How Northamptonshire’s become top of the hops
ALES from Northamptonshire have been judged to be the best in the region.
Great Oakley Brewery’s Gobble won the overall champion prize in the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) Midlands competition which was judged at the Nottingham Robin Hood Beer Festival.
The beer won gold in the premium beers category and was then awarded the overall prize in the competition which was entered by 244 cask beers and 68 bottled beers.
The brewery also won bronze in the bottled porters, milds, old ales and stouts category with its Delapre Dark and bronze in the speciality beers section with its Oakley Blonde.
Phil Greenway from the Great Oakley brewery who is also chairman of the Northamptonshire branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) said: “Chuffed is not the word. We were absolutely blown away. We have had bronzes in the past but I never dreamed we would get this.”
He describes the champion beer as a golden beer with a floral, hoppy aroma and a crisp, hoppy, nutty taste.
He said: “Without blowing my own trumpet, I do think our beer is pretty good at the moment.
“The art is to keep accurate records. It’s like cooking; it’s time and temperature. It’s accurately weighing out the ingredients exactly right every time. You are following a recipe. And it’s about controlling the fermentation process and providing consistency, which is what pub landlords are looking for.
“What the judges are looking for is the appearance, so clarity and that it’s got a nice head on it and taste and aroma.”
And Great Oakley was not the only winner. The gold award for the best standard mild ale went to Guilsborough Guzzler from Nobby’s Brewery in Guilsborough.
Paul “Nobby” Mulliner from Nobby’s Brewery was delighted with the win.
He said: “I could have fallen through the floor it was a wonderful experience.”
Judges in the competition include brewers from other parts of the country, which makes winning a prize all the more special. Nobby said: “It’s quite an accolade to win because you are judged by your peers.”
Nobby describes the ale as: “A pale mild ale more like the milds you used to get in Birmingham. Where I’m from in Yorkshire they are very dark but here it could be light or dark. It’s very malty, lots of malt flavour and gently hoppy.”
SIBA represents larger breweries as well as microbreweries like Nobby’s and Great Oakley and the Midlands competition covers an area from Nottinghamshire down to Oxfordshire and across to the West Midlands.
Next spring the regional winners of gold awards will compete in the national finals of the competition.
Nobby said: “We really put Northamptonshire on the map.”
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