Probably the largest selection of beers in west Norfolk is on tap and available for a good old slurp at the 10th annual King's Lynn Beer Festival which opened its doors todays.

Probably the largest selection of beers in west Norfolk is on tap and available for a good old slurp at the 10th annual King's Lynn Beer Festival which opened its doors todays.

Last year, of the 40 real ales at the festival, many went on to become winners at the great British Beer Festival in London, which had almost 1,000 beers.

And this year the calibre is just as high, with 45 barrels, or 3,240 pints, of award-winning booze ready to be tasted - from Maiden's Legover and Piddle to old favourites like Theakston's Old Peculiar and Great British Beer Festival-winning beer Crouch Vale Brewer's Gold.

They have come from as far north as Orkney and as far south as Cornwall, as well as from local microbreweries, to the festival venue, the Stuart House Hotel in Goodwins Road - a Campaign for Real Ale pub.

David Armes, owner of the hotel, said: “Real ale, without a doubt, is getting bigger and bigger.

“Years ago the Watney's Red Barrel revolution shut down so many breweries, but slowly it is all coming back.

“I don't know whether it will ever beat lager as that is what younger people tend to drink, but real ale is definitely pretty big now - even in Scotland where it all used to be like McEwans.”

And just to make the beer taste even better, profits from the event will be passed on to the Vancouver Round Table group, which meets at the hotel and has pledged to donate it to the Tapping House Hospice at Snettisham.

Local band Map of Tazmania entertain the punters night, and there is plenty more hops and barley fun on the cards for Friday and Saturday. The event is open from noon to 11pm on Friday, with entertainment from Riverhouse from 8.30pm to close. Saturday opening hours are the same, with entertainment from Blues Tubes at the same times.

For more information, call 01553 772169.