Champion Beer of Britain announced - CAMRA toasts Best Beer in Britain

Ruby Mild shines through!

Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London (August 4th-8th)

Issued: Tuesday August 4th
Status: For immediate use

Rudgate Ruby Mild of York, North Yorkshire has been voted the best beer in Britain – CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain 2009 - after a year of local tastings panels and regional competitions culminated in a final judging at the Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London today.

Ruby Mild, which has an abv of 4.4%, is described in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2009 as a ‘nutty, rich ruby ale, stronger than usual for a mild.’

The York brewed real ale was chosen as the overall winner from over sixty finalists in seven categories (Best Bitters, Bitters, Golden Ales, Milds, Speciality, Winter Beer and Strong Bitters) including beers from tiny micros to major regional brewers.

Roger Protz, Chairman of the final judging panel said:
‘It’s a tremendous boost for the mild category. It’s good to see a classic British traditional beer making such a comeback in the age of golden ales and much paler beers in general. The judges were impressed by rich, fruity character, and the fact that it’s quite hoppy and bitter for a mild ale. Its victory should invigorate the whole mild ale category.’

An elated Craig Lee, Rudgate’s brewery owner, said:
‘It’s an excellent achievement, we’ve come close in previous years, and we are really proud to have won the Champion Beer of Britain. It’s unbelievable, and we hope our beer helps popularise the cause of real ale. ’

Rudgate’s victory comes in the wake of new research from CAMRA showing 50% of adult drinkers have now tried Britain’s national drink, real ale! This comes at a time when there are currently over 670 brewers in the UK, more than at any other time since the Second World War.

CAMRA’s research shows-
50% of all adult drinkers have now tried real ale, compared to 35% in 2008
67% of male drinkers have now tried real ale, compared to 50% in 2008
30% of women drinkers have now tried real ale, compared to 16% in 2008

Over the last few years, CAMRA has concentrated its efforts on encouraging people to try real ale as its previous research showed a high level of conversion amongst those who try it with 40% converting to drinking it afterwards.

Further new research from CAMRA shows that out of all the consumers having tried real ale, 64% of people have tried a beer brewed in their local area, revealing why trade bodies such as the Society of Independent Brewers has reported a 7% year-on-year volume growth for local brewers for the last two years*.

Complete List of Champion Beer of Britain winners

Champion Beer of Britain- Rudgate, Ruby Mild (York, North Yorkshire)
Second- Oakham, Attila (Peterborough, Cambridgeshire)
Third- West Berkshire, Dr Hexter’s Healer (Thatcham, Berkshire)

Mild category
Gold- Rudgate, Ruby Mild (York, North Yorkshire)
Silver- Bank Top, Dark Mild (Bolton, Lancashire)
Bronze- Highland, Dark Munro (Birsay, Orkney)

Bitter category
Gold- Surrey Hills, Ranmore Ale (Guildford, Surrey)
Silver- Butcombe, Bitter (Bristol, Avon)
Joint Bronze- Humpty Dumpty, Little Sharpie (Reedham, Norfolk)
Joint Bronze- Triple fff, Alton’s Pride (Alton, Hampshire)

Best Bitter category
Gold- Southport, Golden Sands (Southport, Merseyside)
Silver- Buntingford, Britannia (Royston, Hertfordshire)
Joint Bronze- Evan Evans, Cwrw (Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire)
Joint Bronze- Thornbridge, Lord Marples (Bakewell, Derbyshire)
Joint Bronze- Vale, VPA (Brill, Buckinghamshire)

Golden Ale category
Gold- Dark Star, American Pale Ale (Ansty, West Sussex)
Joint Silver- Adnams, Explorer (Southwold, Suffolk)
Joint Silver- St Austell, Proper Job (St Austell, Cornwall)

Strong Bitter category
Gold- West Berkshire, Dr Hexter’s Healer (Thatcham, Berkshire)
Silver- Thornbridge, Kipling (Bakewell, Derbyshire)
Bronze- Grain, Tamarind IPA (Harleston, Norfolk)

Speciality Beer category
Gold- Nethergate, Umbel Magna (Pentlow, Essex)
Silver- Wentworth, Bumble Beer (Wentworth, South Yorkshire)
Bronze- Amber, Chocolate Orange Stout (Ripley, Derbyshire)

Winter Beer of Britain winner (announced in January 2009)
Oakham, Attila (Cambridgshire)

…………………..

Bottled Beer of Britain winners (Champion Bottled Beer of Britain competition sponsored by Travelodge)
Gold- Titanic, Stout (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire)
Silver- Great Gable, Yewbarrow (Gosforth, Cumbria)
Bronze- White Shield Brewery, White Shield (Coors, Burton-on-Trent)