CAMRA’s Champion Bottled Beer of Britain was, as usual, held at the BBC Good Food Show in Birmingham at the end of November. The winner was Thornbridge’s Saint Petersburg Imperial Russian Stout (7.4% ABV). The tasting notes are ‘a rich and full-bodied stout with black treacle and dark notes. It has a robust, bitter finish that gives it a great balance and is the perfect brew to pair with a fruity cake’. That is assuming that you still have any left after Christmas.
Thornbridge brewery’s co-founder and owner Simon Webster said, “We’re delighted to have won the gold award in the CAMRA Bottled Beer of Britain competition with our much-loved Russian imperial stout St Petersburg. Having first bottled it back in 2005, we’re thrilled this beer has held its own in a very competitive market and is tasting as fantastic today as it was almost 15 years ago.”
Carl Brett on behalf of Thornbridge.
(photo by Christine Cryne)
The silver and bronze awards went to two St Austell beers, Proper Job (5.5% ABV) and Big Job (7.2% ABV).
Proper Job is described as a ‘quaffable, fruity golden ale, whose drinkability belies its strength. Its fruitiness makes it moreish, but the bitterness provides a balance to the malty sweetness’.
The organiser of the competition, CAMRA national director Gary Timmins commented, “Congratulations to Thornbridge and St Austell for brewing some fantastic beers. This was a tough competition and it was hard for the judges to whittle down to the final three. It’s fantastic to be able to make the announcement at the BBC Good Food Show – the epitome of all things good in the food and drink industry.”
From a CAMRA press release