Barsham’s Blessed Brew | NORFOLK NIPS Photo by AWPR @awprco
Barsham’s blessed brew Pilgrim beer flows once more in Walsingham The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham has launched a new beer in collaboration with North Norfolk’s Barsham Brewery. Pilgrim’s Pale Ale, a Walsingham Real Ale, celebrates more than a thousand years of pilgrimage to ‘England’s Nazareth’. Jules Knight, sales manager at Barsham Brewery, added: “The idea came about after Father Andreas asked if it were possible for his team to stop off at the brewery on a team walk. As close neighbours we immediately agreed and all enjoyed a brewery tour, tea and cake, as well as a beer tasting of course! We discussed a collaboration and a few weeks later, whilst visiting the shrine, we decided to create a beer to celebrate the ancient and modern Walsingham pilgrim and ‘Pilgrim’s Pale Ale’ was born. We aim to highlight Green Pilgrimages and what can be achieved on foot, as well as the joy that can be found in our natural surroundings and the feeling of wellbeing 24 | Spring 2020
it brings. As a brewery we do everything locally. There are few that have such low food miles, and we know that’s something really important to Walsingham as well.” Father Andreas Wenzel, shrine priest at Walsingham, said: “Together the shrine and brewery had this idea - wouldn’t it be great to have a pilgrim’s ale for those coming on a pilgrimage to Walsingham? Everybody needs refreshment on the journey and it’s something to look forward to - alongside the spiritual side of pilgrimage, of course. It celebrates the gifts of God and creation, the gift of the beautiful landscape in north Norfolk. We felt this was a wonderful way of bottling up all that goodness.” The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham has been a place of pilgrimage since the 11th Century. Founded in 1061 by the Lady Richeldis who received a vision of Mary the Mother of Jesus, the Shrine was destroyed
