
Back to Blogs
Discover
Discover cask ale and craft beer on the Bury St Edmunds Ale Trail
Download or pick up an Ale Trail map now
With an incredible and unrivalled brewing history dating back 1,000 years, historic Bury St Edmunds is the perfect place to experience delicious cask ale and unique craft beer.
Explore the Bury St Edmunds Ale Trail

With an incredible and unrivalled brewing history dating back 1,000 years, historic Bury St Edmunds is the perfect place to experience delicious cask ale and unique craft beer.
Cask ale and craft beer enthusiasts can explore the town’s licensed premises with the Bury St Edmunds Ale Trail, giving visitors the chance to try ales brewed in the town itself or from further afield.
The Bury St Edmunds Ale Trail was the idea of Heather Warren, former landlady of Oakes Barn pub on St Andrews Street South. She worked closely with Our Bury St Edmunds BID Business Support Manager Mike Kirkham to bring the concept to fruition.
The special ale trail map, produced by Our Bury St Edmunds BID, gives information on all the participating venues. Copies of the Bury St Edmunds Ale Trail can be found at pubs and bars throughout the town centre, the tourist information points in town, and can be downloaded from Our Bury St Edmunds website.

Bury St Edmunds has been the home of Greene King for over 200 years
The leading UK brewer and pub company Greene King has called Bury St Edmunds home for over 200 years, and it carries on a long heritage of brewing in the town.
The brewery has a fascinating history going all the way back to 1086, when monks would brew ale on the site of the Great Abbey using water from Bury’s chalk wells which are still used today by Greene King.
The historic Westgate brewery since was established in 1799, using local malted barley, and water from the 1,000 year old chalk wells in all of their famous brews. You can find their beers in the traditional pubs that Greene King runs in and around East Anglia, as well as in many of their pubs, restaurants and hotels in cities, towns and villages located across the UK.
Did You Know?

Beer and Brewing in Bury St Edmunds
• Bury St Edmunds’ links with brewing go back a long way – almost 1,000 years in fact the monks at the Great Abbey were brewing ale in 1086.
• In the days of the Abbey men, women and children would drink ale for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Bury St Edmunds is the home of Greene King and the water for the beer is drawn from the same chalk wells used by the Abbey’s monks, 200ft beneath the brewery.
• In the middle of the 18th Century Bury St Edmunds had around 150 pubs. “Every other house is an inn’ is a well-known saying from those days.
• The Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds was once used by Greene King as a dilapidated yet magnificent barrel store between 1925 and 1962. Greene King purchased the freehold of the theatre in 1920 (and still owns it today) but in 1925, the company had struggled to keep the theatre in operation.
• Every year Bury St Edmunds has a popular Food and Drink Festival which showcases local food & drink as well as tasty delights from around the world.
• Bury St Edmunds is home to the annual East Anglian Beer & Cider Festival now in its 32nd year and held inside St Edmundsbury Cathedral.
• At 15ft by 7ft, The Nutshell Pub in Bury St Edmunds is officially Britain’s Smallest Pub. The iconic mummified cat which hangs from its ceiling is reputed to have been found in a house in Whiting Street. Years ago, people would put cats in the walls of buildings to scare off evil spirits and so, if you find one, it’s said to be bad luck to remove it.
• The Masons Arms, located in the centre of historic Bury St Edmunds, dates back to the early 16th century and still retains many of the original features including beams and inglenook fireplace.
• The Old Cannon Brewery is unique among Suffolk breweries for having its two beautiful brewing vessels on display in the bar; meaning you can sit next to your beer as it’s being brewed!
• Historically The One Bull may be Bury St Edmunds’ oldest pub, selling the monk’s ale to the townsfolk, brewed in the Abbey next door.
• Belgian beer bar Vespers stock a number of "historically important" beers brewed by monks from 12 different Trappist breweries at monasteries across Europe.
• The Corn Exchange in Bury St Edmunds was voted the UK’s Poshest Wetherspoons by readers of The Express.
• Through history, The Dog and Partridge has always been a favourite watering hole of patrons at Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds particularly before the theatre got a bar. But back in the 1900s it was well known for a circle of hand bell ringers that entertained the public. A ringer’s pitcher was kept for them which is said to have contained four gallons of a fearsome concoction known as the Ringer’s Mixture!
• The Bushel pub used to have its own brewery and served customers with its own distinctive beer until the 1860s.
• Oakes Barn is new build real ale pub, which opened in 2013. The pub's name showcases its historical links with yarn merchant and banker James Oakes, who built the original building as a wool combing shed. The pub’s logo also includes an oak tree, which he featured on his bank notes and is on the sign outside Lloyds Bank - once the Oakes Bevan & Co Bank.

Mark your place in history, share your experience, tell others about your favourite pub, bar or speciality shop on social media using the hashtag #BuryAleTrail
Related Posts
Related Blogs

News
UnLondon in Bury St Edmunds
Escape the rat race and hop on board with Greater…

News
Days Out You Can Enjoy From…
There’s even more to explore on Bury St Edmunds’…

News
Bury St Edmunds in Top 15…
Suffolk's foodie capital Bury St Edmunds makes top 15…

News
Food and Drink Tours Launched…
Tour participants will enjoy a two and a half-hour…

News
Unmissable Events in Bury St…
Whether you’re a local looking to experience something…
Latest news

News
Bury's Best By Bike Rides Back This Summer in Bury St Edmunds
A ride around the town’s iconic historic sights in the town centre by PedalCab is back for summer 2025!

News
UnLondon in Bury St Edmunds
Escape the rat race and hop on board with Greater Anglia to historic Bury St Edmunds...

News
Bury St Edmunds Parks Awarded Green Flag Status
The stunning Abbey Gardens and Nowton Park have both been awarded national Green Flag Status.

News
Days Out You Can Enjoy From Bury St Edmunds
There’s even more to explore on Bury St Edmunds’ doorstep, from historic towns, shopping, art and architecture, to breathtaking countryside views and of course, the nearby coastline. These…
News
We're working on our next competition - come back soon!

News
60 Things To Do This Summer in Bury St Edmunds
Here's our pick of 60 things to do this summer in Bury St Edmunds and Beyond!

News
Biggest and Boldest Literature Festival in Bury St Edmunds This October
The four day programme of author events, creative writing workshops, walks and film screenings comes to Bury St Edmunds in October!

News
Bury St Edmunds in Top 15 Foodie Destinations in Britain
Suffolk's foodie capital Bury St Edmunds makes top 15 foodie town destinations!

News
Celebrating 20 Years of the Cathedral Millennium Tower
Disocver the events planned to mark the 20th anniversary of the completion of St Edmundsbury Cathedral's 150ft Millennium Tower!