Metro area

Best breweries in Ipswich, England

Within 16 miles of Ipswich we track 22 breweries. 1 rates Great. Little Earth Project in Sudbury leads the list at 4.16 (Great).

The scale

Exceptional
A short list of extraordinary breweries worth planning a trip around.
Great
Consistently produce world-class beer.
Fine
Make genuinely good beer, if not the pint you will still be talking about next year.
Poor
Not bad beer so much as unremarkable beer.
Limited
Most craft beer drinkers pass these by.

1
Little Earth Project
Sudbury, Suffolk, England
Little Earth Project is a forward-thinking craft brewery with its roots in the beautiful Suffolk countryside. We produce mixed fermentation beers that harvest the power of wild yeast and bacteria to produce unique flavours. By using a combination of wild yeast we source from the lees of our own cider, Castlings Heath Cottage, as well as organic hops and barley that we grow ourselves, plus ingredients foraged from local hedgerows, we produce beers that are true representations of Suffolk in a glass. Our beers are produced in small batches which are moved to wooden oak barrels to rest for anywhere from 3 months to 2+ years. This natural, organic approach is applied to all parts of the business, as well as our pub, The White Horse Inn.
Rating
4.16Great
Popularity
Modestly rated
2
Burnt Mill Brewery
Ipswich, Suffolk, England
Burnt Mill Brewery produce's high quality beer and is ranked #2 in Suffolk. They are most well known for "Pintle Pale Ale - Citra & Cascade", which is an American Pale Ale and "Green Path IPA - Citra, Mosaic & Enigma", which is an American IPA. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Pale Ales.
Rating
3.94Fine
Popularity
Widely rated
3
Gruff Brewery
Colchester, Suffolk, England
Rating
3.62Poor
Popularity
Barely rated
4
Watts & co.
Stowmarket, Suffolk, England
Watts & co. produce's unproven beer and is ranked #6 in Suffolk. They are most well known for "Paddington", which is an English Pale Ale and "Blackbird Mild Brown Porter", which is a Mild. Their primary focus is brewing Pale Ales and Brown Ales.
Rating
3.55Poor
Popularity
Barely rated
5
Shortts Farm Brewery
Eye, Suffolk, England
Established by Matt Hammond in the summer of 2012 and situated on ‘Shortts Farm’ which has been our family farm for over a century. The farm is located just outside the village of Thorndon in North Suffolk, surrounded by some of the best arable land in the country. We have a five barrel system that was purchased from ‘Hunters Brewery’ in Devon.
Rating
3.45Poor
Popularity
Barely rated
6
JackRabbit Brewing Co.
Colchester, Essex, England
JackRabbit Brewing Co. was founded in 2019 with the aim of bringing modern craft beer to the picturesque surroundings of the Essex & Suffolk border. The micro-brewery was converted from a disused piggery on an old smallholding farm, creating all kinds of logistical problems with a long winding driveway off a country lane! We are now based at Prettyfields Vineyard in Ardleigh, Essex
Rating
3.42Poor
Popularity
Barely rated
7
St Judes Brewery
Ipswich, Suffolk, England
St. Jude's Tavern is situated on 69 St. Matthew's Street, Ipswich, Suffolk. We are a real ale house and brewery and have a wide range of ales straight from the barrel. Inside is unique. We designed the former photographic studio to create a London/gothic style Tavern. There is also an in house cemetery!! CAMRA WINNER OF IPSWICH & EAST SUFFOLK BRANCH PUB OF 2014!
Rating
3.40Poor
Popularity
Barely rated
8
Uffa Brewery
Woodbridge, Suffolk, England
Brewing out of the old coach house at the White Lion pub in Ufford, Suffolk, we work hard to craft fine beers that we love and hope you do too. Since 2011, we have been brewing in small batches, by hand – producing 700 pints at a time – giving an authentic drinking experience. The brewery is named after Uffa: King of the East Angles and namesake of the eponymous Wuffingas dynasty. Local legend has it that Uffa forded the river Deben within sight of our brewery, giving the village the name “Ufford”. Uffa’s grandson Raedwald is believed to be the occupant of the ship-burial at Sutton Hoo.
