They are known for their steadfast defence of pub tradition and dedication to the old ways.
But trouble is brewing for the Norwich and District branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) over its controversial decision to use an AI generated logo for this years Norwich Beer Festival.
The logo, designed by a festival volunteer using the technology, features a dragon standing in front of the Halls - where the event is return to after three years of renovation work.
The AI generated artwork, which will appear on the festival's souvenir beer glasses, has left punters hopping with rage saying the building depicted doesn't even look like the city's historic St Andrew's and Blackfriars' Halls.
One person commented: "In my opinion, this goes against what this city is about. We have endless creatives from all walks of life in this city.
"As a graphic designer myself and as someone who loves Norwich, I and I’m sure others would have done this for free knowing some heart and soul went into it, rather than someone sat behind a computer being blinded by shiny new technology. Embarrassing."
Another said: "As someone who collects the old glasses from charity shop excursions. It's very depressing seeing this slop.
"They were always well designed and had a quintessential Norwich feel to them."
The design was created using OpenAI’s ChatGPT image generation tool DALL·E.
CAMRA say the logo was designed using "carefully selected prompts".
But critics say it has failed to represent the Halls and the use of the technology is not in keeping with the ethos of the Norwich festival.
CAMRA said the logo will be used for the event's publicity and feature on its coveted souvenir glasses, which are collected by regulars.
It has responded to the criticism on its website saying: "We are aware that there is some disappointment that AI has been used to help create this year's logo.
"Just to explain, we launched the annual logo competition in the same way we have done for many years, but the last time we had a competition, in 2023, the software didn’t exist, and we hadn’t considered it would be a factor with the competition this year.
"We received fewer regular entries than normal, but some people who do usually enter and maybe aren’t the best designers had used AI this time.
"We also had several people enter for the first time who said they were only able to do a design with the help of AI.
"The final logo has been heavily redesigned compared with the original entry, more than any logo before.
"As we hadn’t excluded AI from the competition rules, and several people told us they had wanted to enter but normally didn’t and had been able to with the help of AI, we decided this year to stick with the logo that won the competition.
"Initially this logo got one of the most positive responses we have had in recent years, and we didn’t hide the fact that AI was involved."
The added they will likely restrict AI use in next year's logo design competition.
The 47th Norwich Beer Festival will take place at the Halls over the October half-term holiday, from Monday, October 26 to Saturday, October 31.
The event has been held elsewhere for the past two years while the Halls underwent a £7.8 million refurbishment.
St Andrew’s Hall will feature a wide selection of beers from across the UK, including vegan and gluten-free options, as well as a Cider Bar and the Curiosity Bar.
Blackfriars Hall will offer a quieter setting for visitors, while the World Beer Bar will be housed in the marquee downstairs.
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