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Celebrating Belgium Beer Week with Strangers to Friends
Belgium Beer Week
Belgium Beer Week takes place from 24 – 31 August 2026, with venues across the world coming together to celebrate Belgian Beer culture. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Belgian beer and its craftsmanship receiving UNESCO World Heritage Status as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Share a Selfie competition
To celebrate Belgium Beer Week, VisitFlanders will be offering the prize of a hamper of Belgian beers.
In order to be in with the chance of winning:
1. Visit one of the participating venues during Belgium Beer week,
2. Share a selfie using the hashtag #strangerstofriendsbeer
3. Tag @visitflanders
4. Share with your friends.
The story
In 2022, an initiative started between brewers from the city of Norwich, UK and Leuven, Belgium. The goal was to create closer links between two great brewing cities, in collaboration with VisitFlanders, The history of the two cities has long been intertwined. In the 16 th Century, residents of the Low Countries fled persecution to Norwich. They became known as the ‘strangers,’ however they brought with them skills, particularly in the textiles industry. This knowledge and expertise helped the city of Norwich to thrive.
The first beers were brewed in 2023 for the Norwich City of Ale festival, and the Leuven Innovation Beer Festival, with participating brewers from Grain, Poppyland, Moongazer and Tindall in Norwich and Adept, Braxatorium Parcencis, De Coureur and Hof ten Dormaal in Leuven.
Fast forward to three years later, the friendships and partnerships have flourished, with two further beers having been created, Strangers’ Red (2024) and Strangers’ Blonde (2026).
Strangers’ Blonde
This strong Belgian-style blonde is a cross-channel collaboration between the Norfolk breweries of Grain, Tindall and Moongazer and the Belgian breweries of Adept and De Coureur as part of the Strangers to Friends partnership. Using rich hana malt and UK opus hops, alongside Belgian candi and yeast, the blend created a full-bodied golden beer with a gentle aroma of herb and orange with a big boozy
finish.
Participating venues
These are the Norwich venues where you can find Strangers’ Blonde on draught or in a bottle, and we’ll add to it as more pubs and shops join in:
The Plough
The Vine
Arti Beers
Beer Hatch
Kings Head, Magdalen Street
Kings Arms Hall Road
Prize T&Cs
– You must be over 18 to participate.
– Winner will be selected at random on 1 September 2026
– Prize is open to UK entrants only
– All elements of the prize are subject to availability, non-transferrable and there are no
cash alternatives.
– The prize cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers or promotions.
Good luck – enjoy, and, of course, drink responsibly
