Moon Gazer Ale, Hindringham, Poppyland Brewery, Cromer, Grain Brewery of Alburgh, and Tindall Brewery, Seething, joined forces with Belgian breweries from Flanders for this year’s City of Ale event in Norwich. The beers were showcased at the annual British Guild of Beer Writers awards ceremony in London, and Norwich and Leuven twinned as “beer cities” in May.
The idea for the twinning of the cities through beer was by acclaimed beer writer Roger Protz, who saw the synergies between Norfolk and Flanders as beer regions. By bringing the eight brewers together and creating new beers, the aim was to establish relationships and promote the shared love of beers. The collaboration saw the Norfolk brewers showcasing beers at the Leuven Innovation Beer Festival in May and the return visit of the Belgian brewers to the City of Ale. Mike Tindall, owner of Tindall Ales, attended the London event to convey the story to beer specialists and writers and further promote the two regions.
The collaborative beers created include Dark Hare (Donkere Haas) by Moon Gazer Ales and the Adept brewery, Coffee Pale by Tindall Ales Brewery and Hof ten Dormaal, Strangers No More by Grain Brewery and Braxatorium Parcensis, and Strangers WitBier by Poppyland Brewery and De Coureur brewery. The brewers plan to have further collaborations and events in the coming year to continue promoting the shared love of beer between Norwich and Flanders.
David Holliday, co-owner of Moon Gazer Ales, expressed that it was a great honor to have their beers at the event, to promote Norfolk and Flanders, and to show how collaborating can make beer more exciting and inclusive. The collaborative efforts aim to not only create unique and innovative beers but also to strengthen the ties between the two regions and expand the reach of their shared love of brewing.