Rating
2.98Poor
Popularity
Barely rated
9
Humber Doucy Brewing Co.
Stowmarket, Suffolk, England
They’re meandering, relaxing, and a little bit shady – like an afternoon under oak beams. Or like Humber Doucy Lane, from which we take our name: modern Ipswich houses on one side, the countryside on the other. It’s named for the ‘refreshing shade’ (‘ombre douce’) found there by Napoleonic War prisoners relaxing after their labours. Or is it? Like a lot of the mardles you’ll hear in a Suffolk pub, that one is … debatable. Some say it’s named for The Humber Doucy, a dance beloved by peasants and gentlemen alike between the wars. Or The Humble Deuce, a gambler’s pub that stood on the Martlesham road – until it was burned to the ground by a cheated card shark. Or even that it comes from the legendary ‘Amber Dais’, an Anglo-Saxon treasure worth untold riches, said to be buried somewhere north of Ipswich. Of a more certain provenance is our beer. Humber Doucy Brewing founder John Ridealgh comes by the trade honestly. As a child, he went to survey the county’s barley fields with his father Alan, a Stowmarket maltster. So when John came of age, it seemed as natural to make beer as to drink it. After a few years of running Ipswich’s premier homebrew shop, John set up Humber Doucy with a simple idea: make beer that understands the Suffolk pub tradition. And he’s succeeded, by brewing great-tasting beers that combine modern hops with traditional Suffolk barley.
Rating
3.06Limited
Popularity
Barely rated
10
Briarbank Brewing Company
Ipswich, Suffolk, England
When you’re looking for a great beer experience in Suffolk, look no further than the Briarbank Brewing Company. Set next to the historic waterfront in the heart of Ipswich, our award-winning, independent microbrewery and bar was established in May 2013, and we’ve been creating beers ever since. We offer a variety of ales, milds, stouts and a continental style lager. While some are regular favourites, at Briarbank we keep things fresh with seasonal beers, variations on old favourites and more. We’ve won two golds and one silver for the East Region in the SIBA Independent Keg Beer Awards 2020, and two golds in the 2020 SIBA Digital Beer Awards. There's always something brewing to keep the drinkers happy!
Rating
3.06Limited
Popularity
Lightly rated
11
Earl Soham Brewery
Debenham, Suffolk, England
The Earl Soham brewery is a small brewery situated in the mid-Suffolk countryside. The brewery was originally located in the village of the same name, before moving to nearby Debenham. We first started in 1985, brewing in Maurice’s old chicken shed behind the popular The Vic - the Victoria Inn in Earl Soham, where our famous Victoria Bitter comes from. It is also the sister brewery of the Cliff Quay Brewery, also located in Suffolk. You can find our beers bottled in many local farm shops and at food markets, and on draught in several local pubs, most notably at the award-winning The Station Hotel in Framlingham, where you will never fail to find one of their pumps occupied with one of our beers.
Rating
3.06Limited
Popularity
Barely rated
12
Kings Head
Ipswich, Suffolk, England
Kings Head produce's unproven beer and is ranked #18 in Suffolk. They are most well known for "The Kings Head Red Ale", which is an Irish Red Ale and "Crowdie", which is an Oatmeal Stout. Their primary focus is brewing Amber Ales and Pale Ales.
Rating
3.01Limited
Popularity
Barely rated
13
Cliff Quay Brewery
Debenham, Suffolk, England
Cliff Quay Brewery was started by Jeremy Moss (formerly Wychwood Head Brewer) and John Bjornson in 2009, initially as an offshoot of their successful sister brewery, Earl Soham Brewery. We started brewing in Feb 2009 in the old loading bay of the former Tolly Cobbold Brewery on the Cliff Quay, Ipswich; in the heart of the industrial dock area, an historic brewing site since the 1700’s. By 2012 it became obvious that the old loading bay we were in was at the end of its natural life, so we took the decision to relocate. We found a site in Debenham near our sister brewery in Earl Soham. We are proud of our products. We select our materials to give the best flavour and quality. We hope that you enjoy discovering the beers that we brew.
