Grain Brewery in Alburgh sees return of Blessing of the Barley Queen

A medieval ceremony returned for its second year, as a harvested crop was blessed by royalty.

The tradition of a blessing by a barley queen was undertaken on April 26 at Grain Brewery in Alburgh.

The role of the queen was taken on by regular Suzanne Lynch, dressed in a flowing dress and floral crown.

Phil Halls, the owner of the multi-award-winning brewery, said: “The day went really well – the weather was glorious and we had a good turnout from people in the village and plenty of faces from further afield.”

In a change to last year’s format, which required people to drive out to a field of beside All Saints’ Church, this time, the harvested barley was brought to the brewery.

It was then left to the queen to bless the crop before it is malted and turned into beer.

As part of the traditions attached to the age-old ceremony, the queen is said to call upon the four elements of nature to bless the barley to produce a fine brew.

According to historian Walter Rye, the blessing of the barley queen took place after the spring equinox in medieval times.

Mr Halls said: “I hope people enjoyed the spectacle, with silly animal heads and the barley queen dressed up with her flowery head dress. I hope they enjoyed the weirdness of the day but also the meaning behind it as well.”

The brewery is no stranger to unique events, having hosted a gravity race down a hill near the site in January, nor to good beer, with its Slate ale named the best in the Strong Stouts and Porters category of the Champion Winter Beer of Britain competition.

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