The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) has announced three Supreme Champions and 60 medal winners in its National Beer Competition 2014. The winners were unveiled at the organisation’s BeerX event in Sheffield.
Top honours and the Supreme Champion titles went to: OSM (Old Sodbury Mild) from Cotswold Spring Brewery in the cask category; Fuller’s London Porter in keg and Independence from Bristol Beer Factory in bottled beer. Each was selected from the Gold medal winners for their category.
All Gold, Silver and Bronze medal-winning beers were chosen at a judging session on Tuesday which marked the start of BeerX. A panel of around 100 brewers, industry experts, local licensees and beer enthusiasts assessed the 300 finalist beers, which had all earned their place in Sheffield by winning a medal at one of SIBA’s eight regional beer competitions.
All the finalist beers are now on sale at the BeerX Festival of Beer, which is anticipating 2,000 visitors before the event’s close on Saturday evening.
SIBA chief executive Julian Grocock said, “With close to 800 brewers now within SIBA’s membership, competition for a medal is intense at both regional heats and the national final. To win a place at the final judging at BeerX is an achievement in itself and we applaud all our finalist brewers as well as the medal and trophy winners.
“While coming away with an award is of course a tremendous accolade, every brewer here today is a winner. For many of our finalists, the BeerX Festival of Beer is a unique opportunity to put their brews in front of new drinkers outside their heartland. Helping our members to expand distribution of their beers has always been one of SIBA’s key goals and we hope that BeerX results in additional sales for many of them.”
Mark Frankcom of Cotswold Spring Brewery said, “It is an extraordinary accolade to be judged the best cask beer by our peers at this great beer competition. We’re very proud of OSM, which is based on a traditional local recipe and produced from 100% malted ingredients.”
For Bristol Beer Factory, brewer Jonny Mills said, “We are always trying to make the best possible beers, and it is wonderful to win the top award at the best beer competition in the UK.”
All Bronze, Silver and Gold award winners received their certificates and trophies on stage at BeerX from BBC Radio food and drink broadcaster Nigel Barden and SIBA commercial director Nick Stafford.
| CASK CATEGORY | |||||
| Sponsor | Brewery | Product | ABV | CLASS | Award |
| Close Brewery Rentals | Cotswold Spring Brewery | OSM | 3.9 | Supreme Champion | GOLD |
| Close Brewery Rentals | Hastings Brewery | Hastings Porter | 4.5 | Supreme Champion | SILVER |
| Close Brewery Rentals | Mordue Brewery | Killswitch 51 | 5.0 | Supreme Champion | BRONZE |
| Charles Glassware | Cotswold Spring Brewery | OSM | 3.9 | Champion Standard Mild Ales | GOLD |
| Charles Glassware | Strathaven Ales Limited | Craigmill Mild | 3.5 | Champion Standard Mild Ales | SILVER |
| Charles Glassware | Red Squirrel Brewery Limited | Red Squirrel Red Dawn | 3.7 | Champion Standard Mild Ales | BRONZE |
| Russell Scanlan Ltd | The Highland Brewing Company Ltd | Island Hopping | 3.9 | Champion Standard Bitters | GOLD |
| Russell Scanlan Ltd | Loose Cannon Brewing Company | Gunners Gold | 3.5 | Champion Standard Bitters | SILVER |
