GBBF: Elland 1872 Porter crowned Champion Beer of Britain 2013

It is mooted to be the first Porter to win the competition.

The beer is a 6.5% ABV and is described as a "rich, complex and dark porter" from an original 1872 recipe.

The beer won the competition after a blind tasting conducted by leading beer experts and judges. It was also the winner of the 2013 CAMRA winter Beer of Britain competition.

The GBBF, run by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), is currently taking place at Olympia, London.

Silver was won by Buntingford - Twitchell and Bronze was Fyne Ales - Jarl.

West Yorkshire​

The West Yorkshire brewed real ale was judged the Supreme Champion over a host of other finalists in seven different beer categories (Bitters, Best Bitters, Strong Bitters, Golden Ales, Milds, Winter Beers, and the Speciality class), including beers from both small microbrewers and large regional brewers. 

Colin Valentine, chair of the competition and CAMRA chairman, said: “It was a really tough decision but Elland 1872 Porter is a fantastic beer and a well deserved winner.

"A 6.5% abv,  rich and strongly flavoured porter with flavours of coffee and dark chocolate, this result makes it two years in a row that our Champion Winter Beer has gone on to win the Champion Beer of Britain competition.”​

Michael Wynnyczuk, head brewer at Elland, said: “I’m utterly shocked. It’s a great beer but after we won the Winter Ales competition you wonder about it in the summer GBBF competition, as people may prefer different styles of beer in warmer weather. But we know it’s a great beer and we’re really proud to be crowned Champion Beer of Britain.”

Elland 1872 Porter is available at the Great British Beer Festival this week.​

Overall winners-
Gold – Elland – 1872 Porter (West Yorkshire)
Silver – Buntingford – Twitchell (Hertfordshire)
Bronze – Fyne Ales – Jarl (Argyll)

Mild category-
Gold – Great Orme - Welsh Black (Conwy)
Silver – Cotswold Spring - Old Sodbury Mild (Gloucestershire)
Bronze – Fernandes – Malt Shovel Mild (West Yorkshire)

Bitters category-
Gold – Buntingford – Twitchell (Hertfordshire)
Silver – Moor – Revival (Somerset)
Bronze – Surrey Hills – Ranmore Ale (Surrey) and Buttcombe Bitter (Somerset)
Best Bitters-
Gold – Mordue – Workie Ticket (North Shields)
Silver – Surrey Hills – Shere Drop (Surrey)
Bronze – Purple Moose – Glaslyn (Gwynedd) and Woodfordes – Nelsons Revenge (Norfolk)

Golden Ales-
Gold – Fyne Ales – Jarl (Argyll)
Silver – Buntingford – Polar Star (Hertfordshire)
Bronze – St Austell - Proper Job (Cornwall)

Strong Bitters-
Gold – Beeston – On the huh (Norfolk)
Silver –Marble – Dobber (Greater Manchester)
Bronze – Castle Rock – Screech Owl (Nottingham)
Speciality Beers-
Gold – Growler Brewery, Nethergate – Umbel Magna (Suffolk)
Silver – Saltaire – Triple Chocolate (West Yorkshire)
Bronze – Conwy – Honey Fayre (Conwy)
Champion Winter Beer of Britain (from category winners announced in January 2013)-
Elland – 1872 Porter(West Yorkshire)
Bartram’s – Comrade Bill Bartram’s EAIS Stout (Suffolk)
Kelburn – Dark Moor (Old Ale/Strong Mild) (Glasgow)
Hog’s Back – A over T (Barley Wine/Strong Old Ale) (Surrey)

Champion Bottled Beer of Britain winners-
Gold – Molson Coor’s – Worthington White Shield (Burton on Trent)
Silver – St Austell – Proper Job (Cornwall)
Bronze – Harvey’s – Imperial Extra Double Stout (East Sussex)