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Breweries on The Suffolk Coast

Think of the Suffolk Coast and you’ll picture big skies, fantastic countryside, family holidays and so much more.

So breweries may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of The Suffolk Coast but we have one of the nation’s favourites plus a host of small and micro-breweries, all producing top-notch beers.

Adnams Brewery & Distillery, Southwold

Adnams, is nestled right in the centre of Southwold, a quintessentially English seaside town and can date the brewing of beer on that site to over 670 years ago. This family business started brewing in 1872 and has aficionado's of its beers right across the UK

Behind the unassuming walls of a stunning Victorian building on East Green lies one of the most modern breweries in the UK. In 2010, Adnams added a micro-distillery too, with Ghost Ship gin being one of the most popular tipples.

A bucket-list item when visiting The Suffolk Coast, join a guided tour of the Adnams brewery and discover the beer making process from start to finish. You’ll explore the choice of ingredients and how Adnams make their beer using super-modern, self-cleaning brew stream, through to tasting the final delicious product.

The Copper House Distillery also sits within the brewery and uses many of the same local ingredients. From the top of the building, you can see some of the best views in Southwold, looking across the rooftops to the Lighthouse and North Sea and beyond. Discover how Adnams create their range of award-winning spirits from the start of the process in our super-efficient brewery through to distilling and, of course, sampling the finished product.

Both tours take approximately 1 hour and are followed by a tutored tasting, which takes around 30 minutes. The tours cost £20 per person.

The Oyster at Butley

The Oyster Inn at Butley is not only home to a traditional pub and restaurant, but also a cinema, village shop and micro-brewery! They started brewing their own beer, named 1617 after the year the pub was built, this summer and now serve it in the pub along with other locally sourced beers.

The very dark, full-bodied ale is 3.2% and goes perfectly with the delicious new winter menu that has been launched; featuring slow braised pork belly, 6oz steak burger, pan-fried cod loin and pan-fried gnocchi with roasted pepper and parmesan.

St Peter's Brewery

St. Peter’s Brewery is based at St. Peter South Elmham, near Bungay in Suffolk, located within former agricultural buildings next to St Peter's Hall. Water used in the brewery is sourced from a deep-bore hole on the property along with locally malted barley, together with Kentish hops, to produce a range of classical English cask-conditioned ales including traditional bitters and milds and some more unusual beers such as honey porter and fruit beer.

Tours of the brewery take place on Saturdays and Sundays between April and end of December; discover the story of St. Peter’s Brewery, the process of brewing and enjoyed a tutored beer tasting following the tour!

Uffa Brewery, Woodbridge

Down the coast at Lower Ufford near Woodbridge is Uffa Brewery. Brewing out of the old coach house at the White Lion pub in Ufford, the team work hard to craft fine beers that they love and hope their customers do too. They brew in small batches, by hand – producing 700 pints at a time – giving an authentic drinking experience.

The brewery is named after Uffa: King of the East. Local legend has it that Uffa forded the river Deben within sight of the brewery, giving the village the name “Ufford”. Uffa’s grandson Raedwald is believed to be the occupant of the ship-burial at Sutton Hoo.

Green Jack Brewery, Lowestoft

Situated in the seaside town of Lowestoft, Green Jack is a multi-awarding winning traditional real ale brewery based in the town and was founded in 2003 by Timothy Dunford. They have now grown into one of the largest real ale breweries in East Anglia and moved into a brand new, purpose-built brewery in the heart of the historic High Street in Lowestoft in 2009.

The move enabled Green Jack to produce greater volumes of its award-winning real ales. They deliver their beers both nationwide and globally and also sell online too. The beers are known for their hoppy character with a contemporary take on traditional English beer styles.

Trinity Ales, Gisleham

Trinity Ales is located in the quiet village of Gisleham on the outskirts of Lowestoft. It was launched in August 2009 by Graham Hunt and is one of Suffolk's smaller breweries.The brewery derives its name from the local village church - just a stone’s throw away across barley fields is the Saxon round tower church of Holy Trinity.

Trinity Ales may be small in size, but the ales it produces are big in character and great in flavour.Brewing takes place in a bespoke brew-house which is home to a four-barrel plant. It has the capacity to produce over 1000 pints of real ale a week, which are then bottled and labelled in the adjacent barn. The water used for brewing comes from its own ancient well, and ingredients are sourced locally.

The Briarbank, Ipswich

The Briarbank is a microbrewery in Ipswich, located just behind Isaacs on the Quay. Opened in May 2013, you can enjoy a tour of the brewery and afterwards, pay a visit to the upstairs bar, where you can enjoy a drink of one of their homemade ales (there's a selection of other drinks available too!).

They run two beer festivals a year, one over the Easter bank holiday and one over the August bank holiday and in October they run a homebrew competition; the winner of which then gets to make their beer in the brewery and have it served behind the bar.

Things to see and do

Adnams Brewery and Distillery Tours

Fancy doing something a little bit different? Situated in the heart of Southwold is the Adnams Sole Bay Brewery and Copper House Distillery, where Adnams have been brewing since 1872.

Flint Vineyard

Flint Vineyard is one of England's most exciting new wineries. Winemaker, Ben Witchell, combines cutting-edge technology with traditional winemaking techniques to produce elegant and refined English wines.

WHERE TO EAT

The Unruly Pig

The Unruly Pig is a 16th century Suffolk Inn offering exceptional food, great wines, craft beers and really friendly service in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

Southwold Pier - The Boardwalk, Beach Cafe and Clockhouse

Southwold

Southwold Pier has a fabulous choice of restaurants and cafes to fill the gap from breakfast, through to morning coffee and pastries, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner!

The Ufford Crown

Woodbridge

The Ufford Crown is a Michelin recommended, family run pub and restaurant in the village of Ufford, near Woodbridge, run by Polly and Max Durrant and Head Chef Will Hardiman.

The Crown Hotel Southwold

Southwold

The Adnams Crown Hotel is situated in The High Street, in the heart of Southwold. The atmosphere is always buzzing with a lively informality.

The Ship at Dunwich

Dunwich

There's plenty to enjoy on The Ship's menu from: pie of the day, slow-cooked pork belly, or roast red onion tart through to traditional English puddings like sticky toffee, pear and blackberry crumble and much more, accompanied by good wines at sensible prices, or proper beers and ales - including Adnams and a range of guest ales.

The Sorrel Horse

The Sorrel Horse is a community-owned quintessential English country pub with tap drawn cask ales, thatched roof, tiled floors and an original bar billiards table.

The Dolphin Inn

At the heart of Thorpeness The Dolphin Inn enjoys a great reputation among the locals for food, drink and friendly service.

The Bell at Sax

Good food at a good price is what The Bell at Sax is known for! A welcoming restaurant where you can relax, whatever the occasion and not break the bank. A well-loved 'flexible friend', offering somewhere to celebrate with family and friends or equally, providing a bolthole to grab a bite to eat and escape the washing-up at home!

The Westleton Crown

Dunwich

Head Chef at The Westleton Crown restaurant, James Finch, and his highly skilled team pride themselves on their imaginative and varied menus which have earned them an AA 2 Rosette restaurant award, as well as a considerable reputation.

The Sail Loft Cafe, Bar & Restaurant

The Sail Loft is all about simple, good food and the welcome of a great neighbourhood restaurant offering tasty food and drink worth travelling for. That means local, seasonal ingredients, an emphasis on taste and a relaxed, hearty menu!