It's a proud showcase for local pubs, breweries and real ale – but the Norwich City of Ale festival will also raise a glass to the Norfolk farmers who grow the central ingredient in a pint of beer.

Norwich Evening News: Norfolk farmers, maltsters and brewers gather at St Andrews Brew House to celebrate their contribution to the City of Ale festival. Picture : ANTONY KELLYNorfolk farmers, maltsters and brewers gather at St Andrews Brew House to celebrate their contribution to the City of Ale festival. Picture : ANTONY KELLY (Image: archant 2017)

More than 20 growers gathered at St Andrews Brew House to celebrate the vital contribution their barley will make to the thousands of pints of locally-brewed real ale that will be drunk during the 10-day festival, which was launched on Thursday.

They were joined by maltsters and brewers who complete the supply chain for the crop, gathered from Norfolk's fields, but revered around the world for its brewing quality.

Bob King, commercial director at Crisp Malting Group based in Great Ryburgh, near Fakenham, said Norfolk-grown winter barley is the main source of malt for ale, including the famed Maris Otter variety favoured by many craft brewers.

He said malt was the 'soul' of a beer and explained how kiln drying and roasting could be used to change its flavour and colour.

Norwich Evening News: Norfolk farmers, maltsters and brewers gather at St Andrews Brew House to celebrate their contribution to the City of Ale festival. Picture : ANTONY KELLYNorfolk farmers, maltsters and brewers gather at St Andrews Brew House to celebrate their contribution to the City of Ale festival. Picture : ANTONY KELLY (Image: archant 2017)

The guests were then given a tutored-beer tasting by beer writer Roger Protz, editor of the Good Beer Guide, and Woodforde's head brewer Belinda Jennings who said Maris Otter was used in 95pc of the Norfolk firm's beers, along with other types of malt.

Mr Protz said Norwich's proximity to the nation's barley-growing heartlands made it a special location to promote home-grown beer.

'Places like Sheffield and Derby are doing similar things, but they cannot do what they are doing here in Norwich – using locally-grown ingredients,' he said.

'Norfolk barley and Maris Otter in particular are known throughout the world. That is what makes City of Ale so interesting and important. It emphasis using the finest ingredients, which you could fly in from all over the world – but here they are growing barley and producing malt within few miles of the breweries.'

Norwich Evening News: Norfolk farmers, maltsters and brewers gather at St Andrews Brew House to celebrate their contribution to the City of Ale festival. Picture : ANTONY KELLYNorfolk farmers, maltsters and brewers gather at St Andrews Brew House to celebrate their contribution to the City of Ale festival. Picture : ANTONY KELLY (Image: archant 2017)

The guests were welcomed to the pub by Matthew Adams, joint managing director of Norfolk-based grain merchant Adams and Howling. He said: 'Our farmers are growing the barley, but we want to take them on to the next step, to understand how the colours and flavours are achieved, and give them a closer association with the beer they help to produce.

'The important thing for people to continue growing modern barley is that they have an end product they can feel a part of.'

Among the farmers at the event was James Chapman, of Chapman Farms in Martham, near Great Yarmouth, who grows 200 acres of Maris Otter barley.

He said: 'I have been growing Maris Otter for 20 years. We enjoy it. The story of local barley going into local beer is very important, and it should be promoted.'

For more information about the festival, click here.