A popular beer festival will be returning to Beccles next weekend, with ale from Waveney’s newest brewery among the selection on offer.

The festival will see beer lovers flocking to the Public Hall to sample special ales from 26 breweries and four cider makers from across Norfolk and Suffolk, some of which are not available on draft anywhere else.

Now in its sixth year, the Beccles Beer Festival has become one of the most popular events on the town calendar and will run from Friday, November 17, to Sunday, November 19.

Last year more than 1,500 people visited the festival, drinking over 4,000 pints from 22 local breweries.

Organisers Graham Elliott and Beccles Lido director Shaun Crowley said: “This is the biggest beer festival in the area and real ale enthusiasts travel from all over East Anglia. It’s not just a celebration of local ales and ciders but it’s held in Beccles Public Hall to raise funds for Beccles Lido, and run by hall and lido volunteers, so it also celebrates these two fantastic community run Beccles attractions.

“There are some amazing breweries in our region, and new ones starting up all of the time. We want to celebrate that, and this year we are delighted to welcome Waveney’s newest brewery Bull of the Woods from Kirby Cane.”

The festival will also feature all the usual favourites, including Green Jack Orange Wheat and festival stalwart Green Jack Ripper.

As in previous years there will be live music on Friday and Saturday night, with local band Owl and Wolves headlining on Friday and on Saturday night will be Murphys Lore back by popular demand. Sunday is a more relaxed day and families with well behaved children are welcome.

The Public Hall will also have a fully licensed bar selling wines, spirits and soft drinks, as well as festival regular Daryl Ling’s bar skittles, and there will be a selection of hot and cold snacks served by lido volunteers.

And if you don’t drink them dry, the lido team will have a pop-up beer festival as well as mulled wine and cider at Beccles Christmas lights event on November 24.

The festival will be open from 4pm to 11pm on November 17, noon to 11pm on November 18 and noon to 6pm on November 19.

For more details visit www.becclesbeerfestival.co.uk