A German-style dark wheat beer, traditionally known as a dunkelweizen, and an American hopped session IPA have taken home the two top spots in the SIBA South West Independent Beer Awards.
The awards took place prior to the famous Tuckers Maltings Beer Festival, in Newton Abbot, and are run by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA).
Jurassic Dark (5.9% ABV), by Dorset Brewing Co, was named overall champion cask beer and is described as a rich dark beer with chocolate and port flavours, and a forest fruits aroma.
Harbour Brewing Co took home overall gold in the bottle and can competition with Ellensberg Session IPA (4.3%), its aromatic, citrussy and hugely drinkable canned session IPA, brewed to show off flavours of citrus fruit and punchy American hops.
The awards are judged by fellow brewers and other representatives from the industry.
SIBA competitions chairman, Guy Sheppard, of Devon’s Exe Valley Brewery, said: “The standard of the South West beers was fantastic again, and we had some really good winners. This was the first time we tried some new beer categories to reflect today’s beer market, and the judges thought these worked very well. We feel this is a very positive move for British independent beer.”
The award categories were given a shake-up this year to include more classes for popular IPAs and other now-popular beer styles, including a new session IPA category, which Harbour won before taking the overall gold against bottles and cans in other styles.
Harbour Brewing Co director, Eddie Lofthouse, said: “I am really pleased to win this award, and it is great to be recognised in this way by our peers — we were against very tough competition and I would just say ‘please go out and enjoy this beer… it is perfect for a sunny afternoon!’”
Session IPAs have proved popular with beer drinkers as they offer the drinkability of a craft lager or pale ale with the addition of the aromatic New World hops you would expect in an India pale ale (IPA), which tend to be much stronger in alcohol, typically 5, 6 or even 7% ABV.
The cask winner is a different beast altogether — a German style dark wheat beer with flavours of port and chocolate — but its win shows the popularity of international styles with British brewers and beer drinkers alike.
Mike Thornton, of Dorset Brewing Co, said: “This is my favourite beer we brew. I am so pleased with this result and look forward to this going forward to SIBA’s national beer competition. It is our first crack into the craft beer market — it starts here!”
Full results
Champion cask beer
Gold: Jurassic Dark, Dorset Brewing Co; silver, Leveret, Twisted Oak Brewery; bronze; Big Job, St Austell Brewery.
Cask, British dark beers, up to 4.4% ABV
Gold: Pomparles Porter, Isle of Avalon Brewing Co; silver, Totnes Stout, New Lion Brewery; bronze, GWR Mild, Weighbridge Brewhouse.
Cask, British dark beers, 4.5% to 6.4% ABV
Gold: Darkness, Exeter Brewery; silver, Tavy Porter, Roam Brewing Co; bronze, Milk Stout, Bristol Beer Factory.
Cask, British bitters, up to 4.4% ABV
Gold: Maiden Voyage, Great Western Brewing Co; silver, Gold, Bays Brewery; bronze, Wills Neck, Quantock Brewery.
Cask, premium bitters, 4.5% to 6.4% ABV
Gold: Leveret, Twisted Oak Brewery; silver, 6ixes and 7evens, Powderkeg Brewery; bronze, Sound Bitter, Roam Brewing Co.
Cask, session IPA, up to 4.3% ABV
Gold: QPA, Quantock Brewery; silver, Speak Easy, Powderkeg Brewery; bronze, Prophecy, St Austell Brewery.
Cask, premium pale ales, 4.5% to 6.4% ABV
Gold: Timeline, Kettlesmith Brewing Co; silver, West Coast Session IPA, Firebrand Brewing Co; bronze, Frozen Deep, Cheddar Ales.
Cask, IPA, 5.5% to 6.4% ABV
Gold: Above The Clouds, Electric Bear Brewing Co; silver, Corbel, Eight Arch Brewing Co; bronze, Ultra, Dawkins Ales.
Cask, speciality light beers
Gold: Do It Together, Moor Beer Co; silver, Bees Knees, Great Western Brewing Co; bronze, Crispy Pig, Hunters Brewery Ltd.
Cask, speciality, mid to dark beers
Gold: Jurassic Dark, Dorset Brewing Co; silver, Brad’s Coffee Stout, Gyle 59; bronze; BA Maple Sap Scotch, Brewhouse & KItchen Bristol.
Cask, strong beers, 6.5% and over
Gold: Big Job, St Austell Brewery; silver, Exmoor Beast, Exmoor Ales; bronze, Double Stout, New Lion Brewery.
Champion bottled / canned beer
Gold: Ellensburg Session IPA, Harbour Brewing Co; silver, Big Job, St Austell Brewery; bronze, Liberation Ale, Liberation Brewery.
Bottled / canned, British dark beers, up to 4.4% ABV
Gold: Moat Mild, Castle Brewery; silver, Stout Hearted, Yeovil Ales; bronze, Totnes Stout, New Lion Brewery.
Bottled / canned, British dark beers, 4.5% to 6.4% ABV
Gold: Inspector Remorse, Electric Bear Brewing Co; silver, Tavy Porter, Roam Brewing Co; bronze, Tally Ho!, Palmers Brewery
Bottled / canned, British bitters, up to 4.4% ABV
Gold: Liberation Ale, Liberation Brewery; silver, Padstow Pale Ale, Padstow Brewing Co; bronze, Rale Head, Quantock Brewery.
Bottled / canned, premium bitter, 4.5% to 6.4% ABV
Gold: Karst, Cheddar Ales; silver, Moonlight, Arkell’s Brewery; bronze, Jail Ale, Dartmoor Brewery.
Bottled / canned, session IPA, up to 4.3% ABV
Gold: Harbour Brewing Co, Ellensburg Session IPA; silver, Hambrook Pale Ale, Great Western Brewing Co; bronze, Palmers IPA, Palmers Brewery.
Bottled / canned, premium pale ales, 4.4% to 5.4% ABV
Gold: Yankee Hack, Brewhouse & Kitchen, Bournemouth; silver, Titanium, Quantock Brewery; bronze, AB6 DDH, Art Brew.
Bottled / canned canned IPA (5.5% to 6.4% ABV)
Gold: Corbel, Eight Arch Brewing Co.
