality Grain Summertime and some of the least-miserable bar staff I've met.

Thursday - Ugly Bug Inn, Colton. Tucked away down lanes that seem destined to end in a cowshed. With a comfy bar and dining room overlooking the gardens, this was a treasure of a pub to find after a long hot day at the Norfolk Show. The beers were of cracking quality; excellent Beeston Worth The Wait and Humpty Dumpty Reedcutter. Wonderfully engaging landlord who was happy chatting about the beers and the Royal Norfolk show, brought over the specials board over for us to peruse and found the time to say goodbye when we left. The food was superlative; huge portion sizes (Bec's fish pie could have fed her three times over) and my seafood salad had a great combo that included fresh Lowestoft smoked salmon and Cromer crab. The samphire that had arrived in fresh that day was some of the best I've tasted.

Friday - Kings Head, Norwich. A stripped bare boozer redolent of some Castle Rock pubs I know. There's a small room faceing the main road with a larger one to the rear, both served by a central bar stocked exclusively with East Anglian beer and cider. Proper no-nonsense boozer that should be an essential stop off point on any Norwich crawl.

Saturday - The Plough Inn, Horbling - tucked away in a village not too far from the A52, this is just the kind of pub I hope to find for a weekend lunch. Quiet bar and the snuggest snug I've seen. Just the one cask ale (Adnams Explorer) but I'd rather they served one in decent nick than four dodgy ones. Excellent food - my half-pounder burger certainly felt weighty - so the bacon, cheese and curly fries with it made for a substantial lunch. Landlady Karen was cheery and helpful. it was an ideal pub to break up the journey home and I hope it's not another year before I return.

Pub of the week? Almost impossible to call; each of them had many of those qualities that'd I look for in my perfect pub. But the Ugly Bug is a place I could see myself returning to over and over again - particularly as it offers accommodation as well. It had that rare combination of well-kept beer, superb fresh food and genuine bonhomie. If I close my eyes tightly, I can still taste the samphire.... >