Ipswich: Beer Festival to return near waterfront this summer

The festival which is being organised by CAMRA and the Briarbank Brewery is set to be held at St Clement's Church at the end of July.

The festival will take place from July 27 to 30 and will offer more than 100 real ales, craft beers and ciders from local and national brewers.

This will be the 33rd Ipswich Beer Festival - but the first at St Clements. Image: CAMRA/Briarbank Brewery (Image: Ipswich CAMRA/Briarbank Brewery)

Briarbank head brewer Robert Lewis-Pyke said: "I've been thinking about organising a beer festival on a larger scale for a while now, and following talks with CAMRA, 2023 felt like the right time to bring back the Ipswich Beer and Cider Festival.

"I used to attend back in the day, and it's one of the things that started my passion for brewing. I'm really looking forward to working with other brewers, bringing their beer and cider to Ipswich.”

The festival will be the first CAMRA beer festival to be hosted indoors since 2015 - it used to be a fixture in the Grand Hall of the town's Corn Exchange.

CAMRA Ipswich and East Suffolk Chairman Gordon Taylor said: "We're really excited to be working with Robert at the Briarbank to bring back the Beer and Cider Festival to Ipswich."

The new venue, St Clement's Church, one of the town's largest churches, is currently being revived as a centre for the local community.

Peter Brooks, chair of the Ipswich Historic Churches Trust, is leading the St Clement's Project, and he said: "We are pleased to welcome the Ipswich Beer and Cider Festival this summer.

"We need more funds to fully re-develop the building for a wide range of charity and other community events.

"We are seeking grants and donations, and events like the beer festival are important to show the wider community that St Clement's is here and available for them to use, and it will help us achieve our ambitions."