Beers from Norwich and Leuven are to be shawcased at beer festivals in each city, taking place on consecutive weekends.
Phil Halls, of Grain Brewery, with a pint of Strangers No More
Brewers from the cities have been working together for several months to create four beers that synergise their knowledge, innovation, and skills in a fusion of their respective talents.
The beers will be presented firstly this weekend at the Leuven Innovation Beer Festival (21st and 22nd May), which celebrates the best of world beer with knowledge and creativity in its production as its focus.
Several days later the beers will be showcased at the launch event of Norwich City of Ale, and subsequently at many of 59 pubs that make up the month-long event (25th May to 25th June).
Since first meeting in Leuven in December 2022, the eight brewers have been forging friendships, sharing knowledge and experience, and creating new beers using local ingredients from both sides of the Channel.
The two cities share a historical bond dating back to the 14th century, when refugee weavers from Flanders and the Low Countries fled to Norfolk due to religious persecution for their Protestant beliefs. Norwich provided sanctuary for many of these refugees who were also known as strangers, inspiring the name of Norwich’s Strangers Hall, where refugees are known to have lodged.
The brewers hailing from Leuven are:
Participating breweries from in and around Norwich are:
The original idea for the ‘twinning’ of the cities through beer was devised by beer writer Roger Protz, who will be hosting a tutored tasting event for the beers, in the Strangers Hall, Norwich, on Friday, 26th May.
The Norwich City of Ale festival will also offer a series of ale trails to participating pubs, including a dedicated Flemish Trail. Visitors to these pubs will be able to enter a competition to win the ultimate Belgian Beer Experience: a trip to Leuven, with not only a chance to enjoy a plethora of amazing Belgian beer, but also to visit the breweries who have taken part in this initiative, and the opportunity to brew beer at the De Coureur Brewery.
The collaboration beers
Dark Hare (Donkere Haas), 4.5% ABV: Created by Moon Gazer Ales and the Adept brewery, whose aim was to take a very old Belgian style beer and fuse it with a more traditional British style beer. The collaboration was technically challenging, but nevertheless rewarding for brewers, David Holliday and Dimitri Staelens.
Coffee Pale, 4.2% ABV: A fruity beer created by Michael Green from Tindall Ales Brewery and Jef Janssens from Hof ten Dormaal, two young brewers working in their family breweries. Both breweries work with locally-sourced products and have a strong focus on sustainability. The collaboration was a chance for both to share tips, tricks, and some brewing secrets.
Strangers No More, 4.8% ABV: A Belgian-style dark beer created as part of a collaboration between Grain Brewery’s Phil Halls and Braxatorium Parcensis’ Joris Brams. It uses a Belgian abbey yeast, as well as some Challenger and Goldings hops. The beer has been brewed in part with raw wheat and rye grown at the Park Abbey, a former 12th-century heritage Norbertine Abbey in the outskirts of Leuven, where Braxatorium Parcensis is located.
Strangers WitBier, 5.5% ABV: A Belgian witbier, the creation of Poppyland Brewery and Distillery, fronted by David Cornell, and Bart Delvaux, from the De Coureur brewery. The result is a bit darker than a regular witbier, tasting similar to an English pale ale, combined with some ‘secret’ spices.
