Grainstore Brewery’s Nip and North Brewing Co’s Triple Fruited Gose – Mango Guava Guava have taken overall gold in the cask and keg classes at the SIBA Independent Beer Awards. Abbeydale took the prize for best bottled or canned beer with its Black Mass black IPA
In a first for the awards, there were also international beers judged. Hofmeister took gold for its Bavarian wheat beer Weisse, which wowed the competition judges as a ‘perfect example of the style’.
Judged by brewers and industry experts, and organised by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) at its flagship BeerX UK event in Liverpool, the awards run across a huge range of style categories in cask, craft keg, bottle, and can.
One of the night’s big winners, North Brewing Co, were on hand to accept the overall gold award in keg for its mango and guava triple-fruited gose, a German-style sour beer traditionally brewed with a touch of salt for added flavour.
North has built an incredible reputation for its Triple Fruited Gose series, having released 25 different iterations of the style since first brewing it in spring 2018. The beer is a modern take on a German-style sour beer, traditionally brewed
with a touch of salt and coriander for flavour. The winning version is brewed with sweet fleshy mango, and both pink and white guava.
“We’ve worked really hard to get the balance in this beer perfectly between the slight sweetness that the salt brings out, and the sourness and fruit of the beer itself, and I’m just blown away — I can’t believe we’ve won!” said Christian Townsley, of North Brewing Co.
“It’s been a really tough year for our industry, and this award will mean so much to everybody at the brewery, and it’s not just the brewing team. The amount of care that goes in from brewing, to packaging, to warehousing, distribution, the marketing team. It’s a huge pat on the back for everyone at the brewery.”
In the bottle and can competition. it was Abbeydale’s Black Mass, a big bold and hoppy dark beer, that wowed judges and won overall gold in the bottle and can awards.
Christie Mcintosh, from Abbeydale, said: “We make this beer just three times a year and it’s a joyous, strong, bitter, fruity dark ale. Winning the national as a black IPA is pretty wild. We won the speciality IPA, which we were really pleased about, but to then go up again and win the overall gold is just amazing.”
SIBA competitions chair, Anneli Baxter, said: “The quality of entries into these awards genuinely does go from strength to strength each year, and 2023 was no exception, with some superb beers across the board.
“To win at the regional competitions is tough. To then go on to win your national category even harder. And to take home the overall national gold is almost impossible, being named the best beer in the whole of the UK by an expert panel of judges. Huge congratulations and well done to all of this year’s winners.”
Full results
Cask session dark beer
| Sponsored by Pentair Food & Beverage Solutions | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Sulwath Brewers Ltd | The Black Galloway | 4.4 | |
| Silver | The Flower Pots Brewery | Cheriton Porter | 4.2 | |
| Bronze | Three Tuns Brewery | Stout | 4.4 |
Cask British dark beer
| Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Loch Lomond Brewery | Silkie Stout | 5.0 | |
| Silver | Grainstore Brewery | Rutland Beast | 5.3 | |
| Bronze | Brentwood Brewing Company TA Elephant School Brewing Co | My Milk Stout Brings All The Boys To The Yard | 4.5 |
Cask British bitter
| Sponsored by Charles Faram & Co Ltd | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Blackedge Brewing Co Ltd | West Coast | 4.1 | |
