A new charity beer has been brewed to raise awareness for local testicular cancer charity, It’s On The Ball, and it’s all thanks to Lorraine and Geoff Clinch, who run The Dog Inn, in Ludham.

The couple took part in a charity auction for the Norfolk based charity and bid to win the right to create the recipe for the new brew, as well as naming the new beer alongside local microbrewery – The Norfolk Brewhouse.

The brewery had previously brewed a beer for the charity – Tobi’s Tipple – but this was to be a new brew, and Geoff and Lorraine from The Dog knew precisely the type of beer they were after:
“The first decision was easy – the type of beer they wanted to brew. We were looking for an easy drinking, golden style beer, with gentle hop aromas and flavours, nothing too ‘out there’ with fruit or other additions – just a good honest golden ale.”
“The second decision was around the name. We decided to open that up to our customers who all paid a £1 to enter a name into the hat.” Half of those proceeds go to IOTB, the other half to the person who suggested the name ‘Golden Balls’.
“There were some interesting suggestions to say the least – but the winning entry was picked as Golden Balls as it does precisely what it says on the tin!”

Already The Dogs involvement in the beer has raised close to £400 for the charity but it is also about awareness as Vince Wolverson, Chairman from the charity explains:
“There is a real stigma amongst men about talking about testicular cancer – but it is so important that they do as it is the most common form of cancer in young men. It’s also the most treatable and 98% of cases can be cured, if detected in its early stages.”
“Thanks to the team at The Dog and The Norfolk Brewhouse we hope that people will talk about the issue and take time to learn that a simple, regular check will help to detect early symptoms.” He added.

The beer uses Norfolk Maris Otter malt and a combination of 4 European hops giving it a gentle, zesty fruitiness.
The Dog will be serving their beer at the pub on Friday 24th Feb. You will also be able to enjoy a pint at The National Winter Ales Festival, in Norwich – as the beer was selected to be the charity beer for the festival, and It’s On the Ball the festival’s nominated charity – something which wouldn’t have happened without the help of The Dog.