Brewers Gold tops at GBBF for second straight year
Brewers Gold brewed by Crouch Vale of Essex won the title of Champion Beer in Britain for the second straight year, finishing first in judging by a panel of brewers, beer writers and journalists at the Great British Beer Festival in London.
The beer is described in the 2006 edition of CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide as: “Honey-toned golden ale, with grapefruit sharpness offset by suggestions of melon and pineapple.”
Roger Protz, one of the finalist judges and editor of the Good Beer Guide said: “It’s a tremendous victory for a brewery committed to its cask beer and richly deserved for this marvelous hoppy and fruity beer.”
Colin Bocking, Managing Director of Crouch Vale brewery said, “I am speechless. It was enough of a surprise to have won Champion Beer of Britain in 2005, but to have been voted Britain’s best beer for a second year in a row is truly unbelievable.”
The Silver award went to Harveys brewery in Sussex for their Sussex Best Bitter. The Bronze was awarded to Triple fff brewery in Hampshire for Moondance.
Milds
Gold – Mighty Oak’s Oscar Wilde Mild (Essex)
Silver – Elgood’s Black Dog (Cambridgeshire)
Bronze – Grainstore Rutland Panther (Rutland)
Bitters
Gold – Elgood’s Cambridge Bitter (Cambridgeshire)
Silver – Acorn Barnsley Bitter (South Yorkshire)
Joint Bronze – Sharp’s Doombar Bitter (Cornwall) & Woodforde’s Wherry (Norfolk)
Best Bitters
Gold – Harveys Sussex Best Bitter (East Sussex)
Silver – Triple fff Moon Dance (Hampshire)
Joint Bronze – Kelburn, Red Smiddy (East Renfrewshire) & Surrey Hills Shere Drop (Surrey)
Strong Bitters
Gold – York Brewery, Centurions Ghost Ale (Yorkshire)
Silver – Thornbridge Jaipur IPA (Derbyshire)
Bronze – Weetwood Oasthouse Gold (Cheshire)
Speciality Beers
Gold – Cairngorm Trade Winds (Highlands)
Silver – Wolf Straw Dog (Norfolk)
Bronze – William Brothers Fraoch Heather Ale (Alloa)
Golden Ales
Gold – Crouch Vale Brewers Gold (Essex)
Silver – Hop Back Summer Lightning (Wiltshire)
Bronze – Holden’s Golden Glow (West Midlands)
In CAMRA’s Good Bottled Beer Competition, sponsored by The Guardian Newspaper, the awards went to:Gold: White Shield – White Shield Brewery (Staffordshire) Silver: Hen’s Tooth – Greene King (Suffolk) Bronze: Titanic Stout – Titanic (Staffordshire)
