British ales dominate at international brewing awards

British Brewers proved their class to dominate the ale categories at the Brewing Industry International Awards held in Munich last week.

Hall & Woodhouse's Badger First Gold completed what organiser John Bass described as a 'marketing man's dream by scooping the top award in the international ale competition despite only being launched at the Great British Beer Festival in August.

The other big winner was Deuchars IPA which took the Morning Advertiser-sponsored gong for the best cask-conditioned ale. Head brewer at Caledonian, Robert Burton, actually won the same award 11 years ago while at Mansfield Brewery for Riding Bitter. 'It is quite remarkable for someone to win the award twice at two different breweries, said Bass.

Other British winners included Frederic Robinson's Old Tom and Wolverhampton & Dudley's Bank's Barley Gold in the strong-beer competition, and Brains Dark, Young's Oatmeal Stout and Hook Norton's Twelve Days in the dark, milds, stouts and porters competition. Young's was the only British brewer to scoop two gold medals as it also won the class-two cask-conditioned category with its Ramrod Ale. Microbreweries Joseph Holt and Roosters also tasted success.

In the class-two draught lager category Kronenbourg 1664, brewed in Reading, won gold for the second year running. 'Its consistency shows its class and quality, added Bass.

The biggest shock came when Myanmar Beer from the Myanmar Brewery in Yangon, Burma, finished top of the pile in both the class-one packaged lager and draught lager competitions. 'It was unknown and a complete surprise, said Bass.

'I had to go around asking everyone if they knew where it was and where it had come from.

The awards festival will return to the UK in two years' time.

For a full list of results visit www.brewingawards.org