Tales of 20 Taprooms: Celebrating Local Breweries – Volume 2

Norfolk’s independent brewing scene continues to pour out rich stories, bold flavours and community spirit. In Volume 1 of Tales of 20 Taprooms, we explored ten of the county’s best-loved breweries, from heritage names to foraged innovators. Now in Volume 2, we head further across the region to highlight more Norfolk breweries, taprooms, and microbreweries that are shaping the flavour of the East.

Whether you’re planning a brewery tour in Norfolk, seeking the next beer festival to attend, or just love discovering independent ale producers, this guide is brewed for you. Expect family-run gems, vegan and gluten-free options, countryside beer gardens, and community taprooms worth travelling for. If you missed the first instalment, you can catch up with Volume 1 here.

Let’s get back on the barstool and continue the journey. Cheers to round two.

St Peter’s Brewery (St Peter South Elmham): Moated Ales with Monastic Soul

In a secluded corner of the Waveney Valley, St Peter’s Brewery brews bold, characterful ales within buildings adjoining the 13th-century moated St. Peter’s Hall. Brewing since 1996, they’re known for their distinctive oval bottles and deeply flavoured beers like Cream Stout, Plum Porter, and Golden Ale. 

For summer drinkers, the Citrus Beer offers a crisp, refreshing pour with bright fruit notes. Those seeking a dry day can enjoy Without Original, a well-balanced alcohol-free ale that doesn’t compromise on taste. The brewery champions local ingredients and traditional brewing methods, and their shop is open for visitors to browse bottles, mixed packs, and seasonal specials. There are few better places to reflect with a pint than beside a moat surrounded by farmland and sky. History, hops and stillness blend beautifully at St Peter’s.

St Andrews Brew House (Norwich): A Pint, a Plate and a Play

Tucked beside Norwich’s Cinema City and The Playhouse, St Andrews Brew House is a microbrewery, pub and restaurant all in one. Its copper stills bubble behind glass while guests sip fresh pours like Norvik Pale and Tombland Porter. Upstairs, bookable rooms overlook the brewery tanks, perfect for board games, quizzes or a relaxed Sunday lunch. The menu delivers pub classics with seasonal flair, and the roasts attract a loyal crowd every weekend. A little-known pay-and-display just around the corner on St George’s Street makes it one of the easiest city centre spots to park. After a day browsing the Norwich Lanes or catching a matinee, this is the kind of place you settle into. Warm, easygoing and well-stocked with beer and conversation, it captures the best of the city in a single stop.

Poppyland Brewery & Distillery (Cromer): Coastal Curiosity in Every Bottle

Behind a modest frontage on Cromer’s West Street, Poppyland Brewery has built a loyal following on boldness and imagination. Once a seaside garage, now a hub of slow-brewed experimentation, its beers are small-batch, full-bodied, and anything but ordinary. Think locally malted barley, foraged botanicals, and recipes that favour the unexpected (all brewed, bottled, and labelled by hand). Since 2019, the team has also distilled award-winning gin, rum, and botanical vodkas, each crafted with the same creative spirit. Visitors are welcome to have impromptu chats or join a booked brewery and distillery tour. Try the Raspberry & Vanilla Gin, East Coast Rum, or a dark ale laced with Norfolk hedgerow. At Poppyland, every sip feels like a new discovery, and a gentle nod to the wild North Sea.

Panther Brewery (Reepham): Local Legend with a Modern Roar

In the market town of Reepham, Panther Brewery brews modern ales with heart, heritage, and a hint of mystery. Named after Norfolk’s legendary big cat, Panther’s range includes the dark and smooth Black Panther, sunshine-fresh Golden Panther, and stormy Beast of the East. Their latest creation, Catawall, is a tropical-hopped New English IPA brewed with Humpty Dumpty – a hazy nod to both breweries and the wall from nursery rhymes. You’ll find Panther pouring at Creake Abbey and Black Barn farmers markets, as well as selling draught and bottles direct from the brewery shop. Whether you’re sipping from a 500ml bottle or pulling a pint from a polypin, every drop carries Norfolk flair and a whisper of the wild.

Steam Shed Brewing Co (Swaffham): A Return to the Rails of Local Brewing

Inside the old goods yard in Swaffham, Steam Shed Brewing Co has brought brewing back to a town where it once thrived. Family-run and full of local pride, this small-batch brewery now stands where grain was once delivered by rail. Their beers are brewed with care for vegetarian and vegan drinkers, offered in cask, bottle, mini-keg and bag-in-box. Favourites like Hale Pale and Red Lead celebrate flavour without fuss. Community is key to Steam Shed’s story. They host Pie, Pint & Pickle lunches at The Green Parrot Café and take part in quiz night beer flights across local pubs. With every pint pulled, the brewery is helping reconnect Swaffham to its brewing roots, creating a new tradition grounded in warmth, laughter and quality ale.

