The Beehive Freehouse is proud to host one of the most popular pub beer festivals in Norwich.

In only its third year, the 2009 Beehive Beer Festival attracted real ale drinkers from across Norwich and Norfolk and featured over 20 cask conditioned real ales and real ciders from around the UK.

Featured breweries from outside Norfolk at this year's festival, which ran from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th July, included Highgate Brewery from West Midlands, Mauldons Brewery of Sudbury, Oakham Brewery from Peterborough and Lancaster Brewery from Lancashire.

Norfolk and Suffolk's breweries were well represented with Wolf Brewery from Attleborough, Tipples Brewery from Acle, Elmtree Brewery from Snetterton, Ole Slewfoot Brewing Company, Hainford, Cliff Quay Brewery from Ipswich, Waveney Brewery from Earsham and Mauldons Brewery of Sudbury all supplying popular real ales, and Crones providing real organic cider from Kenninghall Norfolk.

Some of the festival's highlights included Celt Experience Golden (4.2%), Crouch Vale Amarillo (5.0%), Milestone Loxley Ale (4.2%) and Ole Slewfoot's Orange Blossom Special (4.7%). What was your favourite real ale or cider?

Some might argue that the real highlight of the weekend was the live music provided by the three piece Folk Band on Saturday night. Everyone agrees a merry time was had by all!

We look forward to the Fourth Annual Beehive Festival in 2010 and hope you'll help us make it bigger and better than ever! Due to popular demand the 2010 Beer Festival will be extended from three to four days. Watch this space for more info.

Beer Festival Galleries
Second Annual Beehive Beer Festival 2008
Third Annual Beehive Beer Festival 2009

If your brewery would like to feature at the next Beehive pub beer festival, please contact Alex either by email askerridge@talktalk.net or call her on 01603 451628.