Rating
2.97Limited
Popularity
Barely rated
14
Cabin Brewery
Ipswich, Suffolk, England
Cabin Brewery is a small brewery in the village of Bildeston that has been making craft ales. In late 2015 I decided it was time to start sharing my achievements with other real ale lovers.
Rating
2.96Limited
Popularity
Barely rated
15
Drinkstone Ales
Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Drinkstone Ales produce's unproven beer and is ranked #19 in Suffolk. They are most well known for "Bitter", which is a Bitter - Session / Ordinary and "Road Apple Strong", which is a Bitter - Session / Ordinary. Their primary focus is brewing Amber Ales and Pale Ales.
Rating
2.92Limited
Popularity
Barely rated
16
Mr Bees Brewery Ltd
Felixstowe, Suffolk, England
Mr Bees Brewery Ltd produce's unproven beer and is ranked #31 in Suffolk. They are most well known for "Bee Lightful", which is a Golden Ale and "Bee Clipse", which is a Dark Ale. Their primary focus is brewing Pale Ales and Amber Ales.
Rating
2.88Limited
Popularity
Barely rated
17
Dove Street Brewery
Ipswich, Suffolk, England
Dove Street Brewery produce's generally unappealing beer and is ranked #33 in Suffolk. They are most well known for "Dove Elder", which is a Spiced / Herbed Beer and "Incredible Taste Fantastic Clarity (ITFC)", which is a Golden Ale. Their primary focus is brewing Pale Ales and Amber Ales.
Rating
2.88Limited
Popularity
Barely rated
18
Tiny Town Beer Co.
Manningtree, Essex, England
Tiny Town Beer Co. produce's unproven beer and is ranked #18 in Essex. They are most well known for "Brewfinder", which is a Pale Lager and "Hopperoni", which is an American Pale Ale. Their primary focus is brewing Pale Lagers and Pale Ales.
Rating
2.83Limited
Popularity
Barely rated
19
The Old Felixstowe Brewing Co
Ipswich, Suffolk, England
The Old Felixstowe Brewing Co produce's unproven beer and is ranked #35 in Suffolk. They are most well known for "Docker’s Pale Ale", which is an English Pale Ale and "Victoria & Abdul's", which is a Session IPA. Their primary focus is brewing Pale Ales and IPAs.
Rating
2.79Limited
Popularity
Barely rated
20
Calvors Brewery
Ipswich, Suffolk, England
Calvors Brewery was created in 2008 to brew proper English Lagers, without compromise! We have been crafting award-winning beers ever since, becoming known for our distinctive take on the much-celebrated lager styles of Europe. Sure, we're passionate about lager, but we also love a good ale and brew a growing selection of international styles. Calvors beers challenge the flavour and integrity of mass-produced brews and you won't find any of those nasty chemicals or preservatives. We brew by hand using only four ingredients: water, malt, hops and yeast.
Rating
2.77Limited
Popularity
Lightly rated
21
Craft Academy
Suffolk, England
Rating
2.68Limited
Popularity
Modestly rated
22
Big Drop Brewing Co
Ipswich, Suffolk, England
We make award-winning craft beer. It just so happens to be alcohol-free. So whether you’re looking to cut down, cut out or just try something new, Big Drop has crafted a great beer for almost any beer lover. Big Drop was launched in Oct 2016 by Rob Fink, along with his school-friend/band-mate James Kindred. The idea for a brewery that only made alcohol-free beer was driven by their own lifestyle changes (eg fatherhood) and frustration that there were no good alcohol-free beers. Along with renowned experimental brewer, Johnny Clayton (formerly of Wild Beer Co), they’ve perfected techniques to make alcohol-free beer without the need for artificial removal of alcohol. The result doesn’t compromise on taste and yet is no more than 0.5% ABV.
Rating
2.39Limited
Popularity
Well rated