Do you know your Old Stoatwobbler from your Dark Horse Stout? Have you tried Norwich Terrier, Red Knocker or Nelson's Blood? Or do you prefer Granny Wouldn't Like It! over Norfolk Nog?

Now in its third year and growing annually, Norwich City of Ale festival celebrates local unique real ale, pubs, brewing and the rich brewing heritage in Norwich which dates back to the 11th century when Benedictine monks brewed in Cathedral Close and were some of the earliest producers of ale in Norwich.

Over 10 packed days visitors and residents will experience a festival featuring unprecedented collaboration between local publicans and brewers that has in the past two years attracted much attention in the real-ale and brewing community as well as satisfying thirsty beer-lovers. Events include a large and varied programme celebrating Norwich's heritage around ale and its tradition of hospitality including; tastings, music, ale tours in vintage transportation, film shows, talks, walks, quizzes, BBQs, family events and so much more.

A "beer festival with a difference", City of Ale takes place in a whole range of welcoming pubs and other venues throughout the city. It's going green in 2013 with an appropriately bottle green logo and a focus on local, green, sustainable produce crafted by local brewers from largely local ingredients (Norfolk malting barley is world-renowned) served in local, friendly city pubs.

During City of Ale every single real ale available in Norfolk will have a showing in the city. Last year visitors experienced 240 beers, in 45 pubs, with participation from 35 breweries.

We are offering a 2-night City of Ale festival trip in Norwich from Thursday 23rd May to Saturday 25th May in exchange for print editorial coverage. Participants will enjoy;

• Return 1st class rail tickets on Greater Anglia services (from London) if required
• Accommodation in Norwich for 2 nights, including breakfast, some other meals will be provided  Launch party 23rd May, St Gregory's Church, one of 33 medieval churches in Norwich now used for cultural purposes. Sponsored by Lacons Brewery who after a closure of 45 years is brewing again in Norfolk, their brewing history dates back to 1760. Lacons modern range of ales will be launched for everyone to experience at the Festival. Other attendees; The Worshipful the Sheriff of Norwich; Mike Benner, CEO CAMRA; renowned beer writers Roger Protz, Pete Brown and Marverine Cole; City of Ale organisers; Norwich CAMRA; a bevy of Norwich publicans and Norfolk brewers and the lively Golden Star Morris.      
• Ale tasting and activities in Norwich 24th May will include an Ale themed Blue Badge walking tour and Ladies Ale Tasting (pm)
• Brewers Market at The Forum, Norwich 25th May, 10.00am - 5.00pm. A showcase of local brewery and related produce at Millennium Plain in the heart of Norwich. A chance to sample and buy a wide range of craft ales from local breweries. Meet local brewers, try delicious local produce, take a trip on the wonderfully nostalgic City of Ale bus, watch twelve Morris sides celebrate a "day of dance". A colourful and enjoyable day, full of heritage and pageantry with something for everyone!       
• Visitor Attractions Passes to some Norwich's best loved attractions

Limited places are available,to enquire further or to register your interest email; melanie.cook@visitnorwich.co.uk or phone 01603 727939. 

• City of Ale Festival 23, May - 2 June 2013
• Norwich enjoys an on-going, good natured 'rivalry' with York over the Real Ale Capital of the UK. Last year saw teams from each city pound the streets in order to count the number of real ales available. The result was close, but in the end Norwich tipped the balance by offering 254 unique real ales against York's 241!  
• Celebrations in 2013 kick off with a huge launch party on Thursday 23rd May followed by the ever popular Brewers' Market (just one of the events) returning to Millennium Plain at the Forum, Norwich on Saturday 25 May with many local brewers offering samples of their produce to try and buy.
• Most events are yet to be announced but new for this year will be ticketed bus tours on the lovable vintage Eastern Transport Collection. It is planned that the tours will last approximately 3 hours, visiting around six pubs with food and beer included in the price.
• Norwich is fortunate to be in a county which is a producer for some of the best malting barley in England. Good quality water, rich soil and a dry climate creates the best grain and this grain is used for brewing.  Many brewers outside the region use Norfolk barley for its richness and high quality.
• Hot off the press Woodforde's brewery in Woodbastwick has just scooped the Business Brewery of the Year award at the SIBA beerX business awards beating fierce competition. It also won the Best Customer Support category.
• In 2012 City of Ale saw 192 events take place in 10 days.

About Norwich

From the medieval period until the start of the Industrial Revolution Norwich was England's second city, enormously prosperous and culturally active. This has created a very rich legacy of heritage, with the city proudly boasting the largest intact medieval street pattern in Europe. In medieval times Norwich was one of the greatest cities in England, and today, as East Anglia's capital city, it still is - offering a rare blend of historic interest and modern sophistication.    

1. In 2012 Norwich became England's first UNESCO City of Literature and the sixth in the world joining other great cities; Edinburgh, Dublin, Melbourne, Iowa City and Reykjavik. This accolade is a permanent status.
2. Norwich is placed in the top 10 of UK places to shop (Venuescore 2011-12, The Javelin Group), having also been previously ranked 9th in the Experian Goad retail index and 8th on the CACI index.  The outstanding quality and diversity of the city's retail offer presents a major draw for visitors to the Norwich area.
3. Norwich was placed 6th in volume of tourism day visits in England in 2011 (after London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool) and ahead of popular destinations like York, Brighton, Bristol, Sheffield and Chester. 17 million day visitors spent over £1/2 billion in 2011. Data from the 2011 Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS 2011).
4. Norwich was a finalist in the Group Leisure Awards 2012, in the Best UK City category.
5. Norwich was short-listed as one of the UK's best destinations for shopping in the 2010 Group Travel Awards.
6. In 2010, Norwich achieved finalist status for the UK City of Culture bid 2013.
7. VisitNorwich Ltd is a company limited by guarantee, a private/public sector partnership and a membership organisation representing the interests of a broad range of businesses across the visitor economy.  Its principal public sector stakeholders are Norwich City Council and South Norfolk Council.
8. VisitNorwich has been operational from 1st April 2005
9. VisitNorwich is the destination management organisation for the Norwich area. It is a private/public sector partnership and a not for profit organisation whose sole focus is to promote and develop the destination and support its members through collaborative marketing, research, information and business advice.
10. For the benefit of the area as a whole, VisitNorwich strives to achieve: better profile and reputation locally, nationally and internationally; increased visitor spend; more investment; more jobs and better quality experiences for both visitors and residents.
11. Tourism is worth around £700 million per year to the Norwich area, supports over 9,000 jobs (Tourism South East, 2010).
12. For further information on Norwich and its surrounding area visit www.visitnorwich.co.uk

To enquire further or to register your interest email; melanie.cook@visitnorwich.co.uk  or phone 01603 727939.