1872 Porter from the Elland Brewery, West Yorkshire, has today been crowned the Supreme Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2010 by a panel of judges at the National Winter Ales Festival in Manchester.
The 6.5% abv porter is described in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide as a 'creamy, full-flavoured porter, with rich liquorice flavours with a hint of chocolate from roast malt, and a soft but satisfying aftertaste of bittersweet roast and malt.'
Graham Donning, National Winter Ales Festival organiser, praised the Champion Winter beer for its quality. He said:
'A timeless classic well worthy of this accolade. It has won many awards at CAMRA beer festivals in the past, and it's great to see this small brewer achieving such success. A perfect winter warming remedy to the snowy weather in recent weeks!'
Winning today is especially sweet for the brewer after finishing in Silver place overall in the 2009 competition.
Dave Sanders, Head Brewer at Elland, was elated to hear of the brewery's success. He said:
'It absolutely brilliant; we came second last year and I am thrilled to finish on top in 2010. We originally started brewing this beer at the West Yorkshire brewery, so there's quite a history behind this Victorian recipe.'
Also in the Overall awards, Silver went to Breconshire's Ramblers Ruin, whilst the Bronze medal went to Acorn's Gorlovka Imperial Stout.
A panel of beer writers, members of the licensed trade and CAMRA members judged the competition at the Sheridan Suite, Manchester. The Champion Winter Beer of Britain competition is sponsored by JD Wetherspoon.
Drinkers at the National Winter Ales Festival will now be able to sample the winning brews, as well as a formidable selection of over 200 different beers, including a range of ciders and perries.
Victorious at the Winter Ales Festival today, Elland's 1872 Porter will now enter into the final of the Champion Beer of Britain competition at the Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London, in August.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
National Winter Ales Festival 2010
Wednesday 20th - Saturday 23rd January 2010
Sheridan Suite, Oldham Road, Manchester, M40 8EA
For more information on the National Winter Ales Festival, visit - www.alefestival.org.uk
Winter beer styles:
Porter - A dark, slightly sweetish but hoppy ale made with roasted barley; the successor of 'entire' and predecessor of stout. Porter originated in London around 1730, and by the end of the 18th century was probably the most popular beer in England.
Stout - One of the classic types of ale, a successor in fashion to 'porter'. Usually a very dark, heavy, well-hopped bitter ale, with a dry palate, thick creamy, and a good grainy taste.
Old Ale - Now virtually synonymous with 'winter ale'. Most 'old ales' are produced and sold for a limited time in the year, usually between November and the end of February. Usually a rich, dark, high-gravity draught ale of considerable body.
Barley Wine - A strong, rich and sweetish ale, usually over 1060 OG, dark in colour, with high condition and a high hop rate.
Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2010 - Winners List:
Old Ales and Strong Milds category
Gold- Breconshire, Ramblers Ruin (Brecon, Powys)
Silver- Leeds, Midnight Bell (Leeds, West Yorkshire)
Bronze- Beartown, Black Bear (Congleton, Cheshire)
Porters category
Gold- Elland, 1872 Porter (Elland, West Yorkshire)
Silver- Sulwath, Black Galloway (Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway)
Bronze- RCH, Old Slug Porter (Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset)
Stouts category
Gold- Acorn, Gorlovka Imperial Stout (Barnsley, South Yorkshire)
Silver- Beowulf, Dragon Smoke Stout (Brownhills, Staffordshire)
Bronze- Wapping, Stout (Liverpool, Merseyside)
Barley Wines category
Gold- Robinsons, Old Tom (Stockport, Cheshire)
Silver- Kinver, Over the Edge (Kinver, Staffordshire)
Bronze- Otley, O8 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan)
OVERALL result
Gold- Elland, 1872 Porter (Elland, West Yorkshire)
Silver- Breconshire, Ramblers Ruin (Brecon, Powys)
Bronze- Acorn, Gorlovka Imperial Stout (Barnsley, South Yorkshire)
For further information:
Jon Howard, CAMRA Press Officer, 07939 425471
Graham Donning, Festival Organiser, 07961 886696
Dave Sanders, Elland Head Brewer, 07884 054070
Brewery address - Elland Brewery Ltd, Units 3-5, Heathfield Industrial Estate, Heathfield Street, Elland, West Yorkshire, HX5 9AE
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