Decision to ‘ban’ strong beers at festival was not SIBA’s

Independent Hardknott Brewery has attacked the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) for “banning” one of its beers from National Craft Keg Festival, after the beer in question had won a prize in the competition preceding the event. But SIBA insists the decision was not its own.

The SIBA Craft in Keg competition was held at The Barrels pub, Hereford, on Friday. Immediately after the judging of the beers and the announcement of the winners, The Barrels ran a beer festival, selling the remaining beer left over from the judging. This arrangement is in place for most of SIBA’s beer competitions: the pub hosts the competition at no charge to SIBA and in return they are given the beers to sell.

Queboid, 8% ABV, is a beer influenced by the best of American West Coast hoppy IPAs and the great crafted beers of the Belgian Monks. However, once the festival opened to the public it was decided, said Dave Bailey, of Hardknott, “that the beer was too progressive for the stuffy organisers”.

“Even our friends Stringers Beer, who had the strongest beer at the festival, couldn’t buy their own beer once the festival opened to the public. Stringers’ Mutiny, which is a fabulous imperial stout weighing in at 9.3%, was also removed from the pumps,” said Dave.

“I am quite shocked. The body that represents the best of British Craft beer is still fixed on the idea that beer cannot be progressive.”

However, SIBA chief executive Julian Grocock, who had received no representation from Hardknott regarding the incident, said the decision not to sell the beers had been taken by the hosts at The Barrels, in Hereford, and not by SIBA.

“It was the Barrels’ decision not to out the beers on,” Mr Grocock told Beer Today. “I questioned this, but I accepted our hosts’ decision.”

He said Stringers Brewery representatives had been at the festival and had not raised the matter with him.

The Barrels’ management made the decision not to stock the two high-ABV beers on the grounds of responsible alcohol retailing.

A SIBA spokesperson added: “All brewers entering SIBA competitions are required to donate their beers and there is no automatic ‘right’ to then have the beers on display to consumers; in the past, we have held competitions without then having a beer festival, and the entrants’ beers were still supplied free of charge to SIBA.”

Mr Bailey said: ““We were told that the reason for the beer being banned was because it is over 7.5%. Stronger, more tasty beer is what is driving the fastest growing sector of the beer market.”