Norwich City of Ale: A few of my favourite beers

The third in my trilogy of blogs from Norwich City of Ale, this time focusing on the fabulous beers. City of Ale runs until 25th June.

The Norwich City of Ale 2023 launch party. Photograph: Simon Finlay Photography

My preference, these days, is for beer festivals in pubs and bars, rather than in a marquee or hall. Apart from the fact that the beer has been cellared and, hopefully, looked after properly, there’s also the good feeling of supporting publicans and helping to keep our Great British Pubs open. It’s vitally important that we keep visiting pubs, and that we support their place at the centre of their communities. I go into the fabulous places I visited during my City of Ale weekend in the previous blog. But a City of Ale is nothing without, well, ale, so let me reflect on the beers.

There’s nothing scientific about the beers I’m talking about here. With 54 pubs taking part in City of Ale, and each having an average, say six beers on offer, there are a huge number I’ve missed. I wish I had had all month to explore. So the ones I highlight here are simply those that gave me that ‘beer smile’. That feeling of wanting to slap a brewer on the back in recognition of a job well done.

Green Jack Mahseer IPA at the King’s Head

So hat’s off first to Green Jack Brewery. Yes, mentioning a Suffolk brewer first. Controversial! But its Mahseer IPA, with British bittering hops and American aroma hops, was an utter delight in the King’s Head. At home back in Cornwall, my favourite beer is Penzance Brewing Co’s IPA, and this is the closest I’ve come to someone replicating that beer. It’s all about balance. Rich bready malt and orange citrus, almost marmaladey hop notes. Just glorious.

The Kernel Double Sccans at The Leopard

Another IPA of note was The Kernel’s Double Sccans (8.9% ABV), at The Leopard. It’s a well hopped double IPA, featuring Simcoe, Citra, Columbus, Amarillo, and Nelson Sauvin, so plenty of fruit, a nice dank note, and cracking bitterness. To be sipped in halves! Incidentally, take a look at the beer font. There’s quite a few of these old Red Barrel pieces in Norwich pubs. Must have been plenty left over from the days of the legendary Watney’s brew. To bring my palate back down to earth, a drop of single-hopped Yakima Baby (6% ABV) from Arbor Ales was just the ticket. Hoppy and fruity, with a nice dryness.

Moon Gazer Triskele at the Plasterers Arms

Love a dark beer, and I wasn’t disappointed at The Plasterers Arms. There aren’t enough porters in my life, and Triskele (4.5% ABV), from Moon Gazer, is a glorious example. Smooth, rich, and creamy, I’d say it was one of the best porters I’ve tried. Another terrific porter, from earlier in my day, was Earl Soham Brewery’s Sir Roger’s Porter in the King’s Head. A top quality brew, in brilliant condition.

Also flying out over the Plasterers bar was PinTrail, a special edition of Moon Gazer’s popular Pintail pale ale, coming in at 3.4% ABV. The beer is a City of Ale special, just for this pub, and made in collaboration with hop merchant Charles Faram, using a couple of varieties from its experimental hop programme. A delightful session beer, perfect for ale trailers looking to dial down the ABV a little.

Plenty to excite the dark beer lover at my base, The Rose Pub & Deli, too, in the shape of Mr Winter’s Vanilla Latte (4.5% ABV), which does pretty much what it says on the tin, in a smooth, luxuriant way. And the Brew York Brew York-E (see what they’ve done there?!) chocolate milk stout (4.8% ABV) really went down a treat as a nightcap.

Fat Cat Norwich Bitter at the Fat Cat Brewery Tap

Brewpubs. I love brewpubs, and one of my favourites is the Fat Cat Brewery Tap. I love the beers, and the marketing, with the titular plump puss on the pumpclips. Norwich Bitter (3.8% ABV), Tabby Cat (4.1%) and Wild Cat IPA (6%) — because, obviously, I had to have an IPA — all in great nick. A place where, gievn the time, I could have drunk my way through a lot more of the beer menu. But it was my first stop of a Friday session and there was lots more to discover.

Left to right: Three Blind Mice’s Guns, Nuns, and Cowboys; Bull of the Woods’ Twisted Wheel; and Mr Winter’s Chin on Bar

Inevitably, I set off with the best of intentions of making extensive beer notes. I generally get less meticulous as the day goes on. But here’s a selection of other brews I enjoyed, in brief. At The Rose, DEYA’s Magazine Cover (4.2% ABV) became something of a go to, recommnded by the pub’s regular (younger and better looking) Darren. An easy-drinking, well-hopped keg pale. Further up the scale was Three Blind Mice’s Guns, Nuns, and Cowboys (5% ABV), a flavoursome New England IPA hopped with Vic Secret and Sabro, delivering tropical fruit and a hint of coconut.

Bungay’s Bull of the Woods is a new brewery to me, but its Twisted Wheel (4.5% ABV) was a cracking drop in The Plasterers. It was billed as a pale, but bodering on IPA for me, beautifully balanced, but with big malt and hop profiles. Back on the dark side, Green Jack’s Lurcher stout was a winner in The Leopard, available to compare and contrast in cask and on keg. Also in the Leopard, I did enjoy Mr Winter’s Chin on Bar, an easy-drinking pale which briged the gap between the Lurcher stout and the Double Sccans double IPA.

Finally, a footnote. A couple of months back, Sharp’s press team got in touch with me to offer a five-litre mini-keg of new hazy IPA Solar Wave. Don’t worry, I said. I hardly drink at home and it will be wasted on me. I’ll try it when I see it in a pub. Two months later, I finally tried it in The Murderers, on a busy early Friday evening session. Yes, it’s a good addition to the Sharp’s line-up, flavoursome and sessionable, and perfect for the sunny day I enjoyed it on, watching the Murderers team cope with the teatime rush. Cornwall beer in Norwich – an unexpected treat!