German beer festival with Suffolk flavour coming to pub near Ipswich

A new German beer festival is coming to a community-owned pub near Ipswich - but it will have a strong flavour of Suffolk.

The Duke of Marlborough pub in Somersham is holding a Bavarian-style beer festival, inspired by Oktoberfest, on Saturday, November 20, with specialist German beers from Leiston’s award-winning brewery The Krafty Braumeister.

With entertainment from The Oompah Band, based in Ipswich, organisers are promising a celebration of Suffolk talent and German traditions.

The four-piece Bavarian-style band, will perform a selection of foot-stomping, thigh-slapping German tunes.

This will be an extra special evening for the band, as it will be the last gig in charge for band leader David Cole, who is stepping down after 21 years at the helm.

Lucy Batchelor-Wylam, one of the committee running the pub, said: "On the back of our hugely popular bank holiday beer festival, we will be bringing a German flavour to this event.

"We were thrilled to find German-style brews being made in Suffolk. It looks set to be a great night and will bring a bit of Bavarian fun to Suffolk."

Cologne-born brewer Uli Schiefelbein, who runs his Krafty Braumeister brewery in Leiston, won two silver awards at this year's London Beer competition.

His beers follow the Reinheitsgebot, a German purity law for brewing in place since the Middle Ages.

The bar will be open to all from 12noon to 6pm, with the ticketed event beginning at 7pm. German-themed dishes will also be on offer during the evening.

Tickets are available from the Duke of Marlborough during opening hours, or online.