The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) will be showcasing eight of its competition winners at the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) in August, giving visitors the chance to sample the cask ales that triumphed in SIBA’s National Beer Competition, announced at BeerX in Sheffield earlier this year.
The beers will be served throughout the festival on the SIBA Champions Bar. A presence on this popular bar is one of the benefits of winning a Gold medal at SIBA’s national competition, and gives the brewers a chance to promote their beers to a wider audience than usual. The choice of beers this year is diverse both geographically, with brewers from with brewers from Argyll to Gloucestershire, and in the styles represented.
SIBA managing director Mike Benner said, “The beers on our Champions Bar have been judged the best from an initial field of around 2,000 entries to our annual beer competitions. We are delighted to again be presenting our members’ winning beers to the thousands of visitors to GBBF, with the stamp of approval that comes with a place on the Champions Bar.”
Supreme Champion
Brass Castle Brewery, Supreme Champion of the cask beer competition at BeerX earlier this year, will be at GBBF for the first time. Director Ian Goodall said, “We’re thrilled to be going to GBBF, of course. We have not been before so it will be great to see the level of interest we get from being on the SIBA Champions Bar. With 12 firkins of Burnout being sent to Olympia, it is a great chance to get in front of many new drinkers who wouldn’t otherwise know much about us, and of course has the potential to create lots of new opportunities, which is really exciting.”
SIBA Champions Bar 2015
The winners of the SIBA National Cask Beer Competition 2015, who will be on the SIBA Champions Bar at GBBF this August are:
- Burnout, Brass Castle Brewery, Yorkshire: Supreme Champion of the Cask Beer Competition
- Ruby Jane, Ilkley Brewery, Yorkshire: Champion Standard Mild Ale
- Nibley Ale, Severn Vale Brewing, Gloucestershire: Champion Standard Bitter
- Darwin’s Origin, Salopian Brewery, Shropshire: Champion Best Bitter
- Affinity, Shiny Brewing Company, Derbyshire: Champion Premium Bitter
- Red India Ale, Dorking Brewery, Surrey: Champion Strong Bitter
- Sublime Stout, Fyne Ales, Ayreshire: Champion Premium Strong Beer
- Apricot Jungle, Grafton Brewing Company, Nottinghamshire: Champion Speciality Beer