Beer named best in Britain

Castle Rock brewery’s Harvest Pale has been crowned Best Beer in the UK at the Great British Beer Festival.

The 3.8% abv real ale was judged the Supreme Champion over a host of other finalists across seven different beer categories at the show at Earls Court, London, this week.

Chris Holmes, Castle Rock brewery commercial director, said: “We’ve won dozens of awards over the past five to six years, but the best moments have been since our new brewer, Adrian Redgrove, who started four years ago, began producing high quality, consistent beer.

“The last 18 months we’ve been brewing at capacity because of the success and popularity of Harvest Pale, which has led to the opening of a new brew house in two weeks time which will treble our capacity.”

Roger Protz, who sat on the judging panel, added: “Against intense competition from eight other brilliant beers, Castle Rock Harvest Pale stood out and was the unanimous choice of all the judges for its great blend of tangy hop and juicy malt. A wonderfully refreshing and complex beer.”

The week-long celebration of Britain’s national drink has brought beer lovers from all over the country to the capital in search of the perfect pint.

To mark the festival, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has released the results of its research to find which areas of the country are the top real ale drinkers.
 
In a poll commissioned by the research body TNS, CAMRA found that at a time when 54% of UK drinkers as a whole have tried real ale, and over 750 real ale breweries are now in operation, suppers in the North East of England and East Anglia are taking the lead in fostering the growth of the brewing industry.

The rise in interest in real ale in the North East is such that the number of drinkers having tried the drink in the area has doubled over the last two years. By contrast, Yorkshire, a powerhouse region for brewing, and an area with one of the largest concentration of breweries in the UK, has experienced only small growth in the rate of newcomers to real ale.

Colin Valentine, CAMRA national chairman, said: “In just two years, parts of the UK where it once was rare to see a real ale handpump on a high street have now proliferated, with well-run pubs dedicated to showcasing the real ale boom to local consumers.
 
“Today’s research really reinforces the point that drinkers are growing tired of drinking the advertising of mass produced global brands, and are turning towards quality, locally produced real ales for inspiration.

“It’s interesting to see that in the North East, whilst brands such as Newcastle Brown Ale have been stripped of their local identity and are now brewed elsewhere, drinkers have sought out new and interesting brews from local brewers such as Mordue or Wylam, both on the outskirts of Newcastle upon Tyne.”

Alan Lodge, 04.08.2010