| Russell Scanlan Ltd | Milton Brewery | Justinian | 3.9 | Champion Standard Bitters | BRONZE |
| Premier Systems Ltd | Quantock Brewery | Wills Neck | 4.3 | Champion Best Bitters | GOLD |
| Premier Systems Ltd | Brewsters Brewing Co | Aromantica | 4.2 | Champion Best Bitters | SILVER |
| Premier Systems Ltd | Ossett Brewing Company Limited | Rat Brewery – White Rat | 4.0 | Champion Best Bitters | BRONZE |
| Charles Faram & Co Ltd | St Austell Brewery | Proper Job | 4.5 | Champion Premium Bitters | GOLD |
| Charles Faram & Co Ltd | Redemption Brewing Company | Hopspur | 4.5 | Champion Premium Bitters | SILVER |
| Charles Faram & Co Ltd | Scottish Borders Brewery | Dark Horse | 4.5 | Champion Premium Bitters | BRONZE |
| Close Brewery Rentals | Hunters Brewery | Royal Hunt | 5.5 | Champion Strong Bitters | GOLD |
| Close Brewery Rentals | Salopian Brewery | Golden Thread | 5.0 | Champion Strong Bitters | SILVER |
| Close Brewery Rentals | Windswept Brewing Co Ltd | APA | 5.0 | Champion Strong Bitters | BRONZE |
| Murphy & Son Ltd | Anarchy Brew Co. | Sublime Chaos | 7.0 | Champion Premium Strong Beers | GOLD |
| Murphy & Son Ltd | Salopian Brewery | Automaton | 7.0 | Champion Premium Strong Beers | SILVER |
| Murphy & Son Ltd | Flipside Brewery | Russian Rouble | 7.3 | Champion Premium Strong Beers | BRONZE |
| Rankin Brothers & Sons | Hastings Brewery | Hastings Porter | 4.5 | Champion Porters, Stouts, Old Ales and Strong Milds | GOLD |
| Rankin Brothers & Sons | Celt Experience | Celt Dark Age | 4.0 | Champion Porters, Stouts, Old Ales and Strong Milds | SILVER |
| Rankin Brothers & Sons | Hambleton Ales | Nightmare | 5.0 | Champion Porters, Stouts, Old Ales and Strong Milds | BRONZE |
| Beatson Clark Ltd | Mordue Brewery | Killswitch 51 | 5.0 | Champion Speciality Beers | GOLD |
| Beatson Clark Ltd | Salopian Brewery | Lemon Dream | 4.5 | Champion Speciality Beers | SILVER |
| Beatson Clark Ltd | Blue Monkey Brewery | Chocolate Guerilla | 4.9 | Champion Speciality Beers | BRONZE |
| KEG CATEGORY | |||||
| Close Brewery Rentals | Fuller Smith & Turner PLC | London Porter | 5.4 | Supreme Champion | GOLD |
| Close Brewery Rentals | Penpont Brewery | Creation Pale Ale | 4.2 | Supreme Champion | SILVER |
| Close Brewery Rentals | Harviestoun Brewery | Schiehallion | 4.8 | Supreme Champion | BRONZE |
| Simply Hops | Penpont Brewery | Creation Pale Ale | 4.2 | Bitters, Pale and Golden Ales | GOLD |
| Simply Hops | Mordue Brewery | Amber | 4.3 | Bitters, Pale and Golden Ales | SILVER |
| Simply Hops | Hawkshead Brewery | Lakeland Gold | 4.4 | Bitters, Pale and Golden Ales | BRONZE |
| Muntons Plc | Tyne Bank Brewery | Silver Dollar | 4.9 | Premium Bitters, Pale and Golden Ales | GOLD |
| Muntons Plc | Batemans Brewery | Triple XXXB | 4.8 | Premium Bitters, Pale and Golden Ales | SILVER |
| Muntons Plc | Kirkstall Brewery | Three Swords | 4.7 | Premium Bitters, Pale and Golden Ales | BRONZE |
| Brewery Plastics | Thornbridge | Colorado Red | 5.9 | Strong Bitters and IPAs | GOLD |
| Brewery Plastics | Celt Experience | Celt Bleddyn 1075 | 5.6 | Strong Bitters and IPAs | SILVER |
| Brewery Plastics | Wylam Brewery | Jake Head IPA | 6.3 | Strong Bitters and IPAs | BRONZE |