| Silver | The Wimbledon Brewery Ltd. | Common Pale Ale | 3.7 | |
| Bronze | Cairngorm Brewery Company | Stag | 4.1 |
Cask British best bitter
| Sponsored by Murphy & Son Ltd | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Only With Love | Firecracker ESB | 5.2 | |
| Silver | Cairngorm Brewery Company | Wildcat | 5.1 | |
| Bronze | Blackedge Brewing Co Ltd | Blonde | 4.5 |
Cask session pale ale
| Sponsored by Close Brothers Brewery Rentals | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Moorhouse’s | Moonbeam | 4.3 | |
| Silver | By The Horns Brewing Co. | Hopadelic | 4.3 | |
| Bronze | White Horse Brewery | Pacific Pale | 4.0 |
Cask pale ale
| Sponsored by Murphy & Son Ltd | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Disruption Is Brewing | Chaos More Chaos | 5.0 | |
| Silver | Hophurst Brewery Ltd | APA | 5.2 | |
| Bronze | White Horse Brewery | West Coast IPA | 4.6 |
Cask IPA
| Sponsored by Bulk Storage & Process Systems | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Windswept Brewing Co | Coastal Haze | 8.0 | |
| Silver | Blackedge Brewing Co Ltd | India | 5.8 | |
| Bronze | Blue Monkey Brewery | Infinity Plus 1 | 5.6 |
Cask speciality light beer
| Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Rooster’s Brewing Co, | Roots. Rock. Reggae. | 6.4 | |
| Silver | Purple Moose Brewery Ltd | High Hops | 5.4 | |
| Bronze | Bowland Brewery | Bowland Bumble | 4.0 |
Cask speciality amber to dark beer
| Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Loch Lomond Brewery | Long Road Home | 12.0 | |
| Silver | Green Jack | Red herring | 5.0 | |
| Bronze | 4T’s Brewery | Chocolate & Fudge Stout Detectives | 5.0 |
Cask imperial and strong beer
| Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Grainstore Brewery | Nip | 7.3 | |
| Silver | Loch Lomond Brewery | Lost Monster | 10.0 | |
| Bronze | Yorkshire Heart | Hearten | 7.0 |
Bottle/xan non-alcoholic and low ABV
| Sponsored by Muntons | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Hammerton Brewery | ZED | 0.5 | |
| Silver | Burnside Brewery | Right to Roam | 0.5 |
International bottle/can non-alcholic and low ABV
| Brewery | Product | ABV | ||
| Bronze | Hofmeister Brewing Company Limited | Hofmeister Ultra Low | 0.5 |
Bottle/can lager
| Sponsored by Framax UK Limited | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | DEYA Brewing Company ltd | Tappy Pils | 4.4 | |
| Silver | Lakes Brew Co | NZ Pilsner | 4.5 | |
| Bronze | Abyss Brewing | Gonzo | 4.6 |
International bottle/can lager
| Brewery | Product | ABV | ||
| Silver | Hofmeister Brewing Company Limited | Hofmeister Helles | 5.0 |
Bottle/can amberand dark lager
| Sponsored by Vale Labels | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Twice Brewed Brew Co | Juno Black | 4.7 | |
| Silver | Utopian Brewing | Cerne Specialni | 5.9 | |
| Bronze | Inveralmond Brewery | Ossian Golden Ale | 4.1 |
Bottle/can wheat beer
| Brewery | Product | ABV | ||
| Gold | Wander Beyond Brewing | Wah Donka | 10.5 | |
| Silver | Moonwake Beer Co | Weissbier | 5.0 | |
| Bronze | Brew Monster | Drude | 5.2 |
International bottle/can wheat beer
| Brewery | Product | ABV | ||
| Gold | Hofmeister Brewing Company Limited | Hofmeister Weisse | 5.1 |
Bottle/can bitter
| Sponsored by Saxon Packaging Ltd | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Long Man Brewery | Old Man | 4.3 | |
| Silver | Lacons Brewery | Affinity | 4.8 | |
| Bronze | Ramsbury Brewery | Farmer’s Best | 3.6 |
Bottle/can pale ale
| Sponsored by Premier Systems Ltd | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Amity Brew Co | Waterpistol | 4.6 | |
| Silver | DEYA Brewing Company ltd | Steady Rolling Man | 5.2 | |
| Bronze | Chapter Brewing Company Limited | Teeter | 5.1 |
