Loch Lomond Brewery has been awarded the overall champion cask gold in the SIBA Scotland Independent Beer Awards.
Fiona and Euan MacEachern, of Loch Lomond Brewery, accept their award from Colin Johnston, of Crisp Malt
The brewery’s 12% ABV Scotch ale, Long Road Home, impressed judges with huge flavours of molasses, sweet malt, and a distinct vanilla richness from the Speyside whisky cask barrel-ageing.
Fiona MacEachern, from Loch Lomond Brewery, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to win this award with a beer that we are hugely proud of, and one which shows why traditional Scottish beer styles, such as Scotch ale, can be really delicious. The beer itself is big, full-flavoured, and really complex, but also has a surprising drinkability and smoothness to it, which I’m glad the judges enjoyed.”
The SIBA Scotland Independent Beer Awards are blind tasted by expert beer judges, beer sommeliers, and master brewers from outside the region. The winners of each style category go through to a final judging table where the overall champion gold, silver, and bronze are selected.
The judging took place ahead of the opening of Indie Beer Scotland, a new independent craft beer festival at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, where all of the award-winning beers were on sale to the public.
Cairngorm Brewery’s Wildcat best bitter took the overall silver, with Harviestoun’s Schiehallion cask lager in the overall bronze medal position. Awards were handed across ten style categories.
“Huge congratulations to Loch Lomond on taking home the overall gold in what was a hugely competitive and high-quality judging day,” said SIBA’s head of communications, Neil Walker.
“With such a high standard of entries, taking home a category win is tough enough, but to then be named champion overall really is a huge achievement. The gold category winners from Scotland will now go forward to battle it out with the rest of the UK at the national finals in Liverpool next year, and I’d like to wish them all the best of luck.”
Class winners list
Cask session dark beers
Gold Sulwarth Brewers: The Black Galloway
Silver Stewart Brewing 80/-
Bronze Fyne Ales: Vital Spark
Cask British dark beers
Gold Loch Lomond Brewery: Silkie Stout
Silver Braemar Brewing Co: 80/-
Silver Dargavel Brewery Ltd: Moo-Lin Rouge
Bronze Orkney Brewery: Dark Island
Bronze Aye Been Brewing Co: Fort Point
Bronze Sulwarth Brewers: Knockendoch
Bronze MoR Beers: Ticia
Bronze Hybrid Brewing: Magic Porridge
Bronze Windswept Brewing Co: Wolf
Cask British bitters
Gold Cairngorm Brewery: Stag
Silver Fyne Ales: Hurricane Jack
Bronze Swannay Brewery: Scapa Special
Bronze Innis & Gunn: Ossian Golden Ale
Bronze Born Brewery: Amber
Bronze Windswept Brewing Co: Blonde
Cask British best bitters
Gold Cairngorm Brewery: Wildcat
Silver Born Brewery: Best Bitter
Bronze Fyne Ales: Highlander
Bronze Swannay Brewery: Orkney IPA
Cask session pale ale
Gold Cross Borders: Session Pale
Silver Born Brewery: Blonde
Silver Loch Lomond Brewery: Southern Summit
Bronze Fyne Ales: Jarl
Bronze Orkney Brewery: Island
Bronze MoR Beers: Scode!
Bronze Windswept Brewing Co: Poseidon
Cask pale ale
Gold Orkney Brewery: Cliff Edge IPA
Silver Born Brewery: IPA
Silver Loch Lomond Brewery: Lost in Mosaic
Bronze Windswept Brewing Co: Hurricane
Bronze Bellfield Brewery: Lawless Village IPA
Bronze Newt Brew: Organic Ple Ale
Bronze Cross Borders: Braw
Cask IPA
Gold Windswept Brewing Co: Coastal Haze
Silver Bellfield Brewery: Jex Blake Galaxy
Bronze Five Kingdoms Brewery: Captain Morrisons IPA
Cask speciality light beers
Gold Harviestoun Brewery: Schiehallion
Silver Spey Valley: Spey’s Cadet
Silver Dargavel Brewery: Haud Yer Wheasht
Silver Loch Lomond: Take Me With You, I Can See
Silver Hybrid Brewing: Jar Nektar
Bronze MoR Beers: Calm & Wise
Cask speciality amber/dark beers
Gold Loch Lomond Brewery: Long Road Home
Silver Ferry Brewery: Thomas Miller
Cask imperial and strong beers
Gold Loch Lomond Brewery: Lost Monster
Silver Broughton Ales: Old Jock
Silver Five Kingdoms Brewery: Dark Storm Stout
Bronze Beath Brewing: Impy Stout
Bronze Windswept Brewing Co: Bear
Bronze Swannay Brewery: Orkney Porter
