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The Great British Beer Festival 2005

by Willard Clarke, 08/05

Crouch Vale, one of Britain's longest-running micro-breweries, won the prestigious Champion Beer of Britain competition on Tuesday 2 August at Camra's Great British Beer Festival at London Olympia.

The winning beer is the 4% Brewers Gold, which reached the final by coming top in the new Golden Ales sector. Golden Ales were given their own category for the first time, to encourage the growth of new pale, hoppy beers aimed at winning young lager drinkers to the joys of cask-conditioned beer.		  

Crouch Vale, based in South Woodham Ferrers in Essex, names its champion beer after the German hop variety Brewers Gold. The floral hop gives an enticing citrus/grapefruit character to the aroma and palate of the beer. Only pale malt is used and adds a juicy and biscuity note to the beer, which is wonderfully tart, tangy and refreshing.

Ollie Graham from Crouch Vale was present at the festival to pick up his award and he said it was the greatest day in his long career in the brewing industry. Crouch Vale was founded in the mid-1980s and carved out a unique path for small craft brewers by selling beer at outdoor events ranging from rock concerts to re-enactments of the English Civil War. Over the years it has built up a second side to its business by acting as a distributor for other micros through the country. In return, Crouch Vale beers get distribution the length and breadth of Britain.

As well as Brewers Gold, Crouch Vale produces a mild, a bitter and a porter. The range is on sale in its one tied pub, the Queen's Head in Chelmsford. It's the nearest pub to Essex County Cricket Ground and is regularly used by such cricketing legends as Ian Botham and Graham Gooch when they are covering matches.

The silver award went to Grainstore Rutland Panther (3.4%), a dark mild brewed by a micro in England's smallest county that is surrounded by Leicestershire. The brewery is based in a former grainstore at Oakham railway station and was founded by Tony Davis, who had previously brewed at Ruddles Brewery, also in Rutland.   

Rutland Panther is surprisingly bitter and hoppy for the style. It is brewed with pale and pale chocolate malts and hopped with Fuggles for aroma and Northdown for bitterness. It has a rich and complex aroma and palate of chocolate and espresso coffee, with roasted grain notes and a solid underpinning of hop bitterness.

The bronze award went to another beer from eastern England, Woodforde's Wherry Best Bitter from Woodbastwick near Norwich.

Wherry (3.8%) won the Bitter category before advancing to the final. The beer is brewed from Maris Otter pale and crystal malts and is hopped with Fuggles and Goldings (30 units of bitterness). The bronze/copper beer has a complex but well-balanced aroma and palate of juicy malt, bitter hops and tart orange fruit. Woodforde's was established in 1981 and Woodbastwick is its third base. It has doubled brewing capacity in recent years and also has a visitor centre and pub/restaurant on site.  

All the winners in the competition:


Mild

Gold: Grainstore Rutland Panther
Silver: Brains Dark
Bronze: Elgood's Black Dog

Bitter

Gold: Woodforde's Wherry Best Bitter
Silver: Holden's Black Country Bitter
Bronze (joint): RCH PG Steam and Belvoir Star

Best Bitter

Gold: Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter
Silver: Mighty Oak Burntwood Bitter
Bronze (joint): Timoth Taylor Landlord and Olde Swan Entire

Strong Ale

Gold: Hanby Nutcracker
Silver: Bullmastiff Son of a Bitch
Bronze: Fuller's ESB

Golden Ales

Gold: Crouch Vale Brewers Gold
Silver: Jarrow Rivet Catcher
Bronze: Oakham JHB

Speciality Beers

Gold: Cairngorm Trade Winds
Silver: Young's Waggledance
Bronze (joint): Daleside Morocco and Ridley's Rumpus

Real Ale in a Bottle

Gold: Durham Evensong
Silver: Young's Special London Ale
Bronze: Titanic Stout

*Willard Clarke launched his latest book - 300 Beers To Try Before You Die! - at the Great British Beer Festival. It is his personal choice of his favourite beers throughout the world. It costs �12.99 or �10.99 for Camra members. It is available in bookshops, Amazon.co.uk or direct from Camra: www.camra.org.uk or 01727 867201. 		  

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