International bottle/can pale ale
| Brewery | Product | ABV | ||
| Silver | Galway Hooker Brewery | Sixty Knots IPA | 5.5 |
Bottle/can IPA
| Sponsored by Croxsons | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Quantock Brewery | We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat | 6.3 | |
| Silver | Triple Point Brewing | Flux | 6.8 | |
| Bronze | Dog Falls Brewing Co | Split the Tree | 7.2 |
Bottle/can double and triple IPA
| Sponsored by Loughran Brewers Select | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Alter Ego Brewing Co | Disappear Completely | 8.0 | |
| Silver | Brew Monster | Behemoth | 8.0 | |
| Bronze | Windswept Brewing Co Ltd | Coastal Haze | 8.0 |
Bottle/can speciality IPA
| Sponsored by Beer Box Shop | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Abbeydale Brewery | Black Mass | 6.6 | |
| Silver | Williams Bros Brewing Co | Juicy Joker NEIPA | 5.0 |
Bottle/can amber, brown, and red ale
| Sponsored by Thomas Fawcett & Sons Ltd | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Powderkeg Beer | 6ixes & 7evens | 5.0 | |
| Silver | Artefact Brewing Ltd | Heritage Ruby Ale | 4.5 | |
| Bronze | Welbeck Abbey Brewery | Red Feather | 3.9 |
Bottle/can stout and porter
| Sponsored by SEB Brewing & Packaging | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | New Bristol Brewery | Coffee & Biscotti Stout | 5 | |
| Silver | Mumbles Brewery | Oystermouth Stout | 4.4 | |
| Bronze | Hybrid brewing ltd | KONGO | 6.0 |
Bottle/can imperial and strong ale
| Sponsored by Beatson Clark Plc | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Harrogate Brewing Company | Kursaal | 9.0 | |
| Silver | Adnams | Tally Ho | 7.2 | |
| Bronze | Padstow Brewing Co | Cold Desert | 8.0 |
Bottle/can sour and wild ale
| Brewery | Product | ABV | ||
| Gold | Belschnickel Brewery Limited | Pfaffendorf | 4.1 | |
| Silver | Orbit Beers | Tzatziki Sour | 4.3 | |
| Bronze | CBL – Lithic Brewing | Lemon, Lime & Sea Salt Sour | 3.9 |
Bottle/can Belgian, French, and Abbey Ale
| Sponsored by Fermentis | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Castle Brewery | A New Season | 5.5 | |
| Silver | Wylde Sky Brewing | Saison | 4.8 |
Bottle/can speciality and flavoured beer
| Sponsored by Beer Box Shop | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Hammerton Brewery | City Of Cake | 5.5 | |
| Silver | Inner Bay Brewery Ltd | Ruby | 10.7 | |
| Bronze | Thornbridge Brewery | Necessary Evil | 13.0 |
Keg non-alcoholic and low ABV
| Sponsored by LemonTop Creative | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Neckstamper Brewing | Swakey Swipes | 2.8 | |
| Silver | Butcombe Brewing Co. | Goram IPA Zero | 0.5 | |
| Bronze | Geipel Brewing | Zeppelin | 2.8 |
Keg lager
| Sponsored by Konvoy UK | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Geipel Brewing | Pilsner | 4.6 | |
| Silver | Zerodegrees Bristol | The Bohemian | 4.8 | |
| Bronze | Lakes Brew Co | NZ Pilsner | 4.5 |
Keg amber and dark lager
| Sponsored by IGC Engineering | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Triple Point Brewing | Vienna | 4.9 | |
| Silver | Zerodegrees Cardiff | The Beast Black Lager | 4.6 | |
| Bronze | Zerodegrees Bristol | Cloud Waltz | 4.4 |
Keg wheat beer
| Sponsored by Alfa Laval | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Geipel Brewing | Hefeweizen | 5.2 | |
| Silver | Adnams | Bierre Blanche | 5.0 | |
| Bronze | Blackedge Brewing Company Ltd | Schwarze Kante | 5.0 |
Keg bitter
| Sponsored by Charles Faram & Co Ltd | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Stonehouse Brewery Ltd | Station Bitter | 3.9 | |
| Silver | Hophurst Brewery Ltd | Winter Warmer | 5.5 | |