| freerbutler graphic design ltd | Fuller Smith & Turner PLC | London Porter | 5.4 | Dark Ales, Stouts and Porters | GOLD |
| freerbutler graphic design ltd | Cairngorm Brewery Company | Black Gold | 4.4 | Dark Ales, Stouts and Porters | SILVER |
| freerbutler graphic design ltd | Wylam Brewery | Flannel Hammer | 7.5 | Dark Ales, Stouts and Porters | BRONZE |
| Brewers Select | Arkells Brewery Ltd | 1843 Lager | 4.2 | Pale and Golden Lagers | GOLD |
| Brewers Select | Williams Bros Brewing Co | Caesar Augustus | 4.1 | Pale and Golden Lagers | SILVER |
| Brewers Select | Watermill Inn & Brewery | Windermere Lager | 4.2 | Pale and Golden Lagers | BRONZE |
| MGT | Harviestoun Brewery | Schiehallion | 4.8 | Premium Pale and Golden Lagers | GOLD |
| MGT | Leeds Brewery | Leodis | 4.6 | Premium Pale and Golden Lagers | SILVER |
| MGT | Windsor and Eton Brewery | Republika Lager | 4.8 | Premium Pale and Golden Lagers | BRONZE |
| Microdat Ltd | Brecon Brewing | Choc-y-wocky | 6.0 | Speciality Beers | GOLD |
| Microdat Ltd | Geipel Brewing Ltd | Zoigl | 5.4 | Speciality Beers | SILVER |
| Microdat Ltd | Salopian Brewery | Lemon Dream | 4.5 | Speciality Beers | BRONZE |
| BOTTLE CATEGORY | |||||
| Croxsons | Bristol Beer Factory | Independence | 4.6 | Supreme Champion | GOLD |
| Croxsons | Salopian Brewery | Oracle | 4.0 | Supreme Champion | SILVER |
| Croxsons | Quantock Brewery | UXB | 9.0 | Supreme Champion | BRONZE |
| Thomas Fawcett & Sons Ltd | Bristol Beer Factory | Independence | 4.6 | Champion Bottled Bitters up to and including 4.9% | GOLD |
| Thomas Fawcett & Sons Ltd | Hawkshead Brewery | Windermere Pale | 4.0 | Champion Bottled Bitters up to and including 4.9% | SILVER |
| Thomas Fawcett & Sons Ltd | The Inveralmond Brewery Ltd | Lia Fail | 4.7 | Champion Bottled Bitters up to and including 4.9% | BRONZE |
| Vetreria Etrusca Ltd | Quantock Brewery | UXB | 9.0 | Champion Bottled Bitters 5% and over | GOLD |
| Vetreria Etrusca Ltd | Elgood & Sons Ltd | Warrior | 5.5 | Champion Bottled Bitters 5% and over | SILVER |
| Vetreria Etrusca Ltd | Goddards Brewery Ltd | Duck’s Folly | 5.2 | Champion Bottled Bitters 5% and over | BRONZE |
| Label Apeel Ltd | Salopian Brewery | Oracle | 4.0 | Champion Bottled Gold Beers | GOLD |
| Label Apeel Ltd | Moor Beer Company | Nor’Hop | 4.3 | Champion Bottled Gold Beers | SILVER |
| Label Apeel Ltd | Allendale Brewery | Golden Plover | 4.0 | Champion Bottled Gold Beers | BRONZE |
| Staffordshire Brewing & Bottling Supplies | Bristol Beer Factory | Milk Stout | 4.5 | Champion Bottled Porters, Milds, Old Ales & Stouts | GOLD |
| Staffordshire Brewing & Bottling Supplies | Dancing Duck Brewery | Dark Drake | 4.5 | Champion Bottled Porters, Milds, Old Ales & Stouts | SILVER |
| Staffordshire Brewing & Bottling Supplies | Loch Ness Brewery | DarkNESS | 4.5 | Champion Bottled Porters, Milds, Old Ales & Stouts | BRONZE |
| Anton Paar Ltd | Bank Top Brewery Limited | Port O’Call | 5.0 | Champion Bottled Speciality Beers | GOLD |
| Anton Paar Ltd | Compass Brewery Limited | Berry | 5.6 | Champion Bottled Speciality Beers | SILVER |
| Anton Paar Ltd | Purple Moose Brewery Ltd | Ysgawen | 4.0 | Champion Bottled Speciality Beers | BRONZE |
-ends-
Issued on behalf of: Society of Independent Brewers
By: ShielPorter Communications
For information: Ros Shiel
07841 694137 / 01403 267971