Sarah Hughes Brewery’s Snowflake has been named Champion Winter Beer of Britain at the Great British Beer Festival Winter, in Burton upon Trent.
Chair of the judging panel, Christine Cryne, described the beer as a “beautiful amber barley wine. The fruity, slightly spiced nose invited the drinker to indulge. The rich, smooth, sweet palate had orange spicy notes, balanced by a growing bitterness, leading to a spicy dry bitterness. Remarkably moreish.”
Christine added: “The judges were impressed with the quality of the beers in the final and thought they all had something to say.”
Simon Massey, director of Sarah Hughes Brewery and the Beacon Hotel, said: “This is fantastic news! Quality is what we strive for, and it is all down to the brilliant team who work in the brewery and the pub.
“This batch of Snowflake was brewed in September and sold out in two weeks over the Christmas period. We always put it out at the start of the Dudley Winter Ales Festival, where it sold out there, too.
“I am very proud for my head brewer Ricky Follos. This is a massive achievement, and he should be very chuffed. The hard work really has paid off!
“The brewery closed in the mid 50s, but my uncle, John Hughes, reinstated the brewery in 1987. He had a vision of what it could be, and I hope this award makes Sarah Hughes Brewery and the Beacons Hotel pub a must-visit destination in the Back Country.”
In response to the struggles facing the pub and brewing trade, Simon said: “It is going to be another tough year for the industry. My overhead costs have doubled.”
The joint runners-up in the competition were Elland Brewery’s 1872 Porter and Muirhouse Brewery’s Magnum Mild.