| Bronze | Adnams | Ghost Ship | 4.5 |
Keg pale ale
| Sponsored by Close Brothers Brewery Rentals | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Brew Monster | Basilisk | 5.0 | |
| Silver | Baker’s Dozen Brewing Co. | Undertow | 4.8 | |
| Bronze | Hammerton Brewery | RAM | 5.3 |
Keg IPA
| Sponsored by Anton Paar Ltd | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Neckstamper Brewing | Mizzle | 6.0 | |
| Silver | Hophurst Brewery Ltd | Arlo | 5.6 | |
| Bronze | Quantock Brewery | We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat | 6.3 |
Keg double and triple IPA
| Sponsored by Breww Ltd | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | SALT | Ikat | 8.0 | |
| Silver | Hackney Church Brew Co | The Last DIPA | 8.0 | |
| Bronze | Hophurst Brewery Ltd | Love Is Noise | 8.0 |
Keg speciality IPA
| Sponsored by Evolution Cooling | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Hop Union Brewery & Taproom | Bloody Nora | 4.7 | |
| Silver | Lakes Brew Co | Idaho ho ho 7 | 6.0 | |
| Bronze | Vocation Brewery | Big Squeeze | 4.0 |
Kegamber, brown, and red ale
| Brewery | Product | ABV | ||
| Gold | Neptune Brewery | Hells Canyon | 5.8 | |
| Silver | Leigh on Sea Brewery | Two Tree Island | 4.5 | |
| Bronze | Dog Falls Brewing Co | Red Hook | 4.8 |
Keg stout and porter
| Sponsored by Crisp Malting Group | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Loch Lomond Brewery | Silkie Stout | 5.0 | |
| Silver | Wye Valley Brewery | Nightjar | 4.6 | |
| Bronze | The Cronx Brewery | Entire | 5.2 |
Keg imperial and strong ale
| Sponsored by Kegstar | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Liverpool Brewing Company | Imperial Russian Stout | 8.5 | |
| Silver | Hammerton Brewery | Dont Quit | 9.1 | |
| Bronze | Fownes Brewing Company | Korvak’s Downfall | 9.0 |
Keg sour and wild ale
| Sponsored by Vigo Ltd | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | North Brewing Co | Triple Fruited Gose: Mango, Guava, Guava | 4.5 | |
| Silver | Holy Goat Brewing | Sunsmasher | 5.8 | |
| Bronze | Firebrand Brewing | Pink Lemon | 6.0 |
Keg Belgian, French, and Abbey Ale
| Brewery | Product | ABV | ||
| Gold | Navigation Brewery | Blonde | 5.0 | |
| Silver | Fyne Ales | Whisper | 5.3 | |
| Bronze | Windsor and Eton Brewery | Diablo Rojo | 8.4 |
Keg speciality and flavoured beer
| Brewery | Product | ABV | ||
| Gold | Rooster’s Brewing Co. | Hello, Dimitri? | 10.4 | |
| Silver | Windsor and Eton Brewery | Uprising Caught By The Fuzz | 5.0 | |
| Bronze | Navigation Brewery | Key Lime Pale | 4.0 |
Overall champion of the international brewery beer awards
| Brewery | Product | ABV | ||
| Gold | Hofmeister Brewing Company Limited | Hofmeister Weisse | 5.1 | |
| Silver | Hofmeister Brewing Company Limited | Hofmeister Helles | 5.0 | |
| Bronze | Galway Hooker Brewery | Sixty Knots IPA | 5.5 |
Overall champion of the cask beer awards
| Sponsored by Close Brothers Brewery Rentals | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Grainstore Brewery | Nip | 7.3 | |
| Silver | Disruption Is Brewing | Chaos More Chaos | 5.0 | |
| Bronze | Only With Love | Firecracker ESB | 5.2 |
Overall champion of the bottle/can beer awards
| Sponsored by Croxsons | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | Abbeydale Brewery | Black Mass | 6.6 | |
| Silver | Powderkeg Beer | 6ixes & 7evens | 5.0 | |
| Bronze | New Bristol Brewery | Coffee & Biscotti Stout | 5 |
Overall champion of the keg beer awards
| Sponsored by Kegstar | Brewery | Product | ABV | |
| Gold | North Brewing Co | Triple Fruited Gose: Mango, Guava, Guava | 4.5 | |
| Silver | Neckstamper Brewing | Swakey Swipes | 2.8 | |
| Bronze | Loch Lomond Brewery | Silkie Stout | 5.0 |