Tindall Brewery (Seething): Unorthodox Ales with Altitude

At Tindall Brewery, flavour is approached like flight — adventurous, expressive and full of lift. Based on a Norfolk farm in Seething, they brew small-batch beers with an unorthodox flair, often experimenting with unexpected ingredients. Their Spanish-style Cerveza, due this summer, is light, crisp and made for the barbecue table. To truly experience what they do best, head to the Fly High Festival this August, one of many great events listed for this summer in Norfolk. Founded by the brewery itself, the event celebrates local beer, aviation heritage, music and street food. Their amber ale I’ll See You Home is brewed specially for the festival and pairs beautifully with the open-air atmosphere and sizzling food stalls. Whether watching vintage aircraft or relaxing with friends under the Norfolk sky, Tindall beers are best enjoyed where stories and flavours take flight.

Redwell Brewery (Trowse): Arches, Airliners and Ale

Secluded beneath the old railway arches in Trowse, Redwell Brewery is one of Norwich’s most laid-back beer destinations. Known for their crisp and refreshing Steam Lager, Redwell also crafts an evolving line-up of lagers, pale ales and seasonal pours. Their beer garden, located alongside the active railway, is a suntrap on summer afternoons, with their retro airliner bar keeping the beer flowing outside while an indoor beer hall offers cool shade overlooking the brewing tanks. 

The team hosts lively events like Oktoberfest and is part of the NR1 Beer Loop. Redwell also serves up wood-fired pizzas that were hugely popular on our visit, alongside unique Yorkshire pudding “roast dinner” wraps on select days. Friendly, laid back and full of flavour, this is a great place to socialise with a larger group – whether you’re stopping in for a quick pint or settling in for a session. Parking is tight, so customers are best parking in Trowse or at Norfolk Snowsports Club on Whitlingham Lane. If you’re parking nearby for a football match at Carrow Road, this is a great destination to build into your day.

Wildcraft Brewery (Smallburgh): Foraged Flavour with a Wild Heart

East of Norwich in the village of Smallburgh, Wildcraft Brewery brews bold, foraged ales with a big personality. Their branding is as quirky as their recipes, with beers made using hedgerow ingredients like elderflower, rosehip and nettle. Everything brewed here is vegan and gluten free, crafted sustainably by a passionate team of six. A handful of picnic benches outside the taproom invite visitors to sip and stay a while, and regular quiz nights keep the place lively. Their headline event, Wildfest, returns this year on May 23 and 24 with two days of beer, bands, and good food. It’s a great place to take your dog as pooches are welcome and under-16s go free. Whether you’re tasting a pint of Wild Summer or soaking up the sunset, Wildcraft is all about flavour, freedom and fun.

Winter’s Brewing Co (Norwich): Small Batch, Big Personality

On a quiet industrial estate in the north of Norwich, Winter’s Brewing Co delivers creative beers with plenty of character. Their core range includes the much-loved Curveball, a 4.4% pale ale that’s vegan and gluten free, bursting with citrus and tropical fruit from Amarillo and Mosaic hops. When summer hits, reach for the Molecular Level Micro IPA – a crisp, light and brewed for those sun-soaked afternoons. This small-batch brewery may keep things local, but their beers are appearing on tap at more pubs across Norfolk every month. Don’t miss a taste of Mrs Winter’s Gins either, a flavourful side project that pairs botanical blends with the brewery’s lively spirit. With a focus on quality, inclusivity and refreshment, Winter’s pours personality into every pint.

Wolf Brewery (Besthorpe): Howlin’ Good Beer for 30 Years

Celebrating 30 years of brewing in 2025, Wolf Brewery, just off the A11 near Attleborough, has been crafting “Howlin’ Good Beer” since 1995. This independent brewery is known for its rich, traditional ales and strong Norfolk spirit. Highlights include Edith Cavell, a golden ale honouring the local First World War heroine, and Battle of Britain, a classic English bitter ideal for toasting the VE or VJ Day anniversaries. Their well-stocked shop is open weekdays from 9 am, and their Father’s Day selection packs make a thoughtful gift for June 15th. Whether enjoyed from a bottle or on tap in one of their many local outlets, Wolf’s beers are a tribute to depth, pride and local character. A milestone worth raising a pint to.

Equal Brewkery (Whitlingham): Pints with Purpose

Hidden away within the serene surroundings of Whitlingham Country Park, Equal Brewkery is more than just a microbrewery, it’s a beacon of inclusivity and community spirit. Operating from a repurposed shipping container following a move from their previous site, this not-for-profit venture empowers individuals with learning disabilities and neurodiverse conditions through the art of brewing and baking. Their handcrafted ales, such as the refreshing Golden Ale and the seasonal Festive Ale, are brewed with passion and purpose. Visitors can purchase these unique brews directly from the site or at select local outlets. Every sip supports a mission of equality and purposeful skill-building, making each pint a testament to the power of inclusive enterprise. 

While this guide rounds out our second volume of Norfolk’s breweries and taprooms, it is far from a complete list. These features are not ranked or ordered, but simply celebrated in the spirit of good beer, local flavour and shared stories. Norfolk’s brewing landscape continues to evolve, with new collaborations, hidden taprooms and small-batch surprises appearing throughout the year. We could not include them all, and that is part of the joy. There is always another quiet pub, creative brew or countryside pint waiting to be found. Whether you start in a beer hall beneath the railway arches or beside the stillness of a Broad, keep exploring. Raise a glass to Norfolk’s brewing community and share the experience with others who love great